Have YOU Hit a Brick Wall in Your Genealogy Research ?

 

By Gayle Van Horn

Every family historian eventually meets one: the ancestor who simply refuses to cooperate.

You have searched census records, marriage records, death certificates, cemetery listings, online family trees and every genealogy database you can think of. You have tried alternate spellings, neighboring counties and different dates. Still, you cannot find the parents, birthplace, maiden name or other piece of information you need.

Welcome to the genealogy brick wall.

Before deciding that the answer has been lost forever, however, there are several things worth trying.

Go Back to What You Know

One of the best ways to attack a brick wall is to stop searching for new information and review what you already have.

Start with the earliest record that you can definitely connect to your ancestor and work forward again. Look carefully at every name, date, location and relationship. Something that seemed unimportant years ago may suddenly have new meaning.

And don't assume that information you recorded years ago is correct simply because it has been in your family tree for a long time. Where did that birth date come from? Who identified the parents? Was there an original record, or was the information copied from another researcher's tree?

Sometimes the first step in breaking a brick wall is discovering that one of our original assumptions was wrong.

Search the Entire Family

When your ancestor disappears from the records, stop searching only for that person.

Research the spouse, children, siblings, in-laws, cousins and even grandchildren. A brother's obituary might identify the parents. A sister's death certificate might provide their mother's maiden name. A child's marriage record may reveal a birthplace that appears nowhere else.

Genealogists sometimes call this cluster research—studying the people who surrounded your ancestor rather than concentrating on one individual.

The answer to your ancestor's mystery may actually be hiding in someone else's records.

Pay Attention to Neighbors

This is particularly important when researching families in the 1700s and 1800s.

Families often migrated together. Neighbors in one census may appear beside each other again hundreds of miles away ten or twenty years later. Witnesses on deeds, bondsmen on marriages, executors of wills and people purchasing property at estate sales may turn out to be relatives.

Make a list of recurring surnames around your ancestor. Then research those people.

You may discover that the seemingly unrelated neighbor living three farms away was actually a brother-in-law, uncle or cousin.

Follow the Land

Land records can be invaluable when vital records do not exist.

Deeds may identify spouses, heirs, and relatives. They can show when someone arrived in an area or when they left. When land passes between people with different surnames for a token amount, take a closer look—there may be a family relationship involved.

Also remember that your ancestor may not have moved at all. County and state boundaries changed frequently. A person can appear to have lived in several different counties while occupying the same piece of land.

Look Beyond the Internet

It is easy to forget that only a fraction of historical records are available online.

County courthouses, state archives, historical societies, libraries, university collections and local genealogy societies may hold material that has never been digitized.

Probate packets, loose court papers, tax lists, church registers, newspaper files and manuscript collections can contain information that will never appear in a simple online name search.

Sometimes breaking a brick wall requires leaving the search box behind.

Search for the Name Differently

Spelling was remarkably flexible in earlier generations.

Try phonetic variations, initials, nicknames, and common transcription errors. Search without a surname when possible, using only a first name, approximate birth year and location.

And remember that the person who created the record may have misunderstood the name—and the person who indexed it many years later may have misunderstood it again.

Build a Timeline

Create a simple chronological list of everything you know about your ancestor.

Where was the person in 1820? 1830? 1840? When were the children born? When was land purchased? When did the family first appear in a particular county?

Once everything is placed in chronological order, gaps and inconsistencies become much easier to see.

Those gaps give you new research questions.

Separate Evidence from Speculation

Most of us eventually develop theories about our difficult ancestors. There is nothing wrong with that. A theory gives us something to investigate.

But label it as a theory.

Keep proven facts separate from possibilities. Write down why you think a particular couple might be the parents of your ancestor and then ask yourself what evidence would prove—or disprove—the idea.

One of the greatest dangers in genealogy is turning a reasonable possibility into a "fact" simply because it has been repeated for years.

Revisit the Problem Later

Sometimes the best thing you can do with a brick wall is put it aside.

Newspapers are digitized every day. Archives place new collections online. Another researcher may publish information about a related family. DNA matches may appear. A record that was unavailable ten years ago may be searchable today.

