The Family Tree Problem Solver: Tried-And-True Tactics for Tracing Elusive Ancestors (2 page)

Appendix B a discussion on the use of DNA and genetic studies to aid in family history searches. “DNA Facts and Common Myths” is by a former
Family Tree Magazine
editor, Lauren Gambler. In this section, Lauren helps you discover the truth behind six common genetic genealogy misconceptions. She also advises you on how DNA testing fits in with your genealogical research and problem solving.

No matter what your genealogical dilemma, you have come to the right place. Marsha Hoffman Rising's
The Family Tree Problem Solver
is here to help.

— Sharon DeBartolo Carmack, CG
   Author of
You Can Write Your Family History

I remember as if it were yesterday the day I became hooked on genealogy. My husband and I were visiting my maternal relatives in Kansas, and he urged me to seize the opportunity and learn something about my family history. We took my Aunt Margaret to the family cemetery and asked her to point out various tombstones and to tell us how the people buried there were related to one another. She told me that Christian Deschner, my maternal great-grandfather, had been an only child. When we returned to the farmhouse for the colossal old fashioned meal that awaited us, I tried to confirm what Aunt Margaret had told me. The family agreed: Chris Deschner had been an only child.

The next day my husband and I visited the office of the local newspaper. The staff kindly admitted me to the “morgue” where the old bound newspapers were kept. The dim light and the dust that rose as we opened each volume only made the search more intriguing. We found several obituaries that I dictated into my tape recorder, and at last we came upon the one for Christian Deschner. “His funeral was attended by many friends and relatives, including his sister from Denver, Colorado.” A sister! Who was she? Why did none of my family know about her? I was hooked, and have been addicted to solving genealogical problems ever since.

I gave my first lecture on problem solving in 1984 at the Federation of Genealogical Societies Conference in Denver, Colorado. I continue to be challenged by the fun, frustrations, and rewards of genealogy. During this quarter-century, I have discovered many techniques, tools, and methods for solving problems. I have lectured to thousands over that time period, and now the time has come to put my strategies in print. I hope this book will reach the large number of genealogists who encounter genealogical riddles, love the search, and are eager to solve the dilemmas. It is not always easy — genealogy is time consuming, and solving difficult problems is even more so.

This book is not intended for those who are just beginning their genealogical research. If you find too many words, phrases, or acronyms with which you are not familiar, you may want to read one of the many genealogical reference books that are readily available, such as
The Genealogist's Companion & Sourcebook
by Emily Anne Croom (Cincinnati: Betterway Books, 2003). Relatively few genealogy books are intended for the advanced researcher, as this one is. Instead, this book is intended to give each reader new ideas for tackling those knotty problems that have been sitting on the backburner of the research schedule for months or even years. I have solved dozens of problems using these techniques and hope you will find them useful as well.

F
amily researchers have caught “genealogy fever” and are serious about their work to seek the truth, not legends, about family origins and their ancestor's lives. They want to do their research properly, solve the dead ends, and overcome the brick walls that have blocked others while tracing family lines. They know that the search for the truth could reveal skeletons, destroy beloved family traditions, or call into question the research of others. Nevertheless, they seek the truth. This chapter will help those who want to begin that quest.

There are two basic ways of conducting your family history quest: searching and researching.
All successful genealogists use a combination of search and research as they pursue their studies.
However, rarely do they distinguish between the two and a vast difference exists. We are all aware of the enormous array of new sources becoming available for genealogists. The multitude of census and other public records on the Internet, the online family trees made available by myriad researchers, data on CD-ROMs, and publications that offer extensive query assistance provide many avenues for research. All of these make the task of searching an easier one. Many of these may indeed provide an easy solution to finding your ancestors. Searching can be a quick and painless path to a wealth of information. I once responded to a query in my local genealogical journal,
Ozar'kin
, thinking it might lead to answers regarding Daniel Hance, a man I was researching for whom I had little information. A fellow researcher answered with the proof of Daniel Hance's parentage and his marriage in Jefferson County, Tennessee. In finding this bit of information, I had conducted no research. Someone else had done the work — I had only searched.

On the other hand, a search can also sometimes get answers that research can't. I did research for the origins of Littleberry Hendrick. I tried all the methods I learned at conferences and seminars, followed many of the techniques I will discuss later in this chapter, and spent many hours creating and testing theories. Nothing worked. I knew a lot about Littleberry from 1833 until his death in 1862, but not where he came from. Then, the Family History Library updated the International Genealogical Index (known as the IGI). On a whim I decided to try searching for Littleberry again, and lo and behold, up popped his marriage record in Allen County, Kentucky! It was difficult to suppress a shout of triumph. The long-sought answer to my question was finally revealed through a search — not research. If we are serious researchers, we must become more precise in defining the difference between a search and research.

