Well, next weekend is the big trip! It will be the first time I have traveled to Indiana to do on-site research on the Johnson family. As I dust off my old binders and review what I had done on this family, I realize just how many years it has been since I've worked on this line. When I first started learning how to research my family tree, it was the Johnsons that I started learning with. I was very proud of my efforts but I realize that I've got to take some of my own advice to heart and look at this line with a fresh perspective. None of the research I did was done on the internet but there is a lot more available now than there was 15 years ago. Plus, the software I am using today is not the same program I used then and as I look for my own sources and notes, I'm amazed at how much is not in there. Also, if I am traving 250 miles I want to look for not just the Johnsons but the other lines in that area as well. I do not want to be so narrowly focused that I ignore all the other surnames in my line that could be in the same cemeteries or record books.
There was a book published back at the same time as I was working on these families and I have pulled it out to review again as well. Her information on my line is different than what I have in terms of number of marriages and the wives names so I want to review what sources were used by the author and what sources I have to see which is correct. It is also funny to see on my six-generation chart that the families intermarried a lot and my great-grandfather married two of his cousins. No matter how many years I do this, it never gets old!
Until next time,
Danita
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