When you return to the problem with fresh eyes, you may also notice something you overlooked before.

And Finally—Don't Give Up

Some brick walls really are difficult. Records may have burned, never existed or disappeared through time. Occasionally we have to accept that a question cannot be answered with the evidence currently available.

But "I haven't found it" is not the same thing as "it doesn't exist."

Genealogy rewards persistence.

I have returned to some family lines again and again over the years, sometimes after setting them aside for a very long time. More than once, a new record, a different search technique or one small clue has opened a door that previously seemed firmly closed.

So when you reach that stubborn ancestor who seems determined to remain a mystery, don't consider the research finished.

Change the question. Search the family. Study the neighbors. Recheck your evidence. Look somewhere you haven't looked before.

That brick wall may not come down today.

But sometimes all it takes is finding one loose brick.

Gayle is BACK — and so is the Genealogy!

 

It’s been a little quiet here at Gayle’s Family Genealogy for the past couple of months, but I’m happy to say — I’M BACK!

My unexpected summer adventure involved a broken arm, which put a serious slowdown on typing, research, and just about everything else I normally enjoy doing. Genealogy unfortunately had to take a back seat while I concentrated on healing.

But the family tree has been patiently waiting!

Now I’m getting back to research, digging through old records, revisiting some stubborn family mysteries, and thinking about plenty of new topics to share here. In the weeks ahead, I’ll be posting genealogy research tips, family stories, old photographs, unusual discoveries, brick-wall ideas, and some of those fascinating mysteries that keep us searching for “just one more record.”

I’ll also share some of my own research adventures — including ancestors who have managed to hide from me for years. After all, sometimes the best part of genealogy isn’t simply finding the answer. It’s figuring out where to look next.

So dust off those family trees and come along. There’s plenty more genealogy ahead at Gayle’s Family Genealogy.

It’s good to be back!

Researching the Ruth Family of Hartford County, Maryland

 

If you are researching the Moses Ruth family of Hartford County, Maryland .... a few notes to get you started

There are already several copied family-tree claims that don’t agree with one another. There are also a couple of clues from actual Maryland records, 

The basic family is definitely represented online. Multiple genealogical compilations identify Moses Ruth (born about 1697) and Esther/Ester Irwin (born about 1701) as a Maryland couple, apparently marrying about 1729. One compilation gives their children as Jean/Joan, Ruthea, Sarah, and Moses, exactly matching your family group. 

There are, however, two things you should consider in your research of this family. .

First, Moses's birthplace. It was originally recorded as “Hartford [Harford] County, Maryland” as his birthplace in 1697 without a qualifier. Harford County did not yet exist in 1697; that area was then part of Baltimore County. So if he really was born in the area that later became Harford County, a historically accurate entry would be something like Baltimore County, Province of Maryland (present-day Harford County). The online trees appear to have retroactively applied the later county name.

More intriguing is his wife Esther Irwin's birthplace. A few online sites indicate "Naughton, Suffolk, England, but I have the following to conside:

Ester Irwin

• born 1701, Rathmelton, Ireland 

• died 20 January 1786, Harford County, Maryland 

• married first to John Archer, who died in 1727 

• subsequently married Moses Ruth 

• Moses died 18 September 1781, Harford County, Maryland. 

That Irish birthplace caught my attention because there is independent evidence that an Esther Irwin was an immigrant/early Maryland settler. An immigration index cites Martha and Bill Reamy's Immigrant Ancestors of Marylanders and identifies an Esther Irwin in Maryland during the 1700s. 

So at this stage I would put a big question mark beside “Naughton, Suffolk, England.” I haven't found evidence supporting that location, while I have found a published genealogical trail pointing to Rathmelton (Ramelton), County Donegal, Ireland. That doesn't prove Ireland yet, but it deserves investigation.

The children are also interesting. One database has Jean Ruth born about 1730, Ruthea Ruth about 1734, and Moses Ruth about 1738, all in Maryland. Another family genealogy specifically shows the line as Moses Ruth + Esther Irwin? Ruthia, Sarah, Moses and Joan. The Jean/Joan/Jane variation doesn't concern me much for an 18th-century family; I'd expect spelling variations.

