One Strategy You and I Overlook

A story to begin-

"I have searched everywhere for this ancestor and can't even get a hint of who he/she is! None of my past strategies have worked; I am starting to think they never existed!"

I feel your pain- I've been through this scenario far more than I'd like to admit but I have hope for you. My strategy for you is to alter the spelling of the last name.

Tips on how to change the spelling to increase the chances of finding them-

• Examine their FamilySearch Profile- their profile on FamilySearch may provide multiple insights.
• Research the history of the name- yes, pull up google and type in the last name your looking for and add "name" or "history of _" to it. Ex: "Parker name"

Changing the spelling of a last name is very helpful for the following reasons- 

• The ancestor could have changed the spelling (who knows why?)
• If they immigrated, the immigration officer may have spelled it differently accidentally.