Question of the Week: What's a brick wall you are working on?

Question

What's a genealogical "brick wall" you are trying to bust through? Tell us about it with an answer below! You can also use the question image to share your answer with friends and family on social media.

Comments

Hi, My brick wall is on my fathers side. My grandfather Carl Otto Henschel was born in the UK and his father also Carl Otto Henschel (1867-1941) was born in Dortmund. I am struggling to go back further. The real plot twist is both my father and I have strong Nordic dna (particularly Norway and Sweden) and I have no idea where it has come from as we only knew about family from Germany. Any information would be gratefully received. My father passed last year and I would love to sort this out. Thank you Niki Henschel

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Is your Grandmother, Laura Claydon?  Your Nordic dna could be possibly traced through her or your ggrandmother, Catharina Clara Heine.

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Hi Ellen

Thank you for your message. Laura Claydon was Carl Otto Senior wife and her side of the tree is fairly well documented, no direct ancestors from outside the UK. Catharina Clara Hein is another one that I can find no information about. So yes I agree the Nordic could come from her. Dad and I have plenty of DNA matches but they are all distant relations and I cannot find a link. Are we in some way related?

Kind Regards

Niki

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No, I'm not related.  I was just trying to help you with your brick wall.

Answer 1

Looking for parents of Baxter Gilbert 1798 to 1866

Born Vermont per census

Died Darrien Center Genesee co NY

Married to unknown Mary

Comments

I found John Gilbert III born 16 Mar 1760 in Bennington, Bennington, Vermont.  Died 31 Mar 1825 in LeRoy, Genesee, New York.  I found a wife named Lucy Mallory born 1760 in Vermont and died 1810 in Buffalo, Erie, NY.  I wasn't able to find an unknown Mary.

Answer 2

I'm searching for the parents of my PATERNAL 3rd great grandfather, Charles N. STATON, born ca. 1786 in North or South Carolina.  My Y-DNA matches are WILLIAMS,  suggesting that his father was a WILLIAMS.   My Y haplogroup is I-M253.  My FTDNA WILLIAMS group is 61.  Please don't answer with Jacob Staton and Hannah Bonwell since there is no proof or records indicating that they are related.

Answer 3

My brick wall is my maternal grandmother’s father, James Edward Smith. You can imagine how many people have that name. He left his family in the late 1930’s and my grandma never saw him again. None of the cousins know him, but he is mentioned as a son in his mother’s obituary. All her life my grandma just wanted to see him again and never did.

Answer 4

My brick wall is my 3rd great grandfather William H.(Henry) Wigmore.  According to the earliest source I've found, the 1851 Canadian census for Sackville, Westmorland Co, New Brunswick, he was about 50 years old, settled in the area in 1819, was of Irish descent, and the family religion was the Church of England.  His wife Amy is listed as the head of household in the 1861 census and in the 1871 census, Amy had remarried to Thomas Ogden and they had a child (John). I've found no death notice, no burial site and no word of his leaving the area.

I've no indication of how or when he arrived in New Brunswick and nothing of his parents or siblings; albeit there are rumors he is one of four brothers, the others who moved to Prince Edward Island and Australia.

Are there any suggestions about where to look for information about how he may have arrived in New Brunswick?

Thank you.

Tom

Answer 5

I'm looking for documentation to show who the father of [[Barnum-6104|Joseph Barnum (1796-1863)]] is. There is speculation that it is Caleb Barnum, but I can find no documentation that verifies this. Joseph's gravestone says he was born in CT, but I cannot find a birth record.

Answer 6

I am looking for ancestors of Andrew Rogers (c 1797-1838) of Castlederg Ireland or possibly Derry where his son Nathan was born in 1819.  They emigrated to Northampton NB in 1822.  He was reportedly lost in a logging drive in 1838 although family lore suggests he may have disappeared.  He also had a brother William who emigrated in 1838 to help with the family after Andrew was lost.

Answer 7

One of my ancestors James Smith born abt. 1773 Massachusetts bay.  Father of Samuel H Smith. War of 1812 soldier. I can't even a wife. This is my dead end. I've tried hard. I contributed over a thousand things in the past, but this one is a stickler. If anyone can help it would mean the world to me. Thank you

Answer 8

My brick wall is my great-grandfather Henry Richard Rydar.

The earliest information I have about him is that he came to South Africa during the South African War (Boer War) in 1902 as part of an army contingent from Canada. 

A family bible and various Service records indicate that he was from Hespeler in Canada, but I've found no birth certificate or baptism to date, and we have no idea who his family/ancestors were.

One day, when I have some time, I will have to learn the in's and out's about researching Canadian records to see if I can get through this wall :) 

Answer 9

Across the board, DNA ancestors born in Germany. I suspect do to missing records from our friends that brought us WWII.