And we have a particularly nice piece of evidence that this was a real Harford-area Ruth family rather than merely an endlessly copied Internet tree. The Maryland State Archives has a period record from the 1766–1768 General Assembly proceedings that actually names a Moses Ruth among residents/signatories. 

Even better, the younger Moses Ruth Jr. appears in Walter W. Preston's 1901 History of Harford County. He was enrolled in Captain Jacob Bond's militia company in December 1775, just before the Revolution. The roster explicitly calls him “Moses Ruth, Jr.” That “Jr.” is valuable because it strongly supports the presence of two adult Moses Ruths in the same Harford County community—very consistent with your father Moses and son Moses.

There's another promising branch through daughter Jane/Jean Ruth. One genealogy identifies her as born about 1739 in the future Harford County area, daughter of Moses Ruth and Ester Irwin. She married Robert McCuistion about 1754, probably in Maryland, and after his death married Major Thomas Blair in 1765. Jane reportedly died about 1823 in Guilford County, North Carolina. That could provide another route for proving her parents through estate, marriage, or land records rather than family trees.

So...what's next? 

I'd provisionally reconstruct them as Moses Ruth, b. c.1697, probably in the portion of Baltimore County that later became Harford County; d. 18 Sept. 1781, Harford County, married about 1729 to Ester/Esther Irwin, b. c.1701, birthplace uncertain but possibly Ramelton/Rathmelton, County Donegal, Ireland; d. 20 Jan. 1786, Harford County. Children appear to include Jean/Jane/Joan, Ruthea/Ruthia, Sarah, and Moses Jr. 

But I wouldn't recommend to any researcher of this family, to copy any of those exact dates or Esther's Irish birthplace into your permanent genealogy as proven facts yet. Most of what gives those details traces back to secondary genealogies. The militia and Maryland archival appearances are considerably stronger evidence.

Consider your next move for Moses Ruth's Maryland land, probate/will, church and tax records from roughly 1720–1781, and on Esther Irwin/Archer before her marriage to Moses. If ypu can locate Moses's will or estate papers, you just might be able to nail down the children—and perhaps establish Esther's identity at the same time. 

There are so many family trees online for this family...let's take it one step at a time before repeating everthing thats already been "assumed." 

I Have My Family Tree Back to Adam and Eve

 

I can't resist posting this. We've all heard from well-meaning people who actually believed they could trace their lineage to Adam and Eve !!! (Ever heard of the flood ???)  Don't take my word for it. 

Here is the word from some scholars who have examined the various claimed trees. Thanks to Dick Eastman and his column at https://blog.eogn.com/2020/07/01/i-have-my-family-tree-back-to-adam-and-eve/

Dick Eastman · July 1, 2020 · Genealogy Basics ·

This is another bit of fiction that needs to be wiped out. I have often heard people (I won’t call them “genealogists”) at various times make the claim that they have traced their family tree back to Adam and Eve. Of course, the “documentation” is always sketchy.

Robert C. Gunderson was a Senior Royalty Research Specialist of the Church Genealogical Department at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (the Mormons). He was an expert in medieval genealogy and started the Royalty Identification Unit in 1972. He passed away in 2003. However, before his death, Gunderson was once asked if such research was

“The simplest answer is No. Let me explain. In thirty-five years of genealogical research, I have yet to see a pedigree back to Adam that can be documented. By assignment, I have reviewed hundreds of pedigrees over the years. I have not found one where each connection on the pedigree can be justified by evidence from contemporary documents. In my opinion it is not even possible to verify a connected European pedigree historically earlier than the time of the Merovingian Kings (c. a.d. 450–a.d. 752).

“

Every pedigree I have seen that attempts to bridge the gap between that time and the biblical pedigree appears to be based on questionable tradition, or at worst, plain fabrication. Generally these pedigrees offer no evidence as to the origin of the information, or they cite a vague source.”

François Weil, a former director of studies (professor) at the École des Hautes Etudes en sciences sociales (EHESS) in Paris and currently a State Councilor, is another expert in medieval pedigrees who agrees. Weil provides authoritative answers to these questions in his book Family Trees: A History of Genealogy in America (2013) published by Harvard University Press.

