By Lisa A. Alzo
Are problem ancestors stalling your search? Try our strategies for tracing five kinds of elusive kin.
We all have them. They make our brains hurt, compel us to curse at our computers and sometimes even lead us to question why we got into genealogy in the first place. We’re talking about problem ancestors, of course: The great-great-grandmother whose surname you can’t identify. The surprise sibling on Grandpa’s family group sheet. The “missing” cousin who seems to have left no paper trail. That certain uncle whose name causes your relatives to clam up.
Before you relegate those perplexing progenitors to your cold case files, consider this: Although each pedigree problem has its own particulars, brick-wall ancestors tend to fall into common categories—such as the five familiar characters described here. Match your elusive kin to these profiles, then follow our tried-and-true strategies to draw them out of hiding.