One of the presentations I gave while at the Allen County Public Library was on problem-solving and real examples from my research were used. In compiling the presentation, I summarized the problem and then as a group we listed:
- assumptions
- records that might be helpful
- what to try first
The very process of writing my problem and thinking about the assumptions gave me at least one new idea on each problem. Try it for something you’ve been stuck on for a while.
One response
I have been looking for information on my grandmother, Ruth Westerfield Ward for close to 2 decades! My father and his siblings have all passed away so we only have scant information that has been passed down. She was born in Yonkers, NY June 21, 1891. She married my grandfather, David L Ward (fromTennessee) in Knoxville, TN in 1912. According to one of my uncles, his parents divorced, his mother remarried and she died in March 1944 in Bayonne, NJ. Their first 3 sons were all born in Yonkers, NY. I found the family in the 1920 US Census living in Yonkers. By the 1930 US Census, all 5 of their children were in orphanages! The 3 youngest were in Tennessee and my father and his oldest brother were in the Buffalo, NY area. I can only assume it is true that David and Ruth divorced because I haven’t found a record of it. So I figured I would NEVER find information about her if she remarried and no one knew her second husband’s last name. THEN I got so very excited when the Social Security Applications were made available and I found her!!! I just put in her first name and her parents’ names and the name Ruth Bernardez came up. My excitement quickly turned to frustration as I could not find one further piece of evidence about her with that last name. Matter of fact, there are very few Bernardez records about anyone!! Now what? What are your suggestions for where I go from here? I actually considered the fact that she may not have wanted to be found and lied about her name. So many years of frustration! Help…..anyone? Nancy R