A 21-Point Genealogy Search Checklist
You know your ancestor existed.
You have a name, an approximate date, perhaps a location—and yet every genealogy search seems to produce the same frustrating result:
No results found.
Don’t assume the record does not exist.
Names were misspelled. Ages were wrong. Boundaries changed. Records were never indexed. Handwriting was misread. Families used nicknames. Some records remain hidden inside image collections, archives, churches, courthouses, newspapers, and historical volumes.
Before declaring a genealogy brick wall, work through this 21-point checklist.
1. Remove Exact Dates
Exact dates can accidentally eliminate the correct record.
If you believe your ancestor was born in 1842, try:
1840–1844
Then expand farther if necessary.
A census age may be wrong. A gravestone may contain an error. A family tree may have copied an incorrect date for decades.
Treat approximate dates as approximate.
2. Widen the Date Range
If a narrow search produces nothing, expand it.
Try five years.
Then ten.
Consider whether the event itself may have occurred earlier or later than expected.
Do not let one unverified date control your entire investigation.
3. Try Alternative Surname Spellings
Write down every plausible version of the surname.
For example:
Gibbs
Gibb
Gibbes
Gipps
Then search each variation.
Look at historical records you already possess and note how different clerks spelled the family’s name.
4. Search Abbreviations and Nicknames
Given names are just as troublesome.
William might appear as:
Will
Wm.
Bill
Elizabeth might appear as:
Eliza
Lizzie
Betsy
Margaret could become:
Maggie
Peggy
Margt.
Search the name your ancestor might actually have used.
5. Use Wildcards
Where supported, wildcards can capture multiple spelling variations.
An asterisk often represents several characters.
A question mark often represents one character.
The exact syntax varies by genealogy website, so check its search instructions.
Wildcards are particularly useful when you can read only part of a badly handwritten surname.
6. Search Without the Surname
Sometimes the surname itself is preventing you from finding the record.
Try searching using:
- Given name
- Approximate age
- Birthplace
- Residence
- Spouse
- Children
If Thomas Gibbs was indexed as Thomas Gills, the surrounding information may still identify him.
7. Search the Spouse
If you cannot find John, search Mary.
Spouses often appear together in:
- Censuses
- Directories
- Land records
- Probate
- Newspapers
- Passenger lists
- Church records
One correctly indexed family member can reveal an incorrectly indexed ancestor.
8. Search Children and Siblings
Children can be excellent search anchors.
Look especially for relatives with unusual names.
Also investigate siblings.
A sibling’s:
- Marriage
- Obituary
- Will
- Census entry
- Immigration record
may contain information about your target ancestor.
9. Search Neighbours and Associates
Research the FAN Club:
Friends, Associates and Neighbours.
Search:
- Census neighbours
- Marriage witnesses
- Godparents
- Executors
- Land neighbours
- Business partners
- Fellow immigrants
Your ancestor’s community may reveal where they came from or where they went.
10. Identify the Correct Historical Jurisdiction
Modern boundaries can mislead genealogists.
Determine the jurisdiction that existed when the record was created.
Check:
- Parish
- Township
- County
- District
- Province/state
- Diocese
- Court jurisdiction
The record may be filed under a historical county or district you were not searching.
11. Search an Individual Record Collection
Stop using the website’s global search.
Find the specific collection you need.
Then determine:
- Years covered
- Locations covered
- Known gaps
- Whether images exist
- Whether all records are indexed
Targeted collection searching can reveal results buried by global-search algorithms.
12. Try Full-Text Searching
Full-text search can expose names inside records that were never conventionally indexed.
Search:
- Surname
- Place
- Occupation
- Property
- Associated surname
- Witness
- Employer
This is particularly useful for deeds, probate, court material, newspapers, and other text-heavy documents.
13. Browse Image-Only Collections
A collection may be online even though your ancestor’s name is not searchable.
Browse the digitized images manually.
Look for internal indexes and organizational clues before beginning.
Jump strategically by date, parish, township, page, or record number.
14. Search the FamilySearch Catalog
Search by place, not merely by name.
Investigate what records exist for your ancestor’s location.
