Why you ask Back Door Ancestry?

After decades of researching genealogies for family, friends, and myself, I have discovered that the direct method does't always work.  

Ever get stuck with a mountain or brick wall in front of you to large to get around or over?  That person you are looking for is just invisible?  Well sometimes the best method is the 'Back Door', try tracking down everything you can on the children and the siblings (I mean everything)  You never know where you will find them living or buried.  

Example:
I had been looking for my Great Grandfather William Mathias Fredrick Holt's 2nd wife Nevada 'Vada' Johnson and her children with her first husband WMF to finish his family. 

I had Vada's parents and children's names nut nothing much on them.  Great Grandfather 'WMF' & 'Vada' seemed to have a strained marriage he divorced her 2 times but they remained together remarrying.  I seriously wondered if he disposed of 'Vada' under the new dam, lake or river in Stone County Missouri, she just vanished.  Even though I never gave up looking.

I stumbled upon a tree for my Grandmother's half brother William Bert 'Boy' Holt found a great picture of him and a prayer card for Vada Stroud.  They didn't know much about her just the Holt children and the name Stroud.  

No husbands first name but 2 censuses in Arkansas: 1st with Vada Dwight and 2nd Vada Stroud a widow and Bert's sister Pansy Marie Holt Fair living with her, gave me a time frame to narrow down the search.   

Next came a marriage of Vada Dwight to I L Stroud in Arkansas. Then to confirm the information on the 2  as being the correct person, I looked for a Holt marriage to Dwight. I found her marriage to Ward Dwight.  

Now one child to find and all children are complete except: Evaline Holt b 1903 Stone County Missouri.

Moral:  Never give up looking, just be sure to open the 'Back Door' you never know what will come out; and think creatively!