This is a giant jigsaw puzzle, in which some of the pieces are hidden. You may know an ancestor and their parents and then reach a dead end. It is helpful to focus on the parents, their siblings, the children of their siblings and track the migration. By researching these other “pieces” you may discover additional documents which assist in putting together a better picture of the exact piece you are missing. The best example I have for this is in researching a tree where there is little information on the family due to a divorce which occurred, and subsequent remarriages. In focusing on the parent’s and their siblings, building out their lines a discovery was made. That discovery was a male child who took the last name of the second step father after reaching the age of 18. Up until that discovery the “assumption” had been that he had died without children. This discovery opened the door and allowed the sharing of information with the DNA connections who had a completely different last name than the family member I was researching. Subsequent discussions, identified that this male child changed his name again after his second marriage; he married again and had at least one child with a different surname than that of his grandparents.
Category: Solved DNA Mysteries
Border Crossings From Mexico to the U.S.
When researching family members who arrived in the U.S. from Mexico, you might find their name and their information card, online. Be sure to look at this card very closely. Click on the right arrow and look at the back of the card. There is valuable information, especially if you are researching the family. Often times, they listed who they were going to visit in the U.S., their address, and the relationship of the person. This can help you find brother’s, sister’s, aunt’s and uncles. When you add these people to your tree as relatives, it changes your search results. Then, go in and start searching for their relatives. You will be amazed at how it increases the information you can gather. Look at the wealth of information on the front and back of the card below.
The National Archives
The National Archives has a tremendous amount of information. You can create an account and order online or you can submit an order through the mail. Create an account and browse the records available at the National Archives.
If you are interested in finding Alien Case Files go to the National Archives Catalog and search for the case you are looking for then follow the instructions on how to request the record.
I am ordering an Alien Case file for a client today. It should include:
- Alien Registration number
- Last Name
- First Name
- Alias
- Date of Birth
- Sex
- Date of Entry
- Country of Birth
- Father’s Name
- Mother’s Name
- Naturalization Date
- Naturalization Court
- Naturalization Location
More information on A-Files.
Research Dead-End Tips
Today I spent a great amount of time working on a family tree. There were several dead-ends. 
When I get to a dead-end (when I can’t seem to find the parents of an individual) I expand my focus. The way to break through and continue building your tree involves branching out. Go back to the information you have. Return to the census images and look at the names. Look for brothers, sister, neighbors etc. Often times, if you begin researching the line through another relative, you can break through. When I could not find the parent of a direct ancestor I looked for the parent of my ancestor’s sibling. The person I was researching today was listed in one census as the “brother-in-law” as the relation to the head of the household. This clearly gave me the name of my individual’s sister and her age/birth information. I added her to the tree and then began looking for her parents….Bingo!