THE BRICK WALL
PROTOCOLGENEALOGY · BEYOND THE SEARCH BOX
A FREE RESEARCH PLANNER

Where should I
look next?

A missing parent. An elusive marriage. A family that seems to disappear. Turn one question into three practical next steps. Open your saved plans and search log ↓

Start with what you know.

Ohio, Indiana, Kentucky, Illinois and all 83 Michigan counties. No names, account or family documents needed. Optional saved plans and search notes stay in this browser; export a backup to keep another copy. Links from guides and boundary explorers retain their place and date context when reloaded.

Check the historical jurisdiction first.

Collection matches use your selected modern-day county. Historical county changes are not applied automatically. A modern county may include land formerly in more than one jurisdiction.

Check the boundary explorer →

The link uses your starting year (January 1), or the exact date passed from the explorer when the year is unchanged. Check later boundary changes within a year or date range too.

Optional. For parents, use the person's approximate birth year. For a move, use a year within the gap. Historical county boundaries may differ.

Leave blank to match one year. Results include selected collections whose listed dates overlap your years, with gaps preserved.

Which sources have you already checked?

Select the record groups you have examined, even if you found nothing. We will suggest other routes first.

ONE QUESTION. THREE NEXT STEPS.

Follow the record.

  1. Pin down the place and period.
    A county name today may not match the office that created the record.
  2. Change the source.
    Try a different record group when a name search stalls.
  3. Keep the evidence.
    Record the collection, coverage and result, including a search that found nothing.

How this planner makes suggestions

This is a rule-based starting tool, not a search of historical records or an AI-generated family conclusion. It prioritizes record groups you have not checked. The starting year changes census advice and adds period cautions. For Ohio, Indiana, Kentucky, Illinois and all 83 Michigan counties, your year or inclusive year range is compared with the individual intervals in our selected timelines and collection descriptions. Michigan date coverage includes selected collections only; some guide stops have no verified year intervals yet. Matches are date overlaps, not a ranking of relevance to your question. It does not establish whether a named person appears in a collection, whether a record survives, or who holds it today.

Confirm surviving dates, access restrictions, fees and the current custodian before requesting records. An index entry is a finding aid. A household, shared surname or nearby residence alone does not prove parentage. Community recollections are leads to investigate.

Method sources and review notes

Rules reviewed October 26, 2026. Suggestions are editorial research guidance. Census-specific statements follow the National Archives; local collection references remain in the linked county guides. No claim of complete record coverage.

THE BRICK WALL PROTOCOL ON YOUTUBE

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