Sometimes the only way to genealogical success is to get beyond your ancestor and to research her siblings. That may be enough to answer your question. Once in a while going further is necessary. I’ve been working on a family where the biggest leads to my ancestor were contained in the War of 1812 of his brother’s father-in-law.
It’s not always necessary to completely research people that far afield.
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” his brother’s father”? Wouldn’t that be his father, too? or a step father? In which case it would be his step brother’s father.
You are right. I meant “father-in-law” and have changed it. Thanks for catching it.
VERY, VERY, VERY, true! I’ve broken through several brick walls this way. I could not determine my 5th great grandmother’s parents. Then I met a distant cousin who’s father was in that line. By tracing her father, I got back to the common ancestor and was able to go forward from there to connect to my 5th great grandmother. Just this week, I found an obituary for another brick wall person, who was very well documented going forward, but I had conflicting information on his parents between his death certificate and a birth record (which only listed his father). The obituary listed a surviving sister! Now I’m researching her, found her death certificate, and it corroborates the father and gives the name of the mother. I’m off and running!