We are excited to hear about a brick wall breakthrough and success story from one of our own members!
Lake County Genealogical Society member Lou Lentine thought he had a brick wall. He shared his frustration in researching his father-in-law with the Lake County Genealogical Society’s special interest group (SIG). Armed with oral history it would take more than Lou’s eyes to see that his brick wall had a crack. Lou’s ancestor talked about his days playing for the New York Celtics but left gaps. With the help of the eyes of Deborah Abbott, together they bulldozed the brick wall and learned more. The methods used in this research can help you work through your brick walls as well. Come with us and follow the journey confirming the oral history of Lou’s ancestor, Frank Piunno.
Deborah A. Abbott, Ph.D. is a professional genealogist, specializing in African American research, manuscript collections and genealogy methodology. A Cleveland native, she presents lectures and workshops at a variety of national, state, and local genealogy conferences across the country, as well as colleges, businesses & libraries. She has had articles published in both the Ohio Genealogy News and Family TreeMagazines. Dr. Abbott can be seen teaching African American research entitled “Needles & Threads” on Ancestry Academy, an educational website video course for Ancestry.com. She teaches monthly classes entitled “Using Ancestry.com in Genealogy Research”at the Lakewood (Ohio) Public Library and coordinates the “Genealogy and Family History Clinic” for the Cleveland Public Library.
