This past June, I presented a program to my local Genealogy Society on Submitting Your Genealogy Question to a Professional. As one of those who hopes you may reach out to me for help in solving a genealogical brick wall in your family tree, I will share with you the three essential summary documents that will enable your consultant to use their time efficiently. These three documents will also help keep you on track and working efficiently.
What is a Brick Wall
Lets define what a Brick Wall is in Genealogy. In Genealogy, a Brick Wall is when you are entirely at a standstill in your research on a particular family line or individual. We all have them. We either do not know the parents or cannot prove or identify one or both. Another example of a brick wall may be that we are unable to determine what happened to an individual. Perhaps they are listed in, say, the 1850 US census, but you cannot find them in other records after that census, including no death records, tax records, probate records, or obituaries. No future census or marriage record. Nothing has shown up that can be identified as your guy.
So Now you need Help
When you need help, you may consider hiring someone to see if they can find the answer for you or provide guidance on what you may try next. Providing them with the complete knowledge of what you know and how you know it on your genealogy problem is essential in order for them to provide an effective plan to move your research forward. That’s when the three essential summary documents are needed.
The type of document you create is what works for you. Your files may all be digitized, and the programs or apps you use are a matter of personal preference. You can find lots of free templates online. Your genealogy program, where you store your tree, may include Summary Documents that can be useful for you. Some apps and programs are specifically designed for this purpose.
To convey all your previous research and source documents to your consultant in a concise and easy-to-read manner, I suggest using a Research Log for each of your subjects. Now is the time to look at what you know and how you know it. Organize it by individual. I start with my Document Log.
This shows each record I have found for Joseph Ferguson. From this, if I do not already have a Research Log, I can begin to pull together my research log for Joseph Ferguson.
Here is what I include in my Document Log
- ·Full name
- ·Name of spouse (s)
- ·Parents’ names if known
- ·Birth date & Location, the type of documentation
- ·Marriages, when and where, the type of documentation
- ·Death date and location, the type of documentation.
- ·Each census year during the subject’s lifetime and location, city, county, and state.
- ·Any deeds, dates and locations
- ·Military records, dates and locations
- ·Personal letters
- ·Social Security info.
- other records
Essentioal Document #1
A primary summary document that a researcher may ask for is a Research Log. You can find numerous free templates online. The following is the first page of Joseph Ferguson’s research log.
A research Log will show all previous research and sources consulted. You want to provide clear and organized information:
- Date of research. If it was more than five years ago, at least the year.
- The location where research was conducted, ie.. SLC FHL, or Ancestry.com
- Description of the source or a complete source citation. You want either yourself or someone else to be able to find this record again. I include a live link.
- Comments section explains why this record was searched and what was found or not found.
- Include other items and information that you or others may find helpful. Be concise and complete.
Your research log is not complete if you have not included where you searched when you did not find anything. You and others need to know what you didn’t find. Did you not find anyone with your subject’s name? Was the record incomplete, non-existent, or unreadable? Did you use different spellings or search wildcards?
This is a great opportunity to review each document with the knowledge you gathered during your initial research searches. You may find gaps in your research or inconsistencies that need to be analyzed. You may find information that you overlooked previously or did not realize was relevant to your subject.
#2 Timeline
With all of the documents and your research log, you may either create a Timeline or use one from your genealogy software. Each event in your subject’s lifetime should be noted. Doing this exercise, you may see gaps or inconsistencies. Keeping this document on your desk while researching your individual subjects gives you all the relevant facts at your fingertips, and you do not have to look any further when you need a birth, death, or any other date for your subject.
The vital information on your subject should be gathered in a clearly written form. Summarize the source for each event or detail of the subject’s life. Using bullet points or tables can make the information more clearly visible at a glance. Indicate spellings of names as they appeared in each record. Note the relationships noted on the record.
Suggested information to include on a timeline:
- The date that an event took place, starting with the subject’s{s’) birth date or approximate date.
- The age of the subject at the time of the event.
- What was the event?
- Where was the event held, and what was the source for the information? (ie. A birth date may be given on a death certificate, or the Month and year may be on a census. The source is not the event that was taking place but the document (s) that refers to that date or event.)
- Other notes you find helpful.
#3 Family Group Sheet
Knowing the family relationships at a glance will help keep you focused on your subject. Finding records that contain your subject with a close family member may help identify them.
Records showing information on each family member can help fill in some of the blanks. For example, a child’s death record may include the names of their parents, their birth date, and the places where they and their parents were born. Locations where family members lived during the subject’s timeline may provide insights for further research.
This example was printed directly from my Family Tree Maker Program. When I include the source information, this becomes a 10-page document. Although it may be a little overwhelming, it is available upon request.
Tips and mistakes to Avoid
- Be thorough but concise.
- Do Not overload with unnecessary details
- Provide a well-organized table, timeline, or chart.
- Do not forget what you did not find.
- Cite all sources for what you found and DID NOT FIND.
- Do not assume unverified family stories are fact.
There you have my Three Essential Summary Documents for Genealogy. You have probably a list of your own that you find helpful, let me know in the comments below.
Until next time, happy researching your family tree.
