Genealogy Chat

Hi All, I am running a cyber-competition to see who has had a brick wall for the longest time and was then able to break through it. Prize is all the others on here saying, 'WOW that's AMAZING'. Please post your brick wall stories with your breakthrough here, as I need cheering up lol. Am going out now, but shall expect RESULTS by this evening!! Happy Hunting - Sarah

1 year, 7 months, 3 days, 3 hours..... Aaaarrrhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh............. I started a couple of years back and quickly made use of the internet and then the FRC. I was getting good at reading backwards after an hour or so, not wanting to look a total plank as I had the film upside down. darn clever One of the best things was finding this site and the help, advice and support everyone brings Alan

I got my brickwalls 8 weeks after starting my tree and still waiting for JCB to demolish it. Not only can I not go backwards in time pre 1800,I also cannot come forward from 1904, I think they vanished into thin air.So no WooooooW!!!!for me.But just to give you some hope I have found a few little twiglets I never knew I had. Susan

I am up against several brick walls. Only started about 6 months ago when it was full steam ahead, wow I thought, my tree will be like Sherwood Forest at this rate. Now Ive run out of steam with only a few dried up branches left! Oh well, I'll plod on, it keeps me out of mischief! Carole

I have several brick walls one of which I am hoping to knock down soon (optimistic) these I have had for 2/3 years. One it doesn't look like I will knock down as even with the help/searches carried out by Shropshire FHS (Brilliant people bless them) I cannot resolve. I did put a thread on here about 4 weeks ago asking the same question as yourself and the wonderful folk on here gave some splendid tips. I think sometimes you are too near the situation yourself to think rationally. But good luck to everyone. Pat

Hi Sarah, Me & my Mum started our tree 21 years ago we have not been doing it constantly but every so often when new info is released we do a bit more ie 1837 online,freebmd etc.family search etc We started the hard way trawling through the books at middleton Street and I think St Catherines House before that. This site has really helped me with one or two of our brickwalls but we have made absolutely no progress with one branch. Bernard Cochrane married Mary Theresa Fitzgerald in London possibly Greenwich/woolwich 1851-1853. No trace of marriage in parish records,FRC or 1837 online. First child born Woolwich or Eltham 1852/3 depending on which census you look at again no trace of this events found on FRC ,1837online or Parish records. Have Mary showing as a widow on 1871,81,91 with children her birthplace is Ireland on the census and we know she came from Cork DOB 1828/9. Unable to go back further without knowing parish or parents names. Same for hubby know he was born in Scotland without year of birth or parents names its mission impossible. The only evidence I have that he existed at all was on his daughters marriage cert where it says Father: Bernard Cochrane,occup Soldier. So frustrating!!!!! Jenny

My brick wall lasted approximately 20 years on and off, when I was unable to find the marriage of my grandfathers parents, Charles Frederick and Annie. As my grandfather was born in Hull, I thought that his parents would have married there too. The breakthrough came through this site, when a very kind person found their marriage under the names Frederick Charles and Johanna, married in Norfolk. After checking the 1901 census, discovered that grandfathers elder siblings were born in Norfolk, so the marriage found was correct. After that, it was plain sailing right back to the 1700s and I now have a copy of a parish register entry for 1758, amongst others.

Personally, about 2 years but another distant cousin has been on this one for 18 years! With the advice of marjorie last week I found a settlement certificate at the records office which has moved me back 7 years to 1763 now but still cant find 1735 birth.

So Carol is currently the winner!! (Unless you know better that is?!) I only have unbroken brick walls of about 10 and five years duration, so they don't count... Knowing a twenty year wall can fall is wonderful news lol Sarah

In 1977, I knew that John Horne was a widower on the 1871 census, living in Salisbury. Subsequent research demonstrated that he was surrounded by his wife's relations. Searches for her death only threw up an infant's death, not registered by the mother. I could not find John on the 1881 census until the indexes emerged on microfiche, then I discovered him in Dorset. He was married. Maria had the same name, age, birthplace as his first wife. As there had been stories that John was violent and his son, my ancestor, had left home to avoid the beatings, I assumed that Maria was a battered wife who had sought refuge, possibly under an assumed name. Now that the 1871 census is available on Ancestry, I idly looked for all the Hornes born in Wiltshire. Oh, the shame! There she is, in Millbank Penitentiary! Kew has the records of female prisoners and I hope that by this time next week I might know what she had done, and even some personal details. John and Maria married as teenagers and were still alive when their great grandchildren were born, but strangely enough, no rumours of this scandal were preserved in the family! Lol.

