EIGHT - Too MUCH information and NOT enough information, sort thru the BS

"NEW" MOM photo from CUSTODY COURT files 1966?

ORGANIZATION only goes so far, I need HELP!

It's a challenge to SEARCH, read, save, and also "think outside the box". It's been Hours, days, weeks and now Months which have not provided any Real clues about my mother. My New FACEBOOK friend LOU has been my motivator, always saying "Don't give up" I guess all the years she taught Genealogy, she used that mantra on her students. Still, I was NOT getting anywhere and I think even Lou was feeling a bit frustrated because we were Not finding any new direction. 

I even read about and set up a"MIRROR" Family Tree on Ancestry.ca ~ the theory is IF you have a close DNA match, and you "think" some of their Family Tree members Could be your mutual family, you ADD them to your tree. You will get HINTS from Ancestry, which COULD lead to information you don't know exists. You wouldn't even Know what questions to ask. It HAS been helpful, but still nothing concrete - NOW WHAT?

The COURT files on the1965 - 1969 CUSTODY battle between my parents brought new information, but Lou and I weren't able to formulate any new leads....and then it Happened...Lou posted some questions on a Facebook KENTUCKY U.S.A. Search site. One person who kept replying to her posts was "TOM". He had a few ideas and after helping us for awhile, wanted to join our search!!!! BONUS!!!!

NEW BLOOD Transfusion

TOM brings a new element to the search, he is Great with "sounds like" names. If his search showes him RITA, he can read about FREDA and tell it's the same person, HOLY CRAP! TOM is also a pro at searching for anyone or anything to do with the military. TOM lives in Kentucky and has a good feel for the area and knows the special places to look. I use GRAVE SEARCH, well Not Tom...he searches the Burial plots in the area and has found graves for some of my mom's siblings who died veri young. These were Not listed on any of the standards Grave search sites!

The BIGGEST find that our pal Tom found....he searched the Kentucky Illinois "Births" He matched up my MIRROR matches to actual Birth and death announcements. Tom also found information on WWI Private "ROY JENNINGS", who it appears died when his Fishing skiff overturned in the OHIO River in 1932 ~ it was a AH HA moment! Mt mother said her mom died during child birth and her father died a few weeks before her birth on May 9 1032.  Things were pointing to this "might" be my grandfather...this was the shot in the arm I was hoping for!

Another BIT of help from a FACEBOOK Ancestry search site

I was fortunate to also have another young man STEVE from a Facebook Ancestry site, put his touch on the "Search for Lenora Jennings"  I have NO idea how he found the newspaper article about my Grandfathers drowning death in 1932. To see the Newspaper clip detailing how the storm had over turned his skiff, how a stranger towed the body back to shore for Identification and burial....AMAZING! Even a few of my DNA matches provided names, and when we checked them out, they turned into Leads. There is NO way I could have discovered the things I have so far, without the help I have recieved. My brain could Never have thought of all the quirks that the others were able to connect. I am amazed that Anyone is able to trace their Heritage!