Hi - I know what it's like to "hit a brick wall." I've been doing this genealogy search for about 8months and I've hit several brick walls however, my niece began searching public records for the names of our great and great-great grandparents and found death certificates that give pertinent information that will assist in your search. She's also located information from cemeteries in the county in which they lived (here in the states) and it gave more detailed information than we had as to their place of birth/parents names, etc. I've also joined Ancestry.com and located a lot of information. They also have access (and continue to acquire more) to European data. Hope this helps and good luck in your genealogy search!

Revjeanne

I have not exactly hit a brick wall.....my Great Grandparents came to Canada in 1911. I have sent off my $5.00 each to Immigration in Ottawa ....for my grandparents Naturalization papers. I am hoping that it will tell me what ship they came to Canada on from Alexanderdorf (currently in Russia) what their parents names were , and all of that. Once I get to that point I will be calling on a friend of mine who has been doing genealogy in the UK for a number of years to find out records from Alexanderdorf. She knows the ins and outs of all this....and if as I suspect my Great Grandparents were German living Russia ( a lot were until WWI when the Czar tried to conscript the Germans into the Russian Army) then my family line will trace back to Germany and Ursula can help me there very easily. If you need information about family coming into Canada you can always contact me and I can and will help all that I am able to. Also there is a site that is free......http://www.ellisisland.org/ that will be able to give you lists of ships passengers that came thru Ellis Island.

Lori aka Migratory Jewel

I have two suggestions for "deep research" when one is stuck:

First, http://www.familytreedna.com/

This group can do DNA analysis than can provide genetic information about family back ground.

Second, http://www.familysearch.org/eng/library/fhl/frameset_library.asp

This is the website for the genealogical library of the Church of Latter day Saints (Mormons). I am not a Mormon myself, but one does not need to be to access the information there. Due to their own religious reasons, the Mormon Church collects genealogical information about almost any or every family and traces it back as far as they can ... They are very skilled at resolving "brick walls". What they charge (if anything) I do not know ... but my aunt was able to obtain information on some lines of our family from them going back 500 years!

Hope this helps.

So, 1911 or 1912? It makes a difference for research. In order for Lynell & me (or anyone here) to specifically help you, please email full names of him, spouse & children; years of birth, & where they lived after arrival in the New World. karlmsala at msn . com

Oy Vey! I fear that this one is insurmountable! My mother is from England. She has no idea of the name of her father- her mom just pointed him out to her one day on the street. She was raised by her Grandparents with her Aunts and Uncles as sisters and brothers. She doesn't know her grandfather's definite name, apparently he went by more than one moniker. Her "Mum" (grandmother) was apparently previously married and Mom doesn't know if her "Dad" (grandfather)ever married her. The aunts and uncles and mother's name are all Foster as is my Mothers....but this is wierd- she says her stepfather went by the name Victor Foster sometimes as well.

I know i will never be able to unravel the riddle. Mom is the last of the older family to survive and is 82 with failing health and memory. I guess i have to be happy with Dad's side of the family.

What I've tried (sometimes successfully, sometimes not) with my more common surnames is to look at the people they were associated with. What other names were on the same page of the census? Who witnessed their wills & deeds? Often people migrated in groups. If you find a similar cluster of names elsewhere that's a clue to where to look for your own ancestor.