Part 2: Breaking Down That Brick Wall

Part 1 published on November 23 introduced the 30 year search for a county of origin for my Irish McGinnis Family. We continue with Part 2

Breaking Down a Brick Wall

Still unable to find a death date for the one remaining brother (Hugh) who was born in Ireland, I set my research aside. Then the breakthrough - two amazing women who have written several history books, spent many years going through newspapers to gather obituaries for people who had lived in Puslinch Township.  Doesn't sound impressive? It is. "A Celebration of Lives: Obituaries of Puslinch Township Wellington County Ontario" was published recently as a two-volume set consisting of 1,408 pages. There are over 6,500 obituaries. It's impressive.

An Obituary Reveals a County

It had limited printing but I managed to get the last copy. Of course I skipped right to the "M" pages and unbelievably there it was - an obituary for my Hugh McGinnis of Hespeler. His obit stated he was born in Co. Down Ireland.  I know an obituary is only as reliable as the person giving the information but it is another piece of evidence. I wish I could find his death registration but still no luck, even with now knowing the month and year and location of his death.

This morning I scrolled through every image on Ancestry.com for a period of 12 months from his death with no success. His death is not there. But I have the obituary and that thrills me! It adds to the growing weight of clues.

Potsdam New York Gives More Clues

Second wonderful item - Hugh's wife was born in USA circa 1810. Due to finding other bits and pieces of clues, including finding her parents' and siblings' names, I found a record in 1830 in Potsdam New York which I was pretty sure was her family. Pretty sure, but not positively proven, so not good enough for me.

Did I mention that one of Hugh's brothers married one of his wife's sisters? The finding of the Potsdam record was important because I know that Hugh (and probably his siblings) was in America before 1831. This would give me more locations for searching if my theory about Potsdam was correct.

And there it was in my new-found obituary book. The obit for Hugh's wife stating that she was born in Potsdam New York in 1810!

A Theory is Proven

I love it when a theory becomes fact. Proven fact. I don't care how long it takes, I refuse to give up! And the moral of my story is that you should never give up either. You never know when that little tidbit of information will fall into your hands. Maybe it wasn't available when you first began your research. New data is being found and transcribed all the time. Who knows, maybe the piece you need is waiting for you right now.

Review Your Older Research Notes

So stop reading this blog post and go back and look over your earlier research! Is there a clue there? Something you couldn't find 10 or 15 or more years ago, but  maybe now you can? What are you waiting for???!!

Breaking Down That Brick Wall, Part 1

For more than 30 years I searched for a record showing where my McGinnis family came from in Ireland. I don't mean the town or village (although that would be nice), I mean the County. There were family tales that it was either Armagh or Down and that the family arrived in Upper Canada (present day Ontario) during the potato famine.

The Known

My McGinnis roots stem from a large family group that arrived in Puslinch Township, Wellington County Ontario circa 1831. At that time Ontario was a wilderness called Upper Canada and was very sparsely populated.

As anyone who has searched for ancestors in Upper Canada can testify, genealogy records pre 1851 are few and far between. There are no census records (they didn't begin until 1851), no vital registrations (they didn't start until 1869) and church records are sparse.

Catholic Records

If, like mine, your ancestors were Catholics in Ontario you're in for a challenge, as Catholic church records as most are in the hands of local priests who have them locked securely away. The public is not allowed access even to older records in the mid 1800s. There are a few scattered Roman Catholic Church records for some parts of Ontario available on FamilySearch but they are not indexed. There are none for Wellington County where my Irish Catholic ancestors settled.


Newspaper Records

There were few newspapers in that time period for Ontario. Of the few that were published, not many have survived. Those that survive for the area I need are not indexed. So an approximate date of an event is a necessity in order to hunt for an obit or other record.

Ships Passenger Lists

Ships passenger lists arriving in Canada were not archived until 1865. There are many substitute ships passenger lists but my McGinnis don't show up on any. Don't get me wrong - there ARE some records for this early time period in Ontario - tax and assessment records, land records, and a few other miscellaneous record sets. But every local area has different records that have survived.  So it's a long process to find out what records exist and where they are kept.

