What do you do when you hit a brick wall?

[Gadget]

To avoid duplication,  MsHistoryMystery

has also posted here:

https://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php?topic=848784.0


Gadget

[HeatherConnie]

Keep going back, new records and other information get added to the internet all the time. A good example is the recent access to Kirk Session Minutes on Scotland's People. Old newspapers are also a great source of possibilities. Remember that people made mistakes or deliberately lied, so search outside the dates and places you have, and always check for imaginative spelling of names when searching.

[MsHistoryMystery]

Keep going back, new records and other information get added to the internet all the time. A good example is the recent access to Kirk Session Minutes on Scotland's People. Old newspapers are also a great source of possibilities. Remember that people made mistakes or deliberately lied, so search outside the dates and places you have, and always check for imaginative spelling of names when searching.

Thank you.  Yes, I will persevere, thank you   

[Albufera32]

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.

In terms of the database, globally Ancestry is by far the largest (around 20 million now, I think). Find my past is often quoted as having the largest number of people from the UK who have tested, but whether that is more than just anecdotal evidence I couldn't say. Given that your brick wall appears to have been in Ireland at some stage, and as we all know many Irish emigrated to the US, I would personally recommend Ancestry, since it is very popular in the US.

[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.

In terms of the database, globally Ancestry is by far the largest (around 20 million now, I think). Find my past is often quoted as having the largest number of people from the UK who have tested, but whether that is more than just anecdotal evidence I couldn't say. Given that your brick wall appears to have been in Ireland at some stage, and as we all know many Irish emigrated to the US, I would personally recommend Ancestry, since it is very popular in the US.

Thank you very much, that's good to know