Conference - Day 3

Friday I listened to a lecture on writing a narrative to solve a brick wall problem. The speaker suggested ten strategies, including gathering all information, creating a timeline, and writing about the ancestor in order to see more clearly what was missing and where to search next.

I should be able to use that technique to continue searching in Pennsylvania for a brick wall ancestor, as I also attended "Beginning a Search for Pennsylvania Roots." Suggested record sets included land warrants, tax lists and a septennial census taken between 1708 and 1863.

Other classes that day included one on German handwriting and a session on the latest online New York records. New York is beginning to place more vital record indexes and church records online. Since we plan to spend time at the Wisconsin State Historical Society this summer, "Hidden Treasures: Tips and Rewards for Researching in Manuscript Collections" was helpful to begin thinking about what might be available in their archives.

Wisconsin State Historical Society