What are Genealogy Brick Walls?

At some point, you're going to run into a genealogy brick wall. But do you really have a brick wall or a case that needs more research?

Brick Walls in Genealogy are the WORST!

In a forum recently, someone wanted to give up after two years of researching their ancestor.

Finding my grandmother’s biological father's identity took, well, all of her 92 years of life plus another 5. Two years seems like nothing in comparison!

Let's define genealogy brick walls so we can eventually tackle them.

What is a Genealogy Brick Wall?

According to the blog Kindred Past, “A brick wall to me means a problem that you have been working on for a long time with little success.”

Meanwhile, the Legacy Tree Genealogists say, “brick walls often used to refer to tough research problems, apparent dead-ends that after many hours of searching still yield no answers.”

Family Tree Magazine writer David A. Fryxell suggests that you’ve truly hit a genealogy after you have:

• Exhausted all online records

• You’ve explored documents that are available to the public but offline.

• You’ve resolved maiden name mysteries.

• You know the records you need have been destroyed.

• The specific documents you need were never created.

• The only available sources are ‘compiled’ genealogies.

• You’ve researched relatives who lived in the same place.

↪️ Are you struggling to break through your brick walls?

Grab your copy of this FREE Brick Wall Busting Guide:

Brick Wall Busting is Not for Beginners

No matter which way you define a genealogy brick wall, tackling one should not be the first family history project you tackle. In a previous research series about William James Townley, I utilized a lot of indirect evidence to prove my case.

In my soon to be released Brick Wall Busting Series on YouTube, I discuss the steps I've taken to validated John Townley, my fourth great-grandfather, and his parents. In the series, I tackle many theories and demonstrate how I applied them to his challenging research question.

If You're A New Genealogist, Study How to Research

If you are a beginning genealogist, you can learn a lot from watching the genealogy research process in action. You should also find a place to ask a lot of questions. You can do that in the Family History Fanatics community on YouTube, Facebook, or right here on the blog.

However, the first step to breaking down a brick wall is to educate yourself. Check out the following videos and blog posts.

• Beginning Genealogy: Don't Make These Mistakes While Climbing Your Family Tree

• Are Genealogy Citations Overdone?

• 7 Common Genealogy Mistakes (Video)

• Genealogy Case Study: Tackling the Case of Winfield Underwood's Parents (Video Series)

Additional "What Are Genealogy Brick Walls?" Show Notes

• How Andy Discovered Devon's Bio Grandpa With DNA

• Tips for Researching Your Southern Ancestors

• How far back can we RELIABLY research?

• My Genealogy Brick Wall - Brick Wall Busting Series Introduction

• Brick Wall Busting Not For Beginners

• Genealogy Mistakes to Avoid

• 5 Tips For Beginning Genealogy Research

• Brick Wall and Inferential Genealogy

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Genealogy Brick Wall Series - John Townley

• My Genealogy Brick Wall: The John Townley Case Study

• My Genealogy Research Plan: The John Townley Case Study

• Clues on Death Records for My Genealogy Brick Wall: The John Townley Case Study 

• Using Descendancy Research for Clues to Bust a Genealogy Brick Wall 

• Research Early US Census Records for Genealogy Clues to Bust Brick Walls 

• Online Family Trees - Can you find clues for your genealogy brick walls? 

• Using Wills and Probate Records For Clues to Bust Genealogy Brick Walls 

• City Directories Research Clues for Genealogy Brick Wall Busting

• How Land Records Helped Me Chip Away at My Genealogy Brick Walls

• Using Newspapers to Tackle Genealogy Brick Walls

• Researching Same-Named Individuals to Solve Genealogy Brick Walls

• Writing Conclusions After Busting a Genealogy Brick Wall