Brick Walls

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Brick Walls

In genealogy, "brick walls" are situations where you just can't figure out how to progress with your research. Maybe there's a mother whose maiden name you can't figure out, or a child whose parents you just can't find.

On this page, we are collecting your "brick wall" people, so that we can try to help each other out, with research ideas, suggestions, or even information. WeRelate is built around collaboration, and this is one way to ask the WeRelate community for help. Often, what is difficult for one researcher because of language, location, or area of interest, may be much simpler for someone else. The goal of this page is to help to make those connections.

In addition to possibly listing your page under the "Feature Me" list, you may want to add a brick wall template to your person or family's page. Adding this template will automatically add that page to the Brickwall category page:

This page represents a "brick wall" -- i.e., researchers are "stuck" in their efforts to find more information. Can you help? Use the Talk page for discussion of this particular brick wall.



Selecting a submission to feature

Every so often we will feature one "brick wall", and work together to break through it. If you would like to add someone as a brick wall, include their name at the bottom of the "Please Feature my Brick Wall" list, with a brief description of what information you are looking for.

e.g.,
Timothy Kelly - born abt. 1774 in the UK, married in 1808 in London, died in 1839 in Herefordshire, England.
I have been unable to find any record of Timothy's birth or his parents.

Then, on the talk page of the person, give a more in-depth explanation of the help that you need. This explanation should include 1) what you know, 2) what you want to find out, and 3) all the places you've looked so far.

Once in a while, we will take the brick wall at the top of the list, and work on it together (as long as it meets the above requirements).

Submission rules

In order to ensure that we help as many people as possible, you can only have up to 3 brick walls listed at any time, and we won't feature the same person's submissions twice in a row.

Look at other brick walls, too

All of the people listed on this page are brick walls - please feel free to offer your help at any time, not just when a person is featured.

Featured Brick Wall

Our current Brick Wall is James Stults. Please take a look at this page, and let's work together to see if we can figure out who his parents are, or at least give some good suggestions on where to look.

Please Feature My Brick Wall

  • Family:Andrew Mott and Unknown (1) - Andrew H. Mott died before his son Andrew Hathaway Mott was born in or near Saratoga County, NY. Who was his wife or mother of his son? At age 3 (1848) the son was given to his grandparents to be raised. This family resided in Schuylerville, Saratoga, NY. I have visited Saratoga County and searched court records, viewed family cemetery plot, found distant cousins who had family bibles and none of these bibles mentioned a marriage for Andrew H. Mott. The grandparents had been Quakers but a record shows they had been disowned. The last record for Andrew Hathaway Mott is when he buried his wife in Hammond, LA in 1909. Researchers have found no death record for Andrew Hathaway Mott in Louisiana and there appears to be no evidence that he was buried with his wife. --Susan Irish 18:32, 19 November 2012 (EST) Just learned A. H. Mott died 1913 in Colorado.--Susan Irish 20:32, 28 October 2022 (UTC)
  • John Burnham and his wife Eliza Huston were married in 1812 in Lincoln, Maine. They and their family are documented going forward, but I can't find good proof of their parents. There are (at least) three possible Johns, but no strong evidence tying Eliza's husband to any of them. And on the Huston's, I've had no luck at all.--Amelia 00:11, 22 November 2012 (EST)
  • David Dial, born in about 1776, maybe in Tennessee, died 23 Jul 1846 in DuQuoin, Perry, Illinois.
    • I would love to find out David's wife's name, and/or his birth information and parents' information. -- Jdfoote1 20:57, 1 December 2012 (EST)
  • Thomas R Gettys born abt 1815. Trying to find parents and grandparents Possible son of William Gettys and Mary Polly Bowell. William is possible son of Samuel Gettys & Isabella Ramsey. --Parkave777 7:56, 27 November 2013 (EST)
  • Betty Marshall As mentioned in my notes her birth name was moon I am searching for the biological parents have not had much success. Adopted by William F. Marshall and Helen Ford Bertha Moon was her birth Name and was changed when adopted by the Marshalls. I was hoping for some help here. Kissmenow 8 May 2014
  • Mary Elizabeth Green Mary Elizabeth Green My Great Grandmother was born in Warsaw, Benton County, Missouri 24 Sep 1880 the 1910 US Census Shows her married to William Powell Still living in Benton County I cannot Find any records showing her parents other than her death listing as Green and Duncan. She was widowed by Powell and married my GGrandfather Jefferson Davis Kissee then was Widowed by him and married her stepson Guy Kissee. I am trying to find her parents, which according to the 1910,1920,1930,and 1940 US Censuses were born in Missouri I have tried looking in 1900 US Census under both Green and Powell Any further information would be awesome "Stephen W. Kissee 2 Jul 2014
  • Person:William Smith (640) -- born 1823 in Boone County, Illinois (. . . he said, but maybe not), died of disease in the War, 1863. I know a good deal about him and his immediate family (and especailly his in-laws) but have been unable to identify his parents, though there are a couple of possibilities. Everything I know, and what theorizing I've done, are laid out in The Problem of William H. Smith, which I wrote to help me think about what I knew and what I didn't know. Related to all this is Person:Hayden Smith (4), who is almost certainly a close relative of some kind to William -- but not his father. (And there are several "Haydens" who may or may not be the same person.) I've run out of data sources to chew on and suggestions would be very welcome. --MikeTalk 10:36, 30 November 2012 (EST)

All Brick Walls

If you're interested in other brick walls, you can view the entire list.