You may discover:
- Church registers
- Probate
- Land records
- Cemeteries
- Local histories
- Court material
- Tax records
- Maps
The catalog can expose resources that ordinary ancestor searches overlook.
15. Search National and Regional Archives
Move beyond commercial genealogy databases.
Check:
- National archives
- Provincial/state archives
- County archives
- Municipal archives
- Libraries
- Historical societies
- University collections
For Canadian research, investigate Library and Archives Canada and the relevant provincial archive.
For British research, investigate the appropriate national and county repositories.
16. Investigate Church Records
Before widespread civil registration, churches frequently recorded life’s major events.
Look for:
- Baptisms
- Marriages
- Burials
- Membership
- Confirmations
- Communion records
- Vestry minutes
If your ancestor is absent from one denomination, investigate alternatives.
Religious affiliation sometimes changed over time.
17. Investigate Land and Probate Records
Land and probate records are often underused.
Land records can identify:
- Residence
- Occupation
- Spouse
- Neighbours
- Previous residence
- Relationships
Probate records can identify:
- Spouse
- Children
- Siblings
- Grandchildren
- Executors
- Witnesses
- Property
A will can sometimes reconstruct an entire family.
18. Search Newspapers Creatively
Do not search only the full name.
Try:
- Surname
- Initial + surname
- Spouse
- Child
- Address
- Farm
- Business
- Occupation
- Township
- Organization
Your ancestor might appear in another person’s obituary, wedding announcement, court case, land advertisement, or community column.
19. Examine the Original Document
Never assume the index contains everything.
Open the image.
Read the entire document.
Look for:
- Parents
- Witnesses
- Addresses
- Occupations
- Relationships
- Marginal notes
- Record numbers
Also inspect nearby entries.
Family members were sometimes recorded together.
20. Record Unsuccessful Searches
Negative searches matter.
Record:
- What you searched
- Where you searched
- Date range
- Search terms
- Images examined
- Result
Instead of:
“No Gibbs baptism found.”
record:
East Grinstead baptism register, 1804–1808, manually examined; no matching Thomas Gibbs baptism located.
Now you know exactly what has been ruled out—and what has not.
21. Verify Automated and AI Transcriptions
AI and handwriting-recognition systems are increasingly useful genealogy tools.
But they make mistakes.
When an automated transcription finds a promising record:
Open the original image.
Compare the transcription against the handwriting.
Then evaluate the information alongside other sources.
Use AI to help find evidence.
Do not allow AI to become the evidence.
Your 21-Point Quick Checklist
When an ancestor refuses to appear, work through these before declaring a brick wall:
- 1. Remove exact dates.
- 2. Widen the date range.
- 3. Try alternative surname spellings.
- 4. Search abbreviations and nicknames.
- 5. Use wildcards.
- 6. Search without the surname.
- 7. Search the spouse.
- 8. Search children and siblings.
- 9. Search neighbours and associates.
- 10. Identify the correct historical jurisdiction.
- 11. Search an individual record collection.
- 12. Try full-text searching.
- 13. Browse image-only collections.
- 14. Search the FamilySearch Catalog.
- 15. Search national and regional archives.
- 16. Investigate church records.
- 17. Investigate land and probate records.
- 18. Search newspapers creatively.
- 19. Examine the original document.
- 20. Record unsuccessful searches.
- 21. Verify automated and AI transcriptions.
Before You Call It a Brick Wall
A genealogy brick wall should not mean:
“I searched Ancestry and couldn’t find anything.”
It should mean that you have systematically investigated the available evidence and still have an unresolved question.
That is a much higher standard.
When a search fails, change something.
Change the spelling.
Change the date.
Change the person.
Change the record collection.
Change the location.
Change the repository.
Or change the question.
Your ancestor lived a life that interacted with families, churches, governments, landowners, employers, courts, neighbours, and communities.
Those interactions created records.
Your job is to determine where those records went.
Before declaring your ancestor impossible to find, work through the checklist.
The clue you need may be sitting just beyond the search you have already tried.
This article accompanies the ‘14 Genealogy Search Strategies for Finding Hidden and Unindexed Records’ blog post.
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