My Three "P's"

People, places, and purpose are items that I call my three "P's".  When all three come together at the same point [4th P...just couldn't resist...:-)] it will often provide the means to break down some of those brick walls.  For my own JONES family tree, this was 22 May 1650.  The following figure shows an example :

The surnames Williamson, Fauntleroy, Booth, Underwood, and Mosley are not what you would expect to be related to the surname JONES.  However, on 22 May 1650 a large group of folks arrived and patented land along the same river.  They also fled England together following the death of Charles I.  Evaluating this group under the "Three P's", the above was discovered.  One large family it was.  The Underwood group seem to have a lot of daughters who married a number of other surnames.  The red color shows the Underwood family, with the other colors connecting the various other surnames.  Understanding this cluster of related families proved to be a major pathway for connecting my own JONES family tree.

Concepts, Principles, Methods

Brick walls offer an opportunity to try all kinds of new things.  Over the years climbing trees [reaching 55 years!]  I have found various concepts and principles that have provided help in brick wall destruction.   This blog is an attempt to put these ideas into some form that may help other genealogist when they face their own brick walls.  Thus, it is called "The Brick Wall Protocol".

I would bet that there are lots of folks who have experience these brick walls, and have found ways to get around them.  It may be a method, or tool that has helped.  It may be a concept or principle.  This post is to ask those who have used [or discovered] these things to place a comment to this post. 

It may also be that there are those who are experiencing their own brick wall.  You might place a brief comment asking help from those who have been there before.

Please add your concepts, principles, or methods that have helped you get around those brick walls.

Family Trees

Branches to the family tree can certainly get confusing.  How to picture and put together all the branches can be an interesting task.  The following figures give one example of how this can be accomplished using a variety of methods all grouped together.

First is graph paper.  Any old kind will do.  I personally like reinforced filler paper, two sided, which seems to hold up a little better to my doodles and drawings.  Double sided gives a chance to use back and front of a single notebook page which opens the view to the imagination. [ 4/sq/inch on front and 5 sq/inch on back ]

Second is "square and circles".  [The square = males, the circle = female.]  This gives a way to draw a number of generations on the same page and connect the dots.  See my blog GE-NE-AL-O-GY 101 for a discussion of this method.

Third is a chronology.  By know you must recognize that a detailed chronology is paramount in the tree climbing adventure.  The figures show my chronology (in years) placed along the sides of the pages.  This can be done in all sorts of intervals.   This gives a "time line" to the family tree.

Forth is a coding mechanism.   This allows one to give each individual a distinct place in the tree, and hopefully allow one not to get confused along the branches.  My coding method is simple and flexible, using the alphabet and numbers. [The coding methods have been discussed in several of my blogs.]

Finally, I like colors.  A color code will give a visual picture that can be followed page after page of the family tree. Each major branch is given its own color code, so that as the generations increase, they can be followed page by page.   This especially helpful when those folks married 1st cousins!

The drawings shown are done with the graph paper turned side ways.  This will also give more room to place the family branch.

Family trees...the leaves will grow and the branches get broader.

The pink side of the family had to be placed on a page all to itself.

A Doodle a Day Keeps the Brick Walls Away

During childhood, doodling was one of those activities that kept my mind involved.  It is defined as an aimless scribble, design, or sketch.  I prefer the design or sketch definition, but to be honest it was probably the aimless scribble most of the time.  As things would have it, the concept of a "kinesthetic" learner  gave me an understanding of this process. [ Gr. kinesis = motion ]  Genealogy has given me the chance to apply these skills to tree climbing.  The following "sketches" show how one doodle can be used again, and again. (Only three of them are shown here.)

Sketch 1:

Well, it is actually a map sketched using tracing paper.  It outline the major water routes flowing into the Ohio River.  My JONES family came to Kentucky from Virginia, and my HENDERSON family came from North Carolina.

Sketch 2:

This takes sketch 1 and adds a little color to the picture. [Always liked to color!]  Additional information was placed in order to give my mind a visual picture of the geographic orientation.  The "New River" seemed to connect those from VA and NC.