The Known

Back to my Irish family who arrived from somewhere in Ireland circa 1831. I have land records for them. I have tax and assessment records back to 1833. I have death records. I have marriage records. I have some Catholic Church records of baptisms in the 1840s. I have  Catholic Church burial records for many of them. In fact with my 30 plus years of research on all branches of the original McGinnis settlers, I've got an entire filing cabinet drawer full of relevant documents.

I have searched all 9 children of the immigrant McGinnis settler down several generations. I've hunted for obituaries and death records in particular, praying for a mention of a town or county in Ireland.  Nothing.

However there was one son for whom I have not been able to find a death record or obituary. I knew he died between 1881 and 1891. I knew where he lived. But nothing could be found.

Family Lore & DNA

Family lore from descendants of his branch claimed Belfast as his place of birth. Family lore from my branch claimed Belfast as the place of birth of my great-grandfather's sister.

I had my brother's DNA done. We linked in with McGinnis families near Belfast. I contacted a descendant of one of the two known sisters from Ireland. She had early photos and on the back of one was written, in period handwriting, "Katesbridge Ireland" Katesbridge is in Co. Down and not far from Belfast.

This was all pretty exciting for me as it definitely gave me enough clues and pieces of circumstantial evidence to hesitantly proclaim that PERHAPS my Joseph McGinnis was from Katesbridge or Belfast in Co. Down. Perhaps.


Part 2 to be posted on November 25th. Breaking Down That Brick Wall

But I KNOW My Great Grandma's Name! So Why Am I Stuck?

Many of us know our great grandparents' names. One of my great grandmothers was a Vollick. I knew that, and I had proof (baptism, marriage, census records)which I had found over 30 years ago.

As I traced her lineage back, I found the trail stopped cold at *her* great grandfather, Isaac Vollick the Loyalist. I could not find him in New York before he arrived in the Niagara area of Ontario with Butler's Rangers. I hunted in every resource I knew of, to no avail. There simply were NO Vollicks running around south of the border in pre-Revolutionary times!

And then I stumbled on a very generous lady who steered me in the right direction with a casual remark "Did you know that your Loyalist ancestor Isaac Vollick used to be called Isaac Van Valkenburg?"

Huh? How the heck did one go from being a Van Valkenburg to a Vollick??!!! But she was absolutely correct in her statement. The reason I could not find any Vollicks running around south of the border was because it was not a "real" surname! My Loyalist ancestor simply adopted it. I think he adopted it as a nickname "Valk" (Dutch for falcon) from Van Valkenburg (meaning town of the falcon in Dutch) which may be what his comrades in arms called him. And it stuck. It became an established surname and there are thousands and thousands of Vollick descendants running around in America and Canada today.

There are also Follick descendants - because some of Isaac's sons and grandsons became known as Follick and that surname also stuck. I believe this alteration was due to the German/Dutch sounding "f" for "v". So instead of hearing Vollick, an English speaking/writing clerk no doubt heard Follick. And thus another surname was born!

That experience taught me to open my eyes to the possibility that a surname as we know may have changed greatly over the centuries. It may have been changed deliberately as in the case of my Isaac Vollick, or it may have been changed through mis-communication or mis-hearing.

As a side-note, since my discovery 30 years ago that my Vollick ancestor was really a Van Valkenburg I have researched the family in detail and have now published three books on Isaac Van Valkenburg aka Vollick, the Loyaist, and his two sons Cornelius and Storm.  

• From Van Valkenburg to Vollick: V1 The Loyalist Isaac Van Valkenburg aka Vollick and his Vollick & Follick Children
• From Van Valkenburg to Vollick V2 Cornelius Vollick and his Follick and Vollick Descendants to 3 Generations 
• From Van Valkenburg to Vollick V3 Storm Follick and his Follick and Vollick Descendants to 3 Generations

The above books are available at New Netherland Books

Another example is my French LeRoy ancestor (prounced sort of like Le Wah in French - it's difficult to render it in text) settled in what is now Quebec in the mid 1600s. When he moved to New York, his name started being recorded as Larua, then Larraway. No doubt English speaking clerks mis-heard his name when he pronounced it! And so it began to be recorded as Larroway.

You must have an open mind when researching ancestors. You don't know if they changed their names. It may have changed due to mis-recording based on language differences. Did they change it to escape a bad situation? Did they change it simply due to having an established nickname that took hold? Whatever the reasons, if you are truly stuck on an ancestor, think about possible name changes. You may need to develop an entirely new area of thinking and researching!

