Ah, the dreaded genealogy phrase, brick wall.

The dread is understandable, since we usually use the phrase to mean an unsolvable research problem.

But, brick walls come in different shapes and sizes. And, sometimes they're self-imposed (‍ raises hand in guilt).

A brick wall is usually created by one or many of the following roadblocks:

• Lack of records
• Misinterpreted records
• Absence of direct evidence
• Same-name individuals
• Unknown origin
• Unconventional migration
• Haphazard research...

Hubby and I have been debating whether to cut the cable cord or not (our cable service is horrible!). As a result, we've been talking to friends and exploring what streaming services are available to replace our cable.

As we weighed our options, we decided we're going to take a few out for a test drive because all of them offer a free trial. Perfect! We can check out the features and make sure our favorite shows are available, essentially looking for the streaming service that's the perfect...

Figuring out which church a family attended can be a challenge, especially when there are no city directories to consult or county histories fall short on detailing churches. So where can you turn?

The Works Project Administration's Historical Records Survey located and cataloged church records. The resulting inventories, many of which were published in the 1930s and 1940s, can help you figure out which churches were in a particular area at a particular time, so you can identify potential...

Let's face it. We were all beginners at some point, and that most likely means we overlooked important bits of information in the sources we consulted back then. Maybe we didn't know any better when consulting a new-to-us source. Perhaps the information didn't seem relevant at the time. Or we simply grabbed the pieces of information we were after and neglected everything else the record could tell us. It happens and there's no shame in that...it's all part of our progression as genealogists.

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I'm so excited to share some news with you! Over the last few months, I've been busy working behind the scenes to turn Genealogy Problem-Solving Academy into a self-study course!

I will be unveiling the self-study version on August 31, 2021, but only to those who are on the wait list.

Anyone who is on the wait list by 7:00 a.m. CDT on August 31 will receive an exclusive, introductory offer to join the Academy.

What is Genealogy Problem-Solving Academy? It's an online course that teaches my...