Sketch 3:

A little more color, and a few mountain ranges doodled into the picture.  Physical barriers in place not letting those get to the families' land yet to come.  How did they do it?  A wonder indeed...brick walls...well, a doodle a day will help keep those brick walls away.

Lumpers and Splitters

Decision making is a process.  It involves taking information, processing it in the recesses of the mind, and producing a course of action.  Having been involved in the "higher educational system" for some 27 years [taught at three Universities], it would seem that there are roughly two methods involved.  There are the "lumpers" and the "splitters".

The "lumpers" were the folks that needed more information.  Give me more facts, more details, more information, etc.,....,etc.,...so I can make the best decision.

The "splitters" were the folks who said, don't confuse me more information.  I need to split away any useless information to get down to the bare facts.  All this excess is just making things worse.

For the genealogist, it takes both!  At times during ones tree climbing, it is necessary to collect as much information, dates, facts, etc...etc...to get a clearer picture.  At other times, it is necessary to split away all the excess information and ask what is necessary to help make this decision.  For example, the following table shows my "lumping" process.  It says, give me all the individuals named "JONES" during the early period of Virginia settlement.

This "lumped" all those with the JONES surname between 1609 and 1666.

Then it was necessary to "split" out those who had the name "John Jones".  This would give me a list of those who shared this name.  I could then evaluate the relationship of these individuals to my own family. [This work as been stored in my research notebooks #206 for lumping, and #207 for splitting.]

Lumping and splitting,  processes for decision making they are.

Keeping Things Simple

There seems to be a great deal of commotion about what is needed to actually do genealogy.  What computer program, what computer software...what latest program, what type of laptop, i-phone, and all the gadgets...what's the cost, and what's the start-up time...all seem to be part of the present day equation for "doing genealogy".   Well, keeping things simple has been one of my approaches.

To do genealogy is to "think", and to "thank".  Who am I, and where did I come from usually, starts things off.  Who were those before me who left their mark upon my flesh and bones.  That random combination of Y and X chromosomes that survived down through the ages helped form me.  A "thank you" to those folks who came before and lead the way, with a name added, is one factor to keep the generations connected.

For me, doing genealogy is as simple as a three ring notebook, blank paper, and a pencil.  Nothing fancy, just functional to provide a record of my tree climbing.  The picture shows some of my notebooks.  One inch, to 1/2 inch, to heavy duty, to any thing that will hold my hunt.  Easy to store, easy to find, and easy to use.  Nothing to plug into except my brain.  Keeping things simple...a goal of genealogy.

Using An Index For Genealogical Analysis

One of the most time consuming activities for the genealogist is library work. At least that's the way it use to be. [Still an important aspect for those of us who like to smell a good book every now and then!]

In many cases, large volumes of texts exist with pages and pages of information. However, most texts contain an index which directs the researcher to a specific page number with information about that individual and/or subject title. For the surname JONES [my surname], the list is extensive with all those Johns, Williams, Richards, Thomases, Marys, Elizabeths, and the like. Likewise, the researcher may only have "clues" as to which John or Mary is important. Taking the time to "look up" each Jones listed [or any other surname], is sometimes necessary. Often, it will be more helpful to analyze the index before looking at each individual reference.

The figure to the right gives such an example. It uses a reference text entitled, Jefferson Co., VA-KY Early Marriages. Book I: 1781 - July 1826. This reference lists early marriages recorded in Jefferson Co., now KY in chronological sequence.

The first step is find a bland page such as notebook paper, copy paper, or graph paper. [By now you should have tons of graph paper!] The next step is to to find the length of the book or reference that contains the information. [This book is 200 pages.] Next, you select a scale between 1 and 200 that would represent the page numbers in the text. You place this scale along the top of the page and leave room for the alphabetical listing of the first names on the left hand side of the paper. You then turn to the index and begin listing the first names of all the JONES [or what ever surname you have chosen]. You place the page number of each along the scale at the point of each name. Thus you end up with a chart or table which list all names along a grid which fills up the paper. [Shown above] At one glance, each individual can be crossed reference for the same page number and approximate time period. Thus each person can be examined for relationship to all others listed.

This method allows the researcher to locate names which appear together (on the same page) without having to look up each name individually.

