Road Trip Coming Up!

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

Genealogy Road Trip - Part 2

So, I'm planning my road trip to Gibson County, IN and need to think about what places I want to visit while I am there.

One of the places is definitely going to be the local cemetery.  My great-grandparents are buried in the Owensville IOOF Cemetery.  My great-great-grandparents are buried in Maumee Cemetery.  Since I had done this research many years ago, before I was interested in the cemeteries, I hadn't recorded where other family members are buried so I'll want to update that information before I go.  Also, because I am a big fan of http://findagrave.com/, I will look to see if there are any "requests" for photos from those cemeteries and take that information along as well. 

Another place I like to visit is the local library or genealogical society.  Some years back when I was just starting out with my research, I wondered what had happened to my great-aunt's research as a lot of it was missing.  Imagine my surprise to find it all in the library's genealogical section!  I had to pay 10 cents a page to copy it but I gladly did! 

When I go to visit places like that, I don't take time to read everything I'm copying but just copy as much as I can if I'm convinced it's relevant and then sort it out when I get home.  A weekend trip doesn't leave you with a lot of time and you want to accomplish as much as possible.

I have also been very fortunate to be able to determine from old letters, postcards, obituaries, land records, etc. some of the addresses of where my ancestors lived so I can take photos if the house is still standing.  I always ask permission of the current residents, of course. 

If time permits, I walk around downtown and try to see the town as my ancestors may have.  With some places, that is very possible.  In others, not so much.  A trip to Manchester, Iowa, for example, is totally different than a trip to Cincinnati.  When I went to the courthouse in Manchester, I was blown away to see my ancestor's names on a huge list on the wall of citizens who helped pay for the bell tower! 

I also pack my "genealogy backpack" with special items:  a water bottle, small, soft whisk broom, scissors, and paper and pencil - all items that can help read old headstones.  A long time ago, I carried a camera with both color and black and while film because you sometimes got better results with the black and white film when trying to make out really faded headstones.  Nowdays, it is very easy to use my photo software to make them brighter, darker, larger, even a negative, in order to make out the letters. 

When my children were small, even before they started school, I would let them help me find headstones by explaining what letters I was looking for.  My daughter was able to find "ROBB"s while I looked for "BEHYMER"s.  Little legs don't get as tired as fast, either, and as long as I could see her and we were in a place where I wasn't worried about snakes and such, the kids were a huge help.  They still are (even though my son would LIKE to find the snakes now)!

The important thing to remember is that if you are going someplace you may never visit again, try and think of everything you'll want to get, make a detailed list before you ever leave the house, and find out where those places are.

I'll write more about my road trip once I've actually taken it and let you know how it turned out!