This column earned First Place in the 2004 International Society of Family History Writer's Editor's Writing "Excellence in Writing Contest" in the category of "Genealogy Newspaper Column."

In Grimm's fairy tale about Hansel and Gretel, the children were twice led into the forest. The first time, they found their way home by following the path of silvery stones that Hansel laid down. The second time, he was not able to fill his pockets with stones and had to use breadcrumbs. Birds and animals of the forest ate the crumbs, and there was no path to follow.

Genealogy is like that. If we are lucky, we have a clear path, like Hansel’s stones. We can follow the path and add on generations.

When we have a path that is nibbled away, the journey is more difficult.

The path that we follow is a paper trail, and there are reasons that the documents we seek are missing. Courthouse fires, wars, mold, and carelessness are some of the most common.

We need training in following trails, too.

A friend is researching his Ellis Tycer. The trail comes from Tycer's Revolutionary War pension application. He filled out the application when he was an old man, and he stated he was born June 4, 1756 in Northumberland County, Virginia. The rest of the trail is as follows:

Like the bread path, there are gaps, and we cannot see how to find the ancestral line.  

When we have a situation like this, there is a genealogical method that works. It is called "research the neighbors." We do this because our ancestors were social animals. They lived near their relatives. They sold property to their relatives. Their relatives married their spouse's relatives. They moved to new areas with their relatives. Their neighbors were their relatives, and their relatives had the same ancestors as they did.

Collect the names of everyone who was associated with your ancestor. This includes the census neighbors, the people who witnessed deeds, the neighbors who were mentioned in deeds, and the people who testified to military service. Look for court records and tax records.

Where do you find these records? You find them in courthouses, in libraries, and in manuscript collections. Many have been microfilmed and are in the Family History Library collection that you can access at Family History Centers. Make today the first day in solving your difficult problems. Go out and collect records on the relatives.

© 2000-2009

Connie Lenzen, CG

CG, Certified Genealogist is a service mark of the Board for Certification of Genealogists, used under license by board-certified genealogists after periodic evaluation, and the board name is registered in the US Patent & Trademark Office.