Southern States Problem Solving

Hi Everyone,

The description box only allows a limited space to describe the group, so I will expand on that here. My vision when I formed this group was for it to be a place for members to discuss Southern research and help others actually solve their Southern research problems. There are lots of places on both Genealogy Wise and elsewhere where people can post "looking for the XYZ family in ....." I would hope this goes beyond that. We all know some of the problems encountered with southern research, and that it may take thinking outside the box to find a solution. Often a case must be made from a variety of records to "prove" a relationship. I would expect research in "burned" counties and African-American research to become popular topics.

What I hope this will become is a place where members can both break down their brick walls, and learn techniques and methodologies from other members that they can apply to their own research. In looking at the member profiles, I see a span from beginner to professional, but think we all have something we can contribute. At present, I would think there might be two main types of posts:

1. A post of a specific problem, including names, dates, and locations, and most important, what you have already tried (specific records or research methods) that have not solved your problem. The more specific the information is that is provided of the problem, the more specific the member's suggestions may be of other records to search or methodologies to try.

2. A post of how you broke down a Southern brick wall using research "outside the norm." Other members may be able to take ideas from your example that they can use the same records or similar methods for their problems.

This is your group. If you have suggestions on ways to make it better for everyone, please suggest them.

Rick Saunders