Most walls tumble down when you can find the right records - sometimes this just means until you can get to the right archive. I have two current brick walls. 1. My great-grandmother Emma Moore's second marriage cert. She married Thomas Matthews 1865 and was widowed May 1879. She turns up again on the 1881 census living in Greenwich with 2nd husband John Garvie. Theoretically it should be dead easy to find a marriage between them May 1879-Apr 1881. But it isn't. Not on 1837online. I have gone through the parish registers for both Islington (where she was widowed) and Greenwich without success. 2. Husband's great-grandfather CHARLES ALBERT CARTER's birth cert. His birthday is recorded in his granddaughter (husband's mum)'s birthday book as 13 January 1866. All the censuses/marriage cert info is consistent with this date. But Charles applied for his birth cert in 1936 and the GRO couldn't find it. He states on different censuses that he was born Southwark, Islington and Bow. Fiona on this site found his parents and elder siblings in Southwark in 1861 - as McCarthy (not a mistranscription as it says McCarthy quite clearly on the census image). Someone else then helpfully found on 1837online a birth cert for a McCarthy, Charles A. in St George southwark Mar 1866. Yippee, I thought - right middle initial, right place, right quarter and year. GRO inform me that the father's name on the cert is not James - which was Charles' dad's name. Husband says I should get the cert anyway. nell

I still have one that proving resistant to the stongest JCB. Paternal g grandfather James FLEW m. Annie ELLIS 1890 Marriage cert gives him as widower. 1891 census lists him with Annie and a daughter Mabel age 5. 1881 census lists him with wife Catherine and 2 sons John and Benedict. Wife born Bridgend. I have all 3 birth certs for the children and they all give the same info regarding parentage. Father is James FLEW, and mother Catherine FLEW formerly CROSS. I also have Catherines death cert dated 1887 giving informant as Jame FLEW. No matter where I look, I cant find James and Catherines marriage. James was born 1856, so I have searched GRO index from 1870 right up his marriage to Annie in 1890 and the only 2 James FLEWs are the wrong ones. Beginning to wonder if they were married at all.

Rather than a brick wall mine feels like the end of the road. William BREWERTON appears in Hawarden, no birth, no marriage but starts having children1785. He seems to have married a local girl. its a local name, but all I have is his death in 1805 aged 40. Have scoured the records and have booked again to go on Wed.but I think he came from some where else. Am going to look at the Biships transcripts as suggested by someone on here. Sorry, I know this post is meant to have happy stories. The trouble with brick walls is once you have knocked it down and get a bit further, another one pops up!!

Comparatively short, took about a year to find the birth of Francis Giles Sherwood. It turned up in 1824 as Francis, illegitimate son of the widow Mary Giles, who married John Sherwood in 1825 a few months after Francis was born - I am assuming John was the father. Still looking for Mary's previous marriage; her husband's death; her birth; John's birth; and so on. Trouble is, it's all down in Kent, so days in Canterbury are required.

We were stuck on my mum's side - three years. We knew who her grandmother and great grandmother were - they lived with my mum's family in the 1920's and both died in 1929 within months of each other. One in her 70's the other in her 90's. We had found gg ma's marriage for 1859, whch gave her father as William, a Blacksmith from Coalville Leicestershire. All my searches came to nought, though, Wiliam did simply not exist anywhere. The first sign of progress was when I found someone on this site with the same family. At first I thought we might be getting somewhere as she had two possible options for the person I was looking for. She originally agreed to send me her information, but then withdrew and told me to b****r off until I had more evidence. I then sent for the 1851 Leicestershire Index from the local family history society. After a weeks searching I found what I was looking for. Few details though as the disk is only an index but at last I had a place and some names...! Next I put a request on the Records board for a search in 1841, and by return, someone found it. All fell into place. The lady who told me to go away has got her evidence. (I never did get in touch with her again though, her loss not mine) The publication of the 1861 census on Ancestry confirmed that Wiliam had by then died. Interestingly his widdow is recorded twice on that census, once in her own home and once at a friends.

Current winner is Brenda Hawkins with over 25 years!! Bottle of cyber-champagne to Brenda unless you know better? Sarah

20 years!!!!! Can I switch off now and come back in 20... this is easier than I thought LOL

I had one wall which I had been banging my head at for well over a year. I only solved it quite by chance when I was at the FRC and had half an hour to spare before they closed, so I thought I would go and poke around in the room where they have the records of wills and all the miscellaneous books. Had I not picked up a film from the wrong cabinet and couldn't make it out, I would never have gone to ask for help from the desk. The nice man there showed me an indexed book of Oxfordshire wills and there, lo and behold, was the rellie who was causing the trouble. I ordered the will from the Oxfordshire Records Office and they not only sent the will, but a load of other family papers too. One brick wall well and truly demolished, and progress made now back about another 100 years. So ..... never give up hope.

6 Months I can't find the parents of my great, great,great, great,great, great grandfather David Bindoff born in 1740 possibly in Cripplegate London.

Not a very long brick wall - 2years - but one that is driving me insane. Leopold COHNSTERN (OR COHENSTERN depending on his mood at the time) born c.1852, Germany. Was in Manchester by 1877. Can I find him before - not a chance. Also his wife, Julia Anne ROBERTS born c.1859 in Manchester? Can't find her before 1878, or her father Arthur ROBERTS d. before 1878. So, if anyone has any suggestions I would be most grateful! Kate