My Genealogy Research Plan: The John Townley Case Study

Genealogy Research plans are great in theory, but how do you use them?

Let's apply the principles taught in the previous post (Genealogy Research Plans - An Essential Tool for Busting Brick Walls) to my Brick Wall Busting Case Study.

Genealogy Research Plan Template

Whether you use paper, Trello, Evernote, Microsoft Word, or Google Docs (shown above), you need a place to record all of your plans and findings.

Complete the Research Plan Project Information

Once your template is ready, begin filling it out with what you know.

Identify the people the research plan focusing on, their birth and death years, relevant locations, and a simple research goal.

Pro Tip: In my genealogy research plan on Google Docs, I put all of this information in the header section. This way, the information carries to every additional page I add to my report. Keep it brief for reference purposes.

Add Background Information to Your Genealogy Research Plan

When tackling any genealogy research question, you must first review what you know and how you know it.

Your background information can be as brief or in-depth as you need it to be. I opted for brief details for my John Townley brick wall project.

I also highlighted the line I descended from. You don't need to. Highlights help remind me who the most researched relative in this family group is.

If you have a source for any of that information, you should include it.

In the background section, I identified the sources I've previously consulted. You can add more details if warranted. I added a quick footnote to indicate sources I have found (see the 1850 census in the image above).

Watch this research plan development process in action in this video.

What Questions Will Resolve My Genealogy Brick Wall?

While my overall goal is to find the parents of John Townley, I need to brainstorm all the questions I have for John Townley. Then, I can develop quality research questions and add them to my genealogy research plan.

I came up with these questions:

• How can I validate John’s death?

• Can I validate John’s birth?

• Can I validate the relationships between his wife and children?

• What more details can I learn about John’s life in Cincinnati?

I might have more questions as this research progresses, but this is a great start for now.

↪️ Are you struggling to break through your brick walls?

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Add Specific Goals to Genealogy Research Plan

Following my question brainstorming session, I can add my secondary goals to my research plan.

Note: For now, the research goals in the image above are not in the quality research question format. If I had written them correctly, they wouldn't fit on the screen. You should write your questions well for your plan.

Add Sources to Search for the Genealogy Research Plan

Once you know your specific research questions, you can consider what records answer your research questions. (Get the record reference guide here.)

Next, consult research guides or the FamilySearch Wiki to find records you need to search to answer your research question. Since John Townley falls into the time period that we can reliably research,

Take the suggestions and put them in your research plan. Don't create a research log separate from your plans. Plan all of the sources that you will search directly into your plan.

Put the Genealogy Research Plan in Action

Once you have developed a genealogy plan, it's time to research, return, and report. Every document you search will be noted in your plan.

If your plan is digital, you can also add images, tables, clue webs, timelines, and so much more. Eventually, you can turn your plan into a research report.

Ultimately, don’t tackle a difficult family history problem without at least a basic genealogy research plan. Your plan will ensure you’ve conducted a reasonably exhaustive search.

Additional "Genealogy Research Plan" Show Notes

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

• Are Records Available For Your Ancestor? (video)

• Does a Record Exist for Your Ancestor?

• How to Find Genealogical Records for Your Ancestors (video)

John Townley Genealogy Research Series

• Understand How Inferential Genealogy Can Break Brick Walls 

• My Genealogy Research Brick Wall: The John Townley Case Study

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

• 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?