Both Gunderson and Weil agreed: European royal pedigrees cannot be verified before the 500s A.D.

To learn more, read:

Family Trees: A History of Genealogy in America. By François Weil. Published by Harvard University Press, Online bookstore, 2013. ISBN 9780674045835. 320 pp. Indexes. Hardcover. $27.95. http://www.hup.harvard.edu/catalog.php?isbn=9780674045835 or available on Amazon as a hardcover book at https://amzn.to/2BloHUu.

The Genealogy Fingerprint

 

What Fingerprints Can Tell Us

Genealogy Research Tip:

One of the cornerstones for laying a good foundation in any family history research is the birth event. It is one of the most important life events that we should research in documenting anyone's life.

For instance, what makes you unique is that you are born on a definitive month, day, and year; at a specific geographic location; given a birth name by your parents; and are the child of a set of specific biological parents.

Do you know anyone else in the world who has your date of birth and birth location, and the same full name? Of course, you don't. In order to extend a person into a previous generation (i.e., parents) we need to get the birth event information right. I call this the "genealogy fingerprint. "

When researching your family, if you lock any part of or all that information in, that will then help you sort out your John Smith from the rest of the John Smiths in a specific community.

Another consideration that I just thought about for the birth life event is that a child born at a specific location means the mother was also at that location at the time of the birth. But it does not necessarily mean that the father was there at that same time. You cannot assume that the father was present at the birth or even in the same town. In fact, you also cannot assume the father was even alive at the time of the birth.

The Day the Old Photograph Spoke

 

String Prairie, Texas 

There are moments in genealogy when the past suddenly stops being distant.

Most family historians have experienced it at least once. You are carefully sorting through an old box of photographs, perhaps one that has sat untouched in a closet, attic, or dresser drawer for decades. The images are faded. Some are bent at the corners. A few names may be written on the back in nearly invisible pencil. Others have no identification at all.

Then suddenly, one photograph seems to “speak.”

Not literally, of course. But something about the image reaches across time and captures your attention in a way the others do not.

Perhaps it is the expression on someone’s face.

Maybe it is the resemblance to a living family member.

Or perhaps it is a tiny detail hidden in the background that tells an unexpected story.

That moment is one of the true joys of genealogy.

For years, many people think of genealogy as simply collecting names, dates, and places. Census records, birth certificates, marriage licenses, and obituaries are all important pieces of the puzzle. But photographs bring something entirely different to family history research. They bring emotion. They bring personality. They remind us that our ancestors were real people who laughed, worried, worked, struggled, and hoped—just as we do today.

An old photograph can reveal far more than we first realize.

A studio portrait may show the style of clothing worn during a particular decade. A military uniform might identify wartime service. A store sign in the background could reveal where a family once lived. Even hairstyles, jewelry, automobiles, or furniture can help date a photograph and place it into historical context.

Sometimes the smallest details become the biggest clues.

I have often found myself studying old family photographs far longer than I intended. What first appeared to be an ordinary image slowly began to reveal details I had never noticed before. A familiar family resemblance suddenly becomes obvious. A handwritten note on the back provides a forgotten location. An unknown child standing quietly beside an adult may later become identified through additional research.

And occasionally, an old photograph can stir powerful emotions.

You may find yourself staring into the eyes of a great-grandparent you never met, wondering what kind of life they lived. What were their dreams? What hardships did they endure? Did they realize that generations later, someone would still treasure their image and wonder about their story?

That is when the photograph truly “speaks.”

It reminds us that genealogy is not simply about building a family tree. It is about reconnecting with human lives that time might otherwise forget.

In today’s digital world, preserving old family photographs has become more important than ever. Many aging photographs are fading, cracking, or deteriorating. Some exist only in a single fragile copy. Scanning and preserving these images ensures that future generations will still be able to see the faces of those who came before them.

But beyond preservation, we should also share the stories connected to those photographs.