Additionally, another one is getting others to revisit their data. I have a problem that most people are using a document for the tree that has a person with 1 piece of evidence for their entire life. I believe the author took liberties and made assumptions ruining the tree at that point. I wiped my entire tree, followed the facts and evidence and came up with a different result.

Answer 10

I’d love to know more about William Weathers (Weathers-97). He married a very young bride (Laurence-270) in her father’s parlor in St. Louis, Missouri in 1831. I know little about either of them and would love to connect them to our ancestors and find out more about their lives.

Answer 11

I have a few brickewalls although the main I would say is my 3rd great grandmother Mary Ann .

Wife of William Gilmore 1802 breconshire to 1871 monmouthshire

Children

Sampson Gilmore 1831 tredegar to 1898 monmouthshire

& Catherine Gilmore 1833

No evidence of mary Ann or catharine after the baptism of catharine & sampson at st.georges church , Tredegar

Assumed possible cholera victims

Any help would be most greatly appreciated

Answer 12

I am searching for the parents of my 3rdggrandfather, James Lindsay, born 1796, Morgantown, Virginia. This is the date and place James used when enlisting in the 4th U.S. Rifle Company, in 1814. He was demobilized in Detroit in August 1815, and was married to Elizabeth Jones. daughter of Robert Jones and Susannah Pennebaker, on the 17th day of April 1817 in Bainbridge, Ohio. Many people have used various Lindsays as James' father but I have not found one with documentary evidence.

Answer 13

I have a few brickwalls although the main I would say is my 3rd great grandmother Mary Ann .

Wife of William Gilmore 1802 breconshire to 1871 monmouthshire

Children

Sampson Gilmore 1831 tredegar to 1898 monmouthshire

& Catherine Gilmore 1833

No evidence of mary Ann or catharine after the baptism of catharine & sampson at st.georges church , Tredegar

Assumed possible cholera victims

Any help would be most greatly appreciated

Answer 14

A brickwall that I have been trying to break through for years is on my maternal 2x ggrandparents, Mary Perry born 1819 in South Carolina, Perry-17569 and Thomas B Farish born in Virginia 1814, Farish-261  I'd like to know where and when they died, and possibly other marriages and children.

Answer 15

I am looking for the parents of John Charles Smith 1878 - 1952 born in Scotland.  His wife was Delia Veronica Hobin Smith 1877 - 1949 born in Rhode Island.  I have a possibility of father James Smith born 1821 and mother Isabella Boughton McGown Smith born 1826 in Ireland.  But cannot verify it.

Answer 16

My wife and her cousin share great great great grandparents, from somewhere in England, who I've identified as "Unknown Hunter" (hunter-17120). He and his (also unknown) wife had at least 5 children, (possibly twins) Mary and Margaret, Martha, Ann and Isabella, and I've found many of their descendants. I have possibles in William and Betty Hunter, or John and Isabella Hunter of Yorkshire.

Answer 17

I have worked on and off for about 20 years trying to find who Peter Davis (my 5th gr. grandfather) was. Davis isn't an easy name to trace. Born in NC (according to one census record) in about 1765 and married in VA (now WV) in 1799 to Susannah Meaders / Meadows. Lots of theories out there and lots of misinformation. I'll keep hunting.

Answer 18

Peter Nodine, Nodine-89, of New York City, born before 1795 and died about 1845/6.  No doubt he is descended from  the well-documented lineage of Andrew Naudine, but we appear to be missing a generation.

Answer 19

Still working on Thomas Davis a UEL who served in the revolutionary war in the British Legion and settled in Port Mouton, NS on a loyalist grant of 150 acres.  Born +/- 5 years of 1760. He is either the Thomas Davis who served in the  Jacob James Troop of Dragoons or in Capt Stewart’s Company of Infantry and enlisted in the fall of 1780.

He is likely from the area of PA, NJ, NY or GA, SC, NC or VA depending on which one he is.

Am currently looking for his enlistment date in the James troop and building a complete excel sheet of the members of the BL from the muster rolls on file in the Library and Archives of Canada.

Ancestor is Davis-43388

Answer 20

My 4th great grandfather, John Shirey, b. 24 Nov 1773, Franklin Co., PA; d. 20 Mar 1850, York Co., PA; buried in the Old German Reformed Church Cemetery, Greencastle, Franklin Co., PA. The name of his first wife continues to elude us! However, she bore him 5 children: Adam, Mary, Samuel, John and Catherine.  His second wife, Anna Maria Ruthrauff also bore him 5 children: Augustus, David, Rebecca, Jonathan and Jacob. My biggest brick wall is the name of John's parents.  I have searched everywhere! Many Shirey genealogists claim that his parents were Adam Scheurer and Elizabeth Herzog. This couple is well documented as are their 14 children of which several sons were named John (many died in infancy).  But their John that survived into adulthood does NOT have a matching birthdate, wife or children!  So why do they insist that they are MY 4th great grandfather's parents?  Can someone PLEASE help me break through this brick wall?