April Articles on Legacy Family Tree

If you missed these, here are my April articles I wrote for Legacy Family Tree.

Was Great-Grandpa’s Name Changed at Elllis Island?

Break Down Those Brick Walls

Thinking Out Loud About Great-Great-Grandpa Fuller

Charles Fuller's son Charles

My great-great grandfather on my mom's side was Charles Fuller. He has long been a thorn in my side. I have his marriage record to Georgiana Golding in 1858 in Lenham, Kent England.  You can read more about Georgiana and the confusion over her surname at "What About The Women"

The marriage certificate states that Charles is a labourer, "of age" (meaning over 21) and that his father is John Fuller, a labourer.  I have researched the witnesses and they are connected to Georgiana's family so no help re Charles.

Charles is found in Lenham in the 1861, 1871, 1881 and 1891 census records. Believe it or not there is more than one Charles Fuller of the same approximate age running around Lenham while my Charles is there. But the census proves that I have found the right Charles since his wife in 1861, 1871 and 1881 is Georgiana. She isn't in the 1891 census as she died in childbirth in December 1882. The 1891 Charles is a widower with children who match children in previous census years so his residence areas are known from 1861-1891.

Charles Fuller's grandchildren

But here's the catch - in each of those census years he gives a different place of birth and of course, just to be difficult, his ages don't match up exactly. Neither of these two discrepancies concern me in terms of thinking I have the wrong Charles Fuller. But what they have done is make my search for Charles' parents much more challenging!

Here's the detail for Charles in each of those census years:

* 1861. 32 years old born Milton, farm servant (gives an approximate year of birth of 1829)
* 1871. 44 years old born Faversham, agricultural labourer (gives an approximate year of birth of 1827)
* 1881. 52 years old born Lenham (gives an approximate year of birth of 1829)
* 1891. 60 years old, widower born Frinsted, agricultural labourer (gives an approximate year of birth of 1831)

He should be in 1841 and 1851 census. Remember, his father was John according to the marriage certificate and he did not marry Georgiana until 1858. At the very least he should be found as a 10 to 14 year old in 1841, hopefully with parents.

In 1851 there is more than one Charles Fuller who could be my great-great-grandpa but the best fit is a 25 year old single man born Faversham and living in Lenham as a servant in the home of a farmer named Edward Buss.

In 1841 there are several Charles Fuller individuals who "fit" the requirements to be mine. But the best fit is a young boy Charles Fuller age 14 living in Lenham with his mother Sophia age 50 and sister Harriet age 12.  Since Sophia is not with a husband and English marriage records don't give a mother's name, I can't be sure this is the right family.

I do find Sophia Fuller in a later census with her husband John. This fits but there is still no proof this is the right set of parents for my Charles Fuller. I need a birth record and even that would not be final proof since there are a number of men named Charles Fuller all born around the same time.

Here is what I know about John and Sophia Fuller:

1841 census Lenham. Sophia Fuller, 50 with children Charles 14 and Harriet 12. No husband listed
1851 census Lenham. John Fuller age 72, born Lenham, agricultural labourer living with wife Sophia, 62. Sophia was born in Pittham or Petham
1861 census Lenham. John Fuller age 81, born Lenham, with wife Sophia age 73 born Petham
1871 census Hollingbourn. In Hollingbourn Union Workhouse. Sophia Fuller age 81 born Petham

This is truly my proverbial "brick wall". I welcome any ideas or suggestions for me to pursue. 

Buttering Up Great Aunt Hattie

What do do if your great-aunt has all the family photos and documents but she won't let you have access to them? She won't tell you anything about the family saying only "Least said, soonest mended" in response to your repeatedly asking her for information

The first thing you should realize is that no amount of begging or asking or demanding is going to make Aunt Hattie change her mind. There are a few "tricks" you can try though!

1. Try to find out (gently) what her objection is to your seeing the documents and photos. There may be something which she considers a disgrace and if so, it will be your job to reassure her that you can be trusted. Don't lie to her though. If your intent is to share the facts with your entire family, then don't tell her you won't tell a soul.

2. Mean what you say. "I won't tell anyone else" means that you will keep quiet about whatever she shows you. Some will disagree with me but in my mind that promise only lasts while Aunt Hattie is living. After she is gone, you may have to make some decisions about sharing or not sharing what you have learned.

