My Genealogy Research Brick Wall: The John Townley Case Study

Learning how to break through genealogy brick walls is often best to learn by researching over the shoulder of an experienced genealogist. Let's "Do It Together" and examine the case of John Townley.

Research Over My Shoulder As I Crack My Brick Wall

This is the first post in a multi-part series focused on sharing my research while also teaching you strategies for tackling your genealogy brick walls. Consider this a Research Over My Shoulder training series

Previously, I tackled a Research Over My Shoulder case study for G Winfield Underwood. Since then, readers and YouTube fans have begged me to do another one. With the headway I've made on John Townley, let's do this!

Goals of the Case Study Series

With each video and blog show notes, I hope to achieve two goals:

• Show you how I tackle a challenging genealogy problem, so you can do the same.

  Receive feedback and answer your questions on my research methodology.

No genealogist is infallible, and strong research conclusions benefit from feedback from other researchers. Peer reviewing is essential in academic research, so let's do it with my ancestor.

A 10-Year Genealogy Brick Wall Problem

Recently, I resolved a genealogy brick wall on my paternal line. Until I broke through the wall, I want to bang my head or pull my hair out. I have been working on my genealogy dead end, John Townley from Cincinnati, Ohio, for over 10 years.

10 YEARS!

did this only after I exhausted all online records, researched around records that were never created, and researched relatives who lived in the same place. (These are all things mentioned in a previous post defining genealogy brick walls.)

Let me introduce you to my genealogy brick wall case study for John Townley. He'll form the backbone of a multi-part series on how I cracked the case. Let's get started with the steps to tackling this brick wall.

Step One: Review What You Know

The first step toward tackling a genealogy brick wall is to review what you know.

Following this advice, I reviewed what I knew about my 4th great-grandfather, John Townley.

John TOWNLEY (1802-1893)

• Birth 1 Oct 1801 New Jersey, United States

• Death 7 Aug 1890 Cincinnati, Hamilton, Ohio, United States

Wife:

• Eveline PORTER (1802-1893)

Children:

• Eliza R TOWNLEY (1824-1900)

• Asa H TOWNLEY (1825-1883)

• Joanna C TOWNLEY (1827-1883)

• Richard TOWNLEY (1837-1906)

• Mary Jane TOWNLEY (1840-1912)

These details came from my Great Aunt Margie in conversations with my mother in the mid-1970s. In the late 1990s and early 2000s, I began validating the John Townley family line.

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Quick Wins in US Census Records

Among the first records I explored to validate my family tree were census records, particularly those after 1850. These records are great because they identify everyone in a household by name.

John Townley appears in four census records from 1850 - 1880 before his death in 1893. He doesn't appear in the 1890 US Census record fragments, though I did check.

Census records for John Townley in this brick wall busting series. All census records appeared in Cincinnati, Hamilton County, Ohio, USA.

I love using tables to evaluate information in genealogy research. I'll want to include this in a genealogy research plan.

I have census evidence of John and Evaline (though I'm not sure where Evaline is in the 1870 US Census record. I would love to resolve that question.)

I have evidence of four children; Joanna will require other records to validate her relationship. We're off to a good start.

If you want tips on researching your ancestors in US Census records, check out this video US Census Records - How to Research on FamilySearch and Ancestry.

John Townley Genealogy Research Series

• Understand How Inferential Genealogy Can Break Brick Walls 

• My Genealogy Research Brick Wall: The John Townley Case Study (YOU'RE HERE)

• 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

• Can Ancestry DNA ThruLines Help Solve Genealogy Brick Walls?

Additional "My Genealogy Brick Wall?" Show Notes

A reference for all blog posts and videos mentioned in the YouTube episode.

• Are You Mapping Out Your Genealogy Research Problems?

• Are You Reviewing the Research of Others?

• How Do I Know If a Record Belongs to My Ancestors? 

• US Census Records - How to Research on FamilySearch and Ancestry

• 1890 US Census Record Fragments