This week Chris Staats of Staats Genealogical Services posted a great blog post about a new way to look at brick walls. You can read ‘Genealogists Should Abandon the “Brick Wall” Metaphor’ here. The post discusses how when we run into a dead-end with research, it is more like building a brick wall then running into it.
I really like this post because it puts a positive spin on troublesome ancestors who just do not want to be found. I believe that you will definitely get further when researching your ancestors if you start with a confident upbeat attitude.
This post appeared last weekend just as I was working in the front yard on a project. I was removing dirt from a flower bed and knocking down the brick retaining wall. For me it was all about proper drainage away from the foundation. As I was swinging away at the bricks with a sledge-hammer, all I could think about was genealogy. While it was fun to break down a brick wall, I would much rather do the hard work to build a proper one.
Thank you to Chris Staats for a new perspective at some of my more difficult ancestors!
