Brick Wall in 19th-Century North Carolina         The Latest Now What? Online         More Now What? Online Q&As         Ask the Experts           .         Ethnic Toolkits Web Exclusive Forms Bookstore Soundex Code Generator Resources Writing Workshops Newsletter       Receive weekly research tips and leads on new resources via email.		You've got questions about discovering, preserving and celebrating your family history; our experts have the answers. Brick Wall in 19th-Century North Carolina Q: My great-great-grandfather is a brick wall I can't go past. James W. Crutchfield was born in Orange County, NC, on July 6, 1811. I cannot find his parents or siblings. He was married (second marriage) to Sallie P. Jones, 1841 in NC, and there's no record found of that, although a first marriage to Lavinia Lashley, 1836, is listed. How can I find this information? Since censuses don't list anyone's names except head of household before 1850, I can't go by that! Help. A. Consider several questions first. How do you know James W. Crutchfield's date and place of birth? Where did you get that information? Tombstone, family Bible, etc.? Consider the reliability of the source(s). How do you know Sallie P. Jones was his second wife and the supposed year of that marriage? Have you studied the statewide marriage records for all Crutchfields during the period to look for possible relatives of James? Have you looked for James in all censuses during the time when he could have been a head of household? Have you studied existing 1810, 1820 and 1830 censuses for all Crutchfield households in North Carolina, especially Orange and surrounding counties, for families that may be James' parents and siblings? If there are Crutchfields in those censuses, have you studied them? Have you studied records of Alamance and Durham counties, which were created out of Orange? Second, you have identified at least three problems for which you'd like answers: identifying James's siblings, identifying his parents and finding evidence of his second marriage. You may need to address these separately, one at a time. Although I don't know what else you know about James and how much research you have done on him, I will suggest the following ideas: A very helpful tool in studying any ancestor is a chronological profile of that person's life. In the case of James, list in chronological order everything you know about him and list the sources that gave you each piece of information. Consider the reliability of each source. Most "tough" genealogical problems are solved through the use of original records and records contemporary with the events in the ancestor's life. Use the list of what you know about James to help you study him further. The list should give you the known events in his life and the date and place of each. These are the known places in which to look for him in further records. Look for James in these places in (a) records he created (such as buying or selling land), (b) records created about him (such as widow's pension or probate records), and (c) records that mention him in other capacities (such as witness, surety, or neighbor of someone else). Consult books such as Alice Eiccholz's Ancestry's Red Book (Ancestry, $49.95) and Helen Leary's North Carolina Research (North Carolina Genealogical Society, $48) for ideas about available sources in North Carolina and your specific counties. This kind of search may involve not only reading indexes to records but also reading page by page through such things as deed, probate, court, and tax records. Study James's children as thoroughly as possible in the records. While reading these records, develop a list of people with whom James associated—children, neighbors, friends, people for whom he witnessed documents, people who witnessed his documents, etc. Many people with whom ancestors interacted were their relatives and in-laws. Developing and studying this list of people may help you identify possible relatives or in-laws. This kind of effort may lead you to his siblings and/or parents. Keep an open mind to all kinds of possible answers. Be open to looking at records in neighboring counties. As you study the records, be sure to record the source of every piece of information you accumulate and make note of records you read that do not give you information. You may or may not find records that say "James W. Crutchfield was son of ..." or "brother of ..." or "married on xxx date." You may need to piece the answers together like a jigsaw puzzle. That's often the case in genealogy, but it's the way we learn lots about our ancestors and about research. For more information about the process of genealogy, I would refer you to Unpuzzling Your Past, a basic guide to genealogy, and The Sleuth Book for Genealogists, which focuses on genealogical research and problem solving. Both books have information on documenting your information and case studies about other searches. Best wishes for your successful searching. —Emily Croom Emily Anne Croom is a popular lecturer for societies and community groups. She teaches genealogy at the Houston (Texas) Community College. She holds a master's degree in history, writes articles for several genealogy periodicals and is an active researcher. She is the author of the widely acclaimed Unpuzzling Your Past: A Basic Guide to Genealogy, The Unpuzzling Your Past Workbook, The Genealogist's Companion & Sourcebook and The Sleuth Book for Genealogists. Pose your questions to our family history experts.
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