First,  use a label to write the names of the people, and a place if you know it, as well as the year taken.  Don't actually write on the back of an old photograpgh - which can leave marks on the front image. Record memories while older relatives are still living. Ask questions. Identify locations. Preserve family traditions connected to the people in the images. A photograph without a story is still valuable—but a photograph with a story becomes priceless.

And sometimes, if we look carefully enough, an old photograph may still have something left to say.

Beyond Names and Dates: The Importance of Family Artifacts

 

For anyone involved in genealogy, discovering names, dates, and census records is only part of the journey. The true heart of family history often lies in the treasured artifacts passed down through generations — the photographs tucked inside old albums, yellowed letters tied with ribbon, military medals, Bibles with handwritten notes, recipe cards, quilts, diaries, newspaper clippings, and even everyday household objects that once belonged to ancestors. These family artifacts are far more than “old things.” They are tangible connections to the people who came before us and help transform genealogy from a list of names into the story of real lives.

One of the greatest values of family artifacts is their ability to preserve personal identity and family memories. Official records may tell us when someone was born or where they lived, but artifacts often reveal who they truly were. A handwritten letter may show a grandfather’s sense of humor. A recipe card stained from years of use may reflect family traditions carried across generations. An old sewing machine, military uniform, or school diploma can offer insight into occupations, sacrifices, achievements, and daily life in a way that no database ever could.

Photographs are especially important in genealogy research. Faces from the past remind us that our ancestors were real people who experienced joy, hardship, love, and loss. Old photographs can also reveal clothing styles, occupations, locations, social status, religious practices, and family relationships. Even unidentified photographs may later become valuable clues when shared with relatives or compared with other family collections. Preserving and labeling photographs today ensures that future generations will know who those individuals were instead of wondering decades later.

Family documents are equally significant. Letters, journals, and diaries can preserve voices that would otherwise be lost forever. Reading the words of an ancestor written in their own hand creates an emotional connection unlike anything else in genealogy. These personal writings often describe immigration journeys, wars, economic struggles, celebrations, or everyday life. In many cases, they provide details that never appeared in public records. A simple postcard mailed home decades ago may become one of the most treasured items in a family archive.

Artifacts also help preserve cultural heritage and family traditions. Ethnic customs, language, religious practices, music, recipes, and crafts are often passed down through objects and keepsakes. A hand-stitched quilt or traditional holiday decoration may represent generations of family heritage and identity. For descendants, these items provide a sense of belonging and continuity. They remind us where we came from and help ensure that important traditions are not forgotten in an increasingly fast-moving world.

Another important reason to preserve family artifacts is that they often contain valuable genealogical evidence. Notes written inside a Bible may list births, marriages, and deaths that were never officially recorded. An inscription on the back of a photograph might identify relatives otherwise unknown. Old address books, funeral cards, report cards, scrapbooks, or military papers can provide clues that lead to new discoveries. Sometimes the smallest item in a family collection becomes the key to solving a long-standing genealogical mystery.

Unfortunately, many family treasures are lost over time because their importance is not recognised. Boxes of letters are discarded during moves. Photographs are separated from names. Heirlooms are sold at estate sales because no one understands their connection to family history. Once these items disappear, the stories attached to them are often gone forever. That is why genealogists frequently encourage relatives to identify, preserve, and document family artifacts while older generations are still available to explain their significance.

Preservation itself is an act of respect for future generations. Carefully storing photographs, scanning documents, labelling images, recording oral histories, and protecting heirlooms ensures that descendants will have a meaningful connection to their roots. Modern technology now makes it easier than ever to digitize and share collections with relatives around the world. A scanned photograph or recorded interview today may become a priceless treasure for grandchildren and great-grandchildren tomorrow.

In many ways, family artifacts serve as bridges between the past and present. They remind us that genealogy is not simply about building a family tree — it is about preserving the lives, memories, and stories of those who helped shape our families. Every artifact, no matter how ordinary it may appear, carries the potential to tell a story. A faded photograph, a handwritten recipe, or an old military medal may one day become one of the most cherished pieces of a family’s history.

For genealogists and family historians alike, collecting and preserving these artifacts is one of the most meaningful ways to honor the generations who came before us — and to ensure that their stories continue to live on for generations yet to come.g family histor