We all have that one (or several) ancestor who we CANNOT seem to get beyond. We may have our suspicions of the line or we may have absolutely no clues at all. These are our brick wall ancestors! They happen in every tree and in some cases, there may be nothing further that can be done because of lack of records for whatever reason.
However, there are ways to tackle brick walls that can lead to a possible chink in that wall and maybe collapse it entirely. I’m going to use 5th great-grandfather, John Witherell as an example.
List Every Fact You Have (with sources)
The number one thing you want to do first is to gather everything you know for sure about your ancestor. I highly recommend including the source where it came from as some sources may have more weight than others. Please note that I do not have full citations listed below just for ease of creating the list.
The other reason on why you want to do this is your ancestor may be someone with a common enough name that you’ll run in to several of that same name. You need to find the identifying characteristics of your ancestor that make them different from the other people. John Witherell, for example, is a common name in New England. I have run in to several John Witherells who are likely around the same age of my John and from similar areas. So this list is absolutely necessary in weeding out the other same named people.
I am making my list in time order just because that’s easier for me, but lists can be organized any way that makes sense to you.
- 1793 – John Witherell’s wife, Judith Bullard, was born likely in Massachusetts – source: family Bible
- About 1809 – “… there came to Gaines, Orleans County, N. Y., John Wetherill,* a carpenter, a stone mason and a builder.” – source: page 11 The Historic Ridge compiled by the National Old Trails Committee of the Orleans Chapter of the D. A. R. in 1926.
- 1813 – There is a John Witherell noted in the 1813 tax records in Ridgeway – source p. 309-311 of Landmarks of Orleans County, New York edited by Hon. Isaac S. Signor in 1894
- About 1814 – David Bullard moved from Vermont to Gaines, New York, taking the rest of his children that hadn’t already moved there. This source names all of his children and notes that “Judith married John Witherell. They settled north of the Ridge, next east of Oliver Booth.” – source: page 231 in Pioneer History of Orleans County, New York edited by Arad Thomas in 1871. Arad Thomas was the Justice of Peace in the area from 1843-1851 and signed several documents for the Bullard and Witherell families, so he did personally know both families.
- 1811 – John Witherell Junior born – son of John and Judith – source: family Bible
- 1813 – David Witherell, son of John and Judith, born – this is my ancestor – source: family Bible
- 1816 – Darius and Cyrus Witherell born, twin sons of John and Judith – Darius is where the family Bible comes from – source: family Bible
- 1819 – Jane Witherell, daughter of John and Judith, born – source: family Bible
- 1838 – Deed record notes David Bullard’s widow, Elizabeth, along with David’s heirs: William Bullard, Polly McAllister, Olive Bartlett, Betsy Holmsbourgh, Brigadier Bullard, Nancy Bullard, Sally Chubb, and Ransom Bullard. Then Judith’s children are listed since she died before David: John, David, Cyrus, Darius, and Jane – this record is them buying land from the Holland Land Company – source: Orleans County dead record
- 1849 – Another land record that lists the heirs of David Bullard, again including the Witherell children, selling land to Brigadier Bullard.
*A note about the surname spelling – surnames are spelled in a myraid of ways, especially during such time frames and for a multitude of reasons. The way a name is spelled is not usually a way for me to rule out possible people for this very reason.
So, in short, I don’t actually know that much about John himself, but more about the people around him. I do not know when he was born, where he was born, or when he died. He likely died in New York and POSSIBLY before 1838, but it’s not clear when exactly nor what county. I included Judith’s birth year in the list as that is possibly around the same time that he was born, although it isn’t unusual for there to be a larger age gap as well.
Something to keep in mind is that county lines shifted quite a bit around this time. In this case, Orleans County became a county in 1824 from Genesee County. So when I am searching for records for John, I need to also include that county.
Summarize What You Know
So, from this list, I can summarize John’s life as such:
- John came to Gaines, which was then in Genesee County, around 1809, according to the Arad Thomas book, and he was a stone mason.
- John likely married Judith either in New York or Vermont prior to 1811 when their first son was born.
- David Bullard, Judith’s father, came to New York from Bennington, Vermont according to Landmarks of Orleans County, New York. It is possible that this is where John and Judith had married before coming to New York.
- William Bullard, David’s oldest son, was living in Ridgeway in 1813 where he is noted on tax records and there is a John Witherell taxed in that same area as well.
Identify Next Steps
With this information, I do have a more pointed area to direct my research. From 1811-1838 I should search in tax, land, mortgage, and any other record created in Genesee County and Orleans County. Given that people do tend to move with their families, it is also prudent to seek out any and all Witherell (and variations of the surname) in these same areas to seek out possible relatives of John’s. It is possible that John also went through Vermont and may have also come from Massachusetts. The route from Massachusetts to Vermont to New York is a common one to see around this same time. Nonetheless, we know the Bullard family was in Bennington, so looking in that area for more records is another direction to follow if nothing more can be found in New York records.
Remember…
Don’t make sudden leaps without the paper trail to prove the leap. For example, there is a John Witherell who lived in Conquest, Cayuga County, New York who can be found in land records in 1829. Could it possibly be my John? Maybe? However, at this point, there’s nothing that is connecting the John Witherell who married Judith and was in Gaines, New York in the early 1800s to this area. Conquest is about 90 miles from Gaines and that man’s wife is Lydia. It isn’t clear when Judith died, so it is possible this could be a second wife, but again, there is nothing pointing to this man as my ancestor.
Want More Guided Assistance?
Who are some of your brick walls? Are you having any issues getting past them at all? If you’re in the front range area of Colorado, don’t forget about my genealogy talks where we can discuss your ancestors in detail! Can’t make it? Email me with your details and I can help!