3. Visit or phone Aunt Hattie frequently. Not to ask questions but to talk, take her out for a meal, just sit and have tea or coffee with her. Get her talking about her childhood and enjoy her stories. Eventually she may relax and start showing you items from her treasures.

4. Take Aunt Hattie your own photos or documents - don't overwhelm her, just take one or two each time you visit. Show them to her, talk about the people and what the photos or documents mean to you. When Auntie sees your passion and genuine caring for the people involved, she may relent and share her items with you.

5. Be patient. It may take your Auntie a year or more to decide you shall be privy to the family secrets. Don't push her and don't rush her. Let her come around (if she does) in her own time and her own way.

6. Try an end run - find out who Aunt Hattie is closest to in the family and get them on your side. They can gently work their magic with her and hopefully persuade her to share.

7. Don't give up. But don't be overbearing either. In my hubby's family he had a step grandmother who would not talk about his grandfather's misdeeds - which were quite outrageous! Eventually she opened up and filled us in on quite a bit. Patience and getting to know us were the magic that worked for us.

Brick Wall Ancestor? Go AROUND or OVER!

We've all encountered it. The infamous brick wall where you are absolutely bogged down researching an ancestor. You can't find any records. You don't know where to look next. You're completely stuck!

When this happens, what do you do? Don't waste energy trying to force your way through, go AROUND or OVER that wall!

The first thing you need to do is step away. Set the problem aside for a few days, weeks or even months. Then look at it with fresh eyes. Analyse what you have leading up to the brick wall moment. Think  outside the box and come up with creative alternatives to the path you were following.

Let me give you an example of two brickwalls concerning one ancestor - William Massey.

Brick Wall #1: My hubby did not know where in Ireland his 3rd great grandfather William Massey came from. He searched for several years and found many records and documents but nothing gave him the county or town of origin.

William is buried in St Mary's Ontario and we've been to the cemetery and seen his tombstone. We have his death certificate. No obituary was found. It suddenly occured to hubby that the cemetery where William is buried is a new one, built several years after William's death. That meant William had been buried in the old cemetery and his remains moved along with others when the new one was built.

So hubby found the records of the move from the old to the new cemetery and there it was - the notation from the ORIGINAL cemetery burial records that William Massey was from Wicklow Ireland. Brick Wall #1 solved by thinking about the records already found and coming up with an alternate research plan.

Brick Wall #2: Hubby now had a county of origin in Ireland, but how to find a more precise location such as a Town or City? He struggled with this brick wall for many years. Nothing he found gave him more detailed information. The brick wall seemed insurmountable. So hubby did everything you are not supposed to do in genealogy!

He began a study of every single Massey name in Wicklow Ireland. He carefully compiled data (massive amounts of it!) on all Masseys living in that county before 1830. This took years. On a hunch he honed in on similar first names (naming patterns) found in his Massey branch. This took him to a smaller geographic location within Wicklow - Delgany.

He was treading now on dangerous genealogy ground! He needed to be careful to not make any assumptions based simply on finding similar names. He was careful to look for proof of his hunch - he would not even call it a working theory, it was always just his hunch or best guess. He looked for supporting proof.

Even when he found that one branch of the Massey line with those similar first names had left Delgany for Ontario at about the same time as his William Massey, he didn't declare the two lines related. He just kept it as another bit of fodder that strengthened his hunch, and his resolve to keep hunting!

Then he connected with two other researchers, both with proven descent from the Delgany Masseys. After a few years of sharing their research findings with each other, my husband decided it was time to take another step. He took a DNA test from Ancestry.com and asked one of the women to have her uncle take the same test. Their Massey ancestor left Delgany for Ontario around the same time his Massey ancestor arrived in Canada and hubby was convinced they shared a common ancestor - but needed proof.

The results were conclusive. My husband and his contact's uncle shared a common ancestor. And thus Brick Wall #2 was solved.

Overcoming these brick walls took patience (it took my husband almost 20 years), hard work, creative thinking and being careful to not leap to conclusions without proof.

So my advice is: don't try to bust through a brick wall with sheer power. Step back, take a break and think about the situation then go AROUND or OVER that seemingly insurmountable hindrance to your genealogy!