Q is for Questions

Post queries on message boards and mailing lists. Ask questions of other genealogists at monthly meetings, seminars, conferences and workshops. The answer to your question might not contain the name of that elusive ancestor, but unasked questions can leave us floundering for a very longtime.

R is for Read

Read about research methods and sources in your problem area. Learning about what materials are available and how other solved similar problems may help you get over your own hump.

S is for Sneaky

Was your ancestor sneaking away to avoid the law, a wife, or an extremely mad neighbor? If so, he may have intentionally left behind little tracks. There were times when our ancestor did not want to be found and consequently may have left behind few dues as to his origins.

T is for Think

Think about your conclusions. Do they make sense? Think about that document you located:

what caused it to be created? Think about where your ancestor lived: why was he there? Think outside the box; most of our brick wall ancestors thought outside the box. That's what makes them brick walls in the first place.

U is for Unimportant

That detail you think is unimportant could be crucial. That word whose legal meaning you aren't quite certain of could be the key to understanding the entire document. Make certain that what you have assumed is trivial is actually trivial.

V is for Verification

Have you verified all those assumptions you hold? Have you verified what the typed transcription of a record actually says? Verifying by viewing the original may reveal additional information or errors in the transcription.

W is for Watch

Keep on the watch for new databases and finding aids. Perhaps the solution to your brick wall just hasn't been created yet.

X is for Xamine

With the letter "x" we pay homage to all those clerks and census takers who made the occasional spelling error (it should be "examine" instead of "x-amine.") and also make an important genealogical point. Examine closely all the material you have already located. Is there an unrecognized clue lurking in your files?

Y is for Yawning

Are you getting tired of one specific family or ancestor? Perhaps it is time to take a break and work on another family. Too much focus on one problem can cause you to lose your perspective. The other tired is when you are researching at four in the morning with little sleep. You are not at your most productive then

either, and likely are going in circles or making careless mistakes.

Z is for Zipping

Are you zipping through your research  trying to complete it as quickly as possible as if it were a timed test in school? Slow down, take your time and make certain you aren't being too hasty in your research and in your conclusions.

The "tricks" to breaking brick walls could go on and on. In general thought the family historian is well served if he or she "reads and thinks in an honest attempt to learn." That attitude will solve many problems, not all of them family history related.

[Reprinted from Ancestry Daily News (ancestry.com/dailynews), 11 January 2006. Copyright 2005, Myfamily.com. Used with permission.]

Websites Worth a Visit

Toronto 1853 Tax Assessment Rolls:

torontofamilyhistory.org/taxrolls.html

This site, created by the Toronto branch of the Ontario Genealogical Society with support from the City of Toronto Archives, has a searchable index which links to free digital images of the assessment rolls. Click on ClTE in the results window to reveal the complete source citation for copying and pasting into your genealogy application - a tremendously useful feature that I've not seen in any other online database.