Merriam Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (10th ed.) defines a dead end as, “1. an end (as of a street) without an exit,” or “2: a position, situation, or course of action that leads to nothing further.”

Dead ends are frustrating. (Yes, I am Queen of Stating the Obvious.) But, if we accept the given definition of a dead end as “leading to nothing further” or “without an exit,” we may be tempted to just shelve our family history project and find something else to do.

When I actually get time to sit down and do some work on my family history, for some perverse reason I am typically drawn to those dead ends. It's almost like they are taunting me--challenging me to find them. And when I do manage to find a way past a dead end--well, let's just say that this is the stuff obsessions are made of. (Yes, I know there is therapy for people like me, but rather than “obsessive traits,” I like to think of them as “persevering qualities.”)

Today I thought we'd take a look at some ways we may be able to deal with these so-called “dead ends.”

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