Strategies for Finding Problem Ancestors

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At one time or another, we all run into certain ancestors who cause us genealogical grief. When you encounter one of these problematic people, use our cheat sheet of suggested sources to kick-start your search.

Black Sheep
The proverbial skeleton in the closet—a convict, outlaw, madam, pirate or other “colorful” character.

censuses (check occupation field)
coroner and funeral home records
court records
FBI, prison and institutional records
marriage and divorce records
message boards
newspapers and obituaries

Census evader
This individual or family makes an appearance in certain federal enumerations but not others.

city directories
Soundex indexes to 1880 and later censuses
state and territorial censuses
tax lists

Drifter
Moves around more than a band of gypsies. Shows up in different states and localities; never seems to stay put for an extended period.

censuses (check birthplace fields)
city directories
deeds and land records
migration and boundary-change maps
social histories

Fleeting female
She might be the mother whose maiden name eludes you, or the daughter whose marriage you can’t pin down.

court records
convent records
marriage and divorce records
military pension files
naturalization papers
newspaper society pages
records of her husband and siblings

Mystery immigrant
Your missing link to the old country. You might know approximately when he came, but can’t retrace his journey or pinpoint his town of origin.