Research is a diligent and systematic inquiry into a problem.
It includes the following prescribed methods: developing a hypothesis, surveying the existing literature and information, gathering evidence, evaluating the evidence, and reaching a conclusion. Here are steps you need to take in problem-solving research.

1. DEFINE THE PROBLEM.

2. SURVEY EXISTING MATERIAL,
including published genealogies, the Periodical Source Index, online family trees, genealogical forums, and message boards.

3. ANALYZE THE INFORMATION
you obtain for reliability, citations, and credibility. If there is no documentation for the data presented, contact the individual who submitted it. If that individual is not able to supply evidence, consider the material hearsay and essentially worthless. When reviewing the material you have gathered and what you have obtained from family members and correspondents, consider what is known, what is not known, and what information has been assumed but not verified.

4. DEVELOP A STRATEGY.
One of the most successful strategies is the “neighborhood concept” or “cluster genealogy,” a research tactic in which you study your ancestor's siblings, friends, and neighbors in order to learn more about your ancestor. This strategy will be discussed in detail in this chapter and throughout the book.

5. GATHER DATA.
You will need a thorough knowledge of the sources of the time period, the exact geographical location of the individuals (have you ever noticed how often this vital information is lacking among the various lineages published online?), the laws of the local, state, and federal government in power at the time, and the various public and private records that may have been created during the period you are researching. A good researcher always ventures beyond the standard genealogical publications and sources to using such nontraditional records as manuscripts and historical records.

6. EVALUATE THE INFORMATION OBTAINED.
This crucial step deserves significant thought and attention. The value of the data contained in the record will be lost if the data is analyzed superficially or incorrectly. Inadequate analysis may result in overlooking or misinterpreting important information, leading to inaccurate conclusions or dead ends. This step is so important that I have devoted chapter eleven to it.

7. DRAW CONCLUSIONS AND FORM SUBSEQUENT PLANS.
Continue to implement these steps until the evidence is either conclusive or provides a strong enough argument that no other conceivable conclusion can be reached with the information that exists (see
Figure 1-1
).

Step 1:
Present a clear, reasoned account of the problem under study. The kinds of problems in genealogy that require a systematic approach to research include:

• Beginning research on a family line not previously investigated. This includes researching a family that has not had anything published on it, a family for which there are published genealogies but they have poor documentation, or a family for which no current material exists.

• Correcting a tradition, belief, or material published in a pedigree or family sketch. Many genealogical errors have been in print for years, and it often takes new research and a creative approach to find the correct answers.

• Solving a specific identity problem for which a previous search or research has proved unsuccessful. One of the most important jobs of scholarly genealogical publications is to publish new solutions to old problems. As an example, one of the most exciting finds in recent years has been the heretofore unknown mother's maiden name of Mayflower passenger Richard Warren.

When defining the problem, determine what you already know. This means a careful analysis of every known and documented fact about the individual or family. This does not mean that you know only when they were born, who and when they married, and when they died. It means you pinpoint exactly where they lived, when they moved there, how they earned a living, what they believed in, and what was happening around them. Was there a war, an economic depression, a land speculation boom, major migrations in or out of the area? Who were their friends and family?

Figure 1-1
Circle graph illustrating the steps in implementing a research strategy.

Who was their minister? Where were they buried? The more you know about the people you have definitely identified as your ancestors, the easier the rest of your task will become.

This is the time to assemble and record information you have gathered. Write a biographical sketch of the individual or family you have researched, placing the events of their lives in chronological order, including specific documented events. Countless genealogists who have gone through the process of writing down what they know about the subject of their genealogical problem and checking the documentation often find that the clue to solving the problem has been in their own papers all along. This is also the time to note what you don't know. This is a great help in directing further research, but it is remarkable how often this step is not included among researchers' notes. I usually have a separate page headed “Things I don't know, but would like to.”

Step 2:
Learn what others already know, or think they know.

This is the “search” step. If you are a careful and systematic researcher you will confirm what you have been told by others, whether in an informal family group sheet or a published work. If your experience is like mine, you will find that many times people cannot tell you how they know what they think they know. This, of course, makes your task harder — you must verify the information to make sure it's not just a family legend. It's amazing how many people are not the slightest bit interested in documentation until they need it from someone else.