Abandoning genealogy research seems at best a little counter-intuitive, at worst downright crazy. But giving yourself some distance from a frustrating brick wall line can help you to knock it down.
So here’s the situation. It’s 2am. You have been going round in circles all night with a tricky ancestral line. You’ve tried every source you can think of. You are now randomly googling every variation of the ancestor’s surname you can think of, and you’re getting nowhere. You are at an impasse and your eyes are dropping out of your head. Is this productive? Chances are, you’re not going to find this ancestor tonight, and if you find a clue, you’re now so tired and so close to the problem that you risk missing it. So it really is time to call it quits and go to bed.
Extrapolate this situation to one lasting for several weeks, months or even years. Some of our ancestors really do test the limits of our research skills with their ability to hide from all who wish to document their existence!
What to do when the ancestors aren’t cooperating
My advice – abandoning genealogy research for a while can be extremely effective. Even if it’s just that one pesky family line.
Science backs this up. There appear to be multiple reasons why a distraction, even a short one, can help with problem-solving. The brain unconsciously continues to work on the problem in the background. Having a quiet mind helps connections to be made, but the effects of even brief distractions can be remarkable. The problems appear to be restructured during the process, allowing for new solutions to present themselves as fresh insight. AHA!!!
This wonderful ‘Eureka’ moment has happened to me several times since I took up genealogy. I’ll tuck away my notes on a branch, go pursue another one and suddenly one day I will see the answer clearly. Occasionally, when I’ve had a few resistant lines at once, I’ve taken a complete break from genealogy for a couple of weeks. It’s worked wonders.
But the thought of doing this makes me twitchy…
Don’t worry, it’s quite safe to do this. The great thing about genealogy is that your ancestors aren’t going anywhere. They’ll still be there when you get back. There will be no missed opportunities.
So try it today. Close your notebooks on the mysterious great-great-grandmother Vaughan (yes, I’m talking about YOU, Nora!). Walk away. Go do some work on the Morris family instead. Or watch a movie. See what crops up when you abandon genealogy research.
