What's Your Biggest Genealogy Frustration? You're Not Alone.

Common Genealogy Frustrations: Brick Walls, Missing Records, and More

Genealogy is one of the most rewarding hobbies and professions, but it often comes with its fair share of challenges. Yesterday, I posed a question on Facebook to our genealogy community:​
"What’s your biggest genealogy frustration?"
🧱 Brick walls?
❓ Missing records?
📑 Bad handwriting?
⏳ Not enough time?

​The answers started pouring in—and the response was immediate and passionate. Clearly, genealogy frustrations are something many of us share, no matter how experienced we are. Here’s a glimpse into what respondents had to say:

• Brick walls and missing records
• Language barriers causing brick walls
• Missing records
• Wandering without progress when parental information is missing
• Not enough time
• Incorrect information being repeatedly added to public trees
• Feeling overwhelmed as a beginner
• "All of the above!"
• Ancestors who "lived their lives without thinking about how I was supposed to find them 200 years later"
• Feeling like they’ve gone as far as possible for now​

​​While everyone's situation is unique, the common themes were strikingly familiar. Brick walls, missing documents, bad handwriting, and simply not having enough time to dig deeper were consistent threads running through the responses.

Brick Walls: The Universal Genealogy Challenge

It's no surprise that "brick walls" topped the list. A "brick wall" in genealogy is that point where research comes to a sudden halt. You may have built a strong foundation tracing back several generations—only to hit a mysterious ancestor who seemingly appears out of nowhere or disappears without a trace.
Brick walls can be caused by many factors:

• Missing or destroyed records
• Name changes or misspellings
• Migrations across regions or countries
• Language barriers or unfamiliar scripts
• Misinterpretations of documents​ ​

​The emotional impact can be significant. After pouring hours, months, or even years into a project, facing a brick wall can feel like an enormous setback. But as many genealogists know, brick walls are often temporary—they challenge us to develop new skills, look in unexpected places, and rethink our assumptions.

Missing Records: When the Paper Trail Ends

Missing records were another major source of frustration shared by participants. Whether it’s a destroyed courthouse archive, a church register lost in a fire, or simply a document that was never created in the first place, missing records leave maddening gaps in family histories.
Strategies to overcome missing records include:

• Seeking alternative records (tax rolls, land deeds, probate files)
• Using collateral & cluster research (studying neighbors, siblings, and associates)
• Broadening geographic areas of search
• Turning to DNA for evidence when the paper trail ends​ ​

​Missing records test our creativity as researchers. They also remind us that historical record-keeping was never perfect—and that our ancestors' lives were not always neatly documented.

Bad Handwriting: Deciphering the Past

Bad handwriting may not seem like a major obstacle at first glance, but any genealogist who has stared at an old census form or a crumbling parish register knows just how real this frustration can be.
Challenges include:

• Difficult penmanship styles from past centuries
• Fading ink or damaged paper
• Regional spelling variations and shorthand
• Clerical errors and transcription mistakes

​Learning to recognize common letterforms, studying old handwriting guides, and collaborating with others can make a huge difference. But sometimes, it simply takes a great deal of patience—and multiple re-reads—to make sense of the words left behind.

Not Enough Time: The Modern Genealogist's Dilemma

In today's busy world, "not enough time" was another frustration that resonated strongly with respondents. Many people are passionate about genealogy but struggle to carve out uninterrupted hours for research.
Common time-related challenges include:

• Balancing genealogy with work, family, and other obligations
• The overwhelming size of "to-do" lists in ongoing projects
• Having so many leads to follow that it feels impossible to prioritize

​For those struggling with time, small strategies can help:

• Setting aside regular “genealogy time” each week, even if it's just 30 minutes
• Focusing on one small, achievable goal at a time
• Keeping research logs to pick up quickly where you left off
• Celebrating small wins along the way

​Genealogy is a marathon, not a sprint. It's perfectly okay to pace yourself and enjoy the journey, even if you only move forward one small step at a time.

Conclusion: We're All in This Together

Reading through the poll responses was a powerful reminder: you are not alone in your genealogy frustrations. Whether it’s feeling stuck behind a brick wall, scouring for missing records, deciphering near-illegible handwriting, or simply wishing for more hours in the day, every genealogist faces challenges at some point.

But frustration is often a sign of progress. It means you’ve gotten far enough to encounter the hard parts—and with perseverance, creativity, and sometimes a little help from the genealogy community, you can push through.
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If you’re facing your own genealogy frustrations right now, take heart. Every genealogist has been there—and every breakthrough starts with refusing to give up.

Looking for More Genealogy Tips and Resources?

Find more genealogy tips and resources under the Genealogy Quick Tips, Genealogy Research Tips,  Genealogy Brick Wall Research, The Best of Genealogy, and Genealogy Resources catgories.