Table taken from an article written Jerry E. Jones, MD, MS, The Jones Genealogist, Vol. X , No. 6, March/April 1999 , pp. 5-7.

BWP (37): Connecting the Dots

There are times when the tree branches get pretty thick. All those names, locations, histories, dates, etc., etc...how do you connect all those dots? This is very common in Welsh genealogy when the family is recorded in various towns with very unusual names. How are they all connected?

It was not until I connected a number town locations that it became evident that the family was really from the same area of Wales! The map to the right shows a drawing of many of the towns and locations that my JONES family resided. The names were taken from records, wills, deeds, etc., and their geographic locations identified. They fell along Wat's Dyke which had been the border between Wales and the Marches since 700 AD. The family located in a geographic area that represented the tribal group from which my JONES surname originated. An explanation that helped connect the dots!

BWP(36): A Place to Work

Having a good place to work is important in breaking down many of those brick walls. It often takes placing all the information about you in a single location that can be utilized over a period of time. A card table, a dinning table, even an end table can work. [It will sometimes take those in the family to agree to let you leave the work items about.]

The picture shows my work table. Lights, action, camera...well maybe not the camera. But you can get the idea. Space to work... a place to work... brick by brick.

BWP(34): A Coding System for Genealogist

A previous post describes my JONES family coding system which has served me well over the years of tree climbing. See:

http://thejonessurname.blogspot.com/2011/01/my-jones-family-coding-system.html

This coding system was also discussed in BWP(17). However, there comes a time when you will find yourself in a nest of surnames. It may be at a particular geographic area, or historical time period, or a religious group with many members. There will be multiple folks with the same names being used. How do you keep them straight? How do separate and identify which John Johnson, John Smith, John Brown, and John Jones is the path you will need to follow? The following method is a coding system I have found helpful. It is different from my family coding system, since it involves only one surname, and needs to code for multiple generations. This approach will help separate and code each individual among a large number of folks with many different surnames.

It is very simple. First you label each person identified by their surname. You take the first two letters of their surname and then assign them a number. If the first name is John Johnson, you would code "JO-1". If you have another John Johnson in the county at the same time, you would label him "JO-2". Now if you have a John Jones living next door, you would code this "JON-1", knowing that you have already used "JO = Johnson". Thus, "JON = Jones". Now if there was a John Johns in the same neighborhood, you code him "JOH-1", using the next letter of the alphabet that was not used in a previous surname group.

Any surnames that share the same letters would take the next letter to separate and code it. Thus, Saul would be SA-1, Sampson would be SAM-1, and Samuel would be SAMU-1, etc., etc.
You would then start a record of the families identified in this geographic area, coding each individual, and you would not used the same letters for a different family surname.

Start with a small number of folks that you are working. These often will be those around your brick wall. Then start a listing for the codes you use, allowing you to keep a record of the surnames. Let's get started!

BWP(28): Taking Matters Into Your Own Hands

After doing genealogy for many years, it became evident that having fun in the process was part of the excitement. Making up your own ways to remember difficult topics, or areas of history that seemed complex, was always fun. [Part of the challenge I guess.]

Memory tools they might be called, and I present one that I made up to help me remember the major rivers and their relationship to one another in tidewater Virginia. It was literally taking matters into my own hands! The post is:

http://thejonesgenealogist.blogspot.com/2011_03_01_archive.html

It is an illustration of how one might create a way to help remember geographic landmarks. Go head. Take matters into your own hands. It is not as hard as it might seem.

BWP(27): A Dating Method

A genealogist is often faced by an individual ancestor with an unknown birth date. One method to help this uncertainty is presented in a post called "Brick Walls". It is found at:

http://thejonesgenealogist.blogspot.com/2010/11/brick-walls.html

hope this method is helpful! It has helped me over the past years get around a few brick walls!

BWP(9): Methods

The following section introduces the methods to brick wall destruction. Please follow the instructions closely, and complete each section in order.

Time and Space analysis, what a deal!

I have included a picture of the materials contained in my first publication. You will need to get these simple supplies at any "dollar general". The markers are pink, blue, and yellow.

Remember that the graph paper will be different from the ones now available, but you will following the same methods.

Let's get going!