You can do hard things! -- Episode #1

An experience from over a year ago keeps coming back to my mind. It involved a second-great-grandmother who seemed determined to keep her parentage a secret. And being somewhat lazy, I had conveniently convinced myself I'd never be able to battle through that brick wall of finding a female with a very common surname. After all, I'd already spent multiple decades trying to deal with a related brick wall which didn't seem to be yielding a single bit of mortar, much less a brick!

The enigma was Elizabeth GRAY who had married William SCOTT, son of the major brick wall occupant. According to the census records, Elizabeth was born in Ohio. A family Bible gave her precise birth date as 4 March 1812. But there was more than one GRAY family in Ohio that early—even more than one in Belmont County where the family later lived. Yes, I had stared at that very short branch of my pedigree chart for many years with nary an impetus to tackle her.

However, in the middle the year 2016 in the middle of the night in the middle of a cross-country trip in the middle of the unlikely town of Topeka, Kansas, Elizabeth threw down the gauntlet. And I picked it up. I had the distinct impression that it was time to find Elizabeth's family! And I knew that, although it wouldn't be easy, it would be doable.

So what made the difference? Probably the most important element was that I had taken the opportunity to immerse myself in a learning environment. May I pause to doff my hat to all those who contribute to genealogy education, especially my friend Holly T. Hansen. She has devoted her time, her resources, and a goodly number of sleepless nights to teaching people how to research their family history. She is surrounded by an equally devoted team. Over the past two years, they have produced an impressive number of learning tools which everyone would be wise to investigate. (Visit her website, familyhistoryexpos.com, and take a look around.)

As a minor part of Holly's team, I proofread and edit her published materials. In the process, a lot of information has streamed through my mind. Some of it stuck. Some of it took two or three times through to really stick, which is why repetition is such a valuable teacher and so easily available through Family History Expos. Nevertheless, the result was that my research arsenal had expanded over the years I have worked with Holly.

Figuring that there was no time like the present, I carried my laptop into the bathroom, closed the door, and began the search. 

Several years before, I had stumbled across a clue while researching the unusual name of Canby (sometimes Camby) MOORE. My third-great-grandfather David SCOTT, Sr., had sold Camby a couple of acres in Belmont County, Ohio. Having learned to explore any and every connection to my family, I started off down Camby's rabbit hole. Imagine my delight when I learned that he had married a Jane GRAY . . . in Belmont County! That seemed more than fortuitous. That seemed miraculous!!! 

At that time, my toolkit didn't contain the necessary expertise to pursue the lead any further. However, on that obscure July night in that obscure motel bathroom, I pulled out the first tool. I Googled Camby MOORE and Jane GRAY. Someone had posted another clue: Jane GRAY's parents were John GRAY and Jane HARPER. 

We were launched!!!

Join us next week for Episode #2.