What do you do when you hit a brick wall?

[MsHistoryMystery]

I have all branches of my family tree going back at least 5 generations, except for 1.  I hit a brick wall with 1 ancestor who seems to have hatched from an egg which fell from the sky. 

What do most do in this case?  Give up?  Keep digging?  Any angles outside of the norm (civil records, church records, wills, graves, census)  that I might not have thought of?

Thanks in advance!

[avm228]

Have you considered genealogical DNA testing?

[iluleah]

I have hit several brick walls over the years and have done various things.... left them and researched another line while I think about it.... looked at what records I have, cross referenced what records are potentially available in that time frame to make sure I see them all...... researched sideways so the persons siblings ( as they  go back to the same parent/s).... asked on here for advice/help  as my ancestors are precious to me, they are pure research to someone else and I have realised over time we all want logical answers and based on our logic of today, we all assume what they would have done or not and yet our ancestors didn't live in todays world, they lived in another time with other 'rules' of survival and completely different logic, so other people do not have that personal connection which means they look at other records we ourselves would not even consider looking at ...I have visited the area where they lived (for inspiration)...researched local history to get me into the mind frame of the era they lived in........

All those things have worked for one brickwall or another, I have also learned to listen to my 'gut' and 'they don't feel like' my ancestor even if records 'fit' and say they are, so questioning 'do I have connecting' records to prove them as that is often why you end up with a brick wall, as you have not proved the connecting records and so not proved the relationship

[MsHistoryMystery]

Have you considered genealogical DNA testing?

I have been looking into it, it's probably my next step.  I'm just not sure which test is best.  And which has the largest database to compare mine with. 

[jim1]

What I would do is put the name & dates on here & see if anyone else can knock it down.

[MsHistoryMystery]

I have hit several brick walls over the years and have done various things.... left them and researched another line while I think about it.... looked at what records I have, cross referenced what records are potentially available in that time frame to make sure I see them all...... researched sideways so the persons siblings ( as they  go back to the same parent/s)....

I have also learned to listen to my 'gut' and 'they don't feel like' my ancestor even if records 'fit' and say they are, so questioning 'do I have connecting' records to prove them as that is often why you end up with a brick wall, as you have not proved the connecting records and so not proved the relationship

Unfortunately, I don't have any information on any siblings, or anything really.  I  have only a name to work with.  I'm beginning to think it's a fake name.
Totally agree with the gut thing.  I thought I had found him, (this was after looking for him off and on for over 15 years)  I looked into everything about this guy I found but it didn't feel right.  I left him and revisited it a year later and sure enough, I had the wrong person!   

[MsHistoryMystery]

What I would do is put the name & dates on here & see if anyone else can knock it down.

Where is the best place to post that type of thing on the Forum? 

[iluleah]

What I would do is put the name & dates on here & see if anyone else can knock it down.

Where is the best place to post that type of thing on the Forum?

Write what you have on this question or if you know the County then you can start another question in that county.

[MsHistoryMystery]

I am looking to trace this man, Edward Donnelly. 

http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/pages/1901/Antrim/Smithfield/Pound_Street/974073/

Listed on the 1901 Census of Ireland as living at Pound Street, Belfast.

When he was married in 1904, he gave his father's name as Michael Donnelly.  And there I hit a brick wall.  Any help would be appreciated.  I tried searching the other "relatives" listed at this address but have found no link between them and Edward.  Any help tracing where or when Edward came from would be much appreciated