Genealogy Chat

Ive only been researching my family for a few month's but I have hit Birck wall's with all of my family after a certain point, How long has it taken all of you out their to get a answer? This is really doing my head in, anybody felt the same?
Deb

Some things can take years to figure out. What are you getting stuck on? Is it something others can try to help with?

Kath. x

I've been doing this for at least the last 5 years and still have brick walls, although every now and then I get a brain wave and check something new and find an answer ...

Hi
Yes I have checked everything possible Im trying to find a birth's (no trace)
it is if the people never existed. I have Thread's on trying to find but I get so far then the brick wall comes along again. Thanks Helen for that comment It's nice to know im not alone
Deb

You've been doing it for a few months and you're losing patience? I've been at it for 40+ years and am still finding new things.

Yes i have only been doing it for a few month's and my Gray hairs are getting worse lol, But it is still doing my head in (sorry)
Deb

Do you want to give us the details of the birth you are looking for?

Kath. x

I Would Kathleen
but I have got a Thread on trying to find and I dont wont to upset anybody. Im just having a moan and trying to find out how long other people have been trying to find out questions
Thanks Deb

Can you post a link to your trying to find thread here so that we can find it (there are lots of them!).

If you go to My Threads under Tools on the left and find the thread, you can then copy and paste the address which will end with a 7 digit number, this will allow us to find the thread and maybe help you.

Helen

I think Debbie's thread on Trying to Find is on page 2. The person whose birth she is looking for is Eleanor Nellie Cooley.

Kath. x

Thanks for your comment Amokavid.. I know that im not alone
Deb

Kathleen
Please I dont wont to bring my Thread in to this I was just having a moan and asking people how long it took them to find out any answers
You are good
Deb

p.s that was not the only one I'm having problems on all four sides on my family tree I come to the same brick wall some further down the line than other's
deb

Thanks Sorcha

You have brought a bit of hope to me It is every side of my family I have got so far then I come up against that brick wall. So it is nice to know that I am not alone and maybe one day I will get to the bottom of all my questions
Thanks Very Much
Deb

With so much access to records on the internet nowadays, it can take days or weeks sometimes. Other times, a lot longer. The detective trail can be frustrating but also satisfying when the bricks start to fall :-)

The more one posts on sites / mailing lists, the more likely one's queries are to be seen by someone who can help.
For example, some years ago, I posted about my family on a rootsweb mailing list; a few years ago, someone contacted me with details that he had seen about my family.

One of my major walls right now is that I cannot find the death registration of one of my great-grandfathers; it may, or may not, turn up one day.

Happy hunting :-)

Thanks Joy

It helps me just to know that I'm not doing something wrong. but it can get so frustrating not finding out somebody's details from not that long ago

I will keep at it and im sure it will all fall into place one day

Thanks again Joy because it is people like you that keeps me going
Good luck in your research also
Deb

Hi Debbie,

we all feel that way sometimes. There has been many a time in the three years I have been doing this when I have felt my head would explode and questioned why on earth I started all this in the first place.

A useful suggestion another GR member once gave me was if you can't progress back any further on a branch of your tree try going sideways ie if you are stuck on a particular ancestor try looking to see if they had any siblings. The siblings are often overlooked when we are trying to trace our direct line but sometimes the descendants of the siblings may have information you have not yet found and can open up a whole new area of research for you. It is sound advice which I have followed several times with varying levels of success but it is definitely worth a try.

Don't give up. We are all here for you if you fancy having a moan.

Good luck
Caz x

Thanks Caz

That sounds like good advice I will try that, I must stop moaning about my brick wall's after reading all your reply's Ive only been doing it 5 mins compared to most of you (silly billy). Right i have finished with my moaning, Im just going to go in different direction's then come back to all my problems another day

Deb

Something you could try, Debbie, is noting down all instances of a name that come up in one parish register (I've been doing that with my Bold family and their possible relatives today) and try to form them into family groups. They might not fit into your tree at this stage - for instance, with the "spare names" I have found, I have got a William (c.1774), a James (c.1780), a Thomas (he is mine for definite, b. c.1784) and a Charles (b. c.1790).

Unfortunately the register I've been looking at only starts in 1790 but they're all from the same area so it is possible that the four men were brothers. What I've done is to draw out family group trees with the wives and children of each man so that if they do turn out to be connected, I will have a skeleton tree to put together.

Sometimes it takes ages to find out if the names slot into place but, if they do, by noting it all down now you'll have good notes to work from.

If you find a parish record, eg. marriage, look at ALL the information there.
I have used Kate's method of 'grouping' and found that sometimes the other names feature as witnesses at a marriage.
Similarly, look at marriages for the other people, when YOUR ancestor may be a witness.

.... Not proof that they are siblings,( they might be cousins ? ) but a bit of evidence towards the answer.

If you find people marrying before 1837, look for a possible later 2nd marriage, when hopefully the father will be named on the certificate.

I'm still looking for the parents of my GG granfather.....Only been about 13 years, so far !

Gwyn

Sometimes you get information from sources.
I had recently found a name on the 1911 census born 1904 and found someone on GR with the same person.
She had no idea who he was related to because it was his wife who was her gt aunt.

Yesterday she sent me letters etc about this man who worked in China and died there in 1943.
There was a letter which had been sent and the name I knew as the cousin of the person who had died. My contact wouldnt have had a clue about this cousin. So you see things sometimes get explained through others. Dont give up hope