I have strike my reveal of "brickwalls" in the study of my own family tree. What I've learned is our ancestors were a great deal more mobile than we actually thought. To help you in your search for missing ancestors and the "lacking links" that will solve your genealogy mysteries I'm sharing the strategies that have led to finding people you may be thinking were lifeless or never relied on public records.
1. Region Lines: The US was a quickly building place beginning in the 19th century. Regional characteristics often blurred where one county began and yet another ended and at different instances areas were added as governmental districts were reassessed and cities were incorporated or expanded. Regardless of the reason don't create down the potential that an ancestor may possibly take an alternative state than estimated or that documents may exist in numerous counties. civil war pension files
Tip: Try neighboring counties and bigger cities which could have cultivated in remote counties. I found multiple ancestor counted twice (and in two different counties) on the census documents!
2. Migration: It's identified from also grade school record classes that there was a tremendous migration to the american United Claims and territories. When an ancestor moves lacking from the records it's a great exercise to look in the records of adjoining states or freshly exposed territories. Learning when territories were exposed for homesteading and wherever area was presented with for military company also assists in investigating elusive ancestors.
Tip: Use Wikipedia to find days areas were shaped, areas were exposed, and when claims were granted statehood.
3. Reverse Migration: An avenue of ancestry study that's frequently neglected is reverse migration-when the area was not best for farming or the situations were too tough, or homesickness became too much, our ancestors occasionally gone home or delivered to the East. My personal beloved case is the 1860 Census of Lee County, VA. The census taker not merely was careful about record the start state of every resident, but also listed their start county. The amount of people born in Western Tennessee to parents who were natives of Lee County is fascinating.
Suggestion: Do not eliminate people of related names but created in different claims as you possibly can kin to your ancestors. That individual created in Missouri who shows through to a Virginia census may be a lacking relationship!
4. Traveling: We shouldn't think that traveling started with the innovation the jumbo plane! I have discovered ancestors in New York lodges and on vessel manifests often going to or returning from trips abroad. An ancestor's occupation may have called for travel. As an example I discovered people chose to political company living much from home in Washington, DC. I discovered one household who appeared to have disappeared on a UK Census!
Idea: Even when you're persuaded an ancestor was a non-traveling farmer, search edge crossings, ship passenger provides, and actually international census records-you may be in for rather a shock!
5. Civil Conflict: The Conflict Between the Claims was the very first conflict which triggered a significant change in many of our ancestors'locations. Troops were moved from North to South, and South to North, and from side of the united states to another. Crops were damaged along with livelihoods causing people to maneuver from homesteads. The African American population composed largely of lately separated slaves, were first enumerated by name on the 1870 census following many had remaining the plantations wherever they existed before the War. I came across one ancestor from Tennessee who was caught by the Union army in the North and kept there following his release.
Tip: When investigating an ancestor who offered in the Civil War make sure to search at their day and host to discharge since it could be a idea to where they could have stayed following the War.
Do not give up. With perseverance you'll find who you are seeking where you least expect to get them.