Boots on the Ground Researching – Page 4

Making the Most of Your Research Trip Part 1

Originally published on genealogyatheart.blogspot.com on 7 Aug 2016.

I’ve been blogging about my recent genealogical hunt in Pennsylvania. After packing essential research tools and visiting the County Courthouse I was off to the Franklin County Historical Museum. Problem was, due to my rental car delay, I arrived later than I anticipated and with only a half hour until closing, I didn’t want to spend the $5.00 research fee and have to return the following day and pay again. I opted instead to drive about 20 minutes to nearby Waynesboro where the Alexander Hamilton Free Library was open until 7 p.m.

Lucky for me, there was a parking space right in front of the library and I had coins for the meter in my research bag. Whenever I enter a new library I always ask where the genealogy section is housed if there was no map online. The sweet librarian pointed to stairs and told me there were “a few rooms.” More than one, seriously?! I like that! The room at the foot of the stairs was awesome, too:

After climbing the stairs I discovered the Civil War room was to the left and the church/cemetery/county histories and genealogies were to the right. A third, smaller room held file cabinets of clippings and donated genealogy records.

What I found strange was that there was NO staff member or computer to access the holdings upstairs. It was also extremely HOT. If there was air conditioning it wasn’t working. (And I’m from Florida so when I say it was hot, it was really hot!)

I quickly walked through the Civil War room. Although the family I was researching lived in the town during that time and had been affected by the War, the materials were not specific to the area. Several series of volumes were placed on the shelf in mixed up order and my OCD tendencies kicked in – I just wanted to put them in sequence. Time was a wasting so I moved on to the next room.

I would love to tell you that this room was in better shape but it wasn’t:

Messy libraries make me nuts! I decided I would just start at the northwest corner of the room and read the shelves. By reading, I mean I don’t just read the books that have their names on the spine. I pull out books that don’t and sure enough, within minutes I found the following:

It’s hard to see in the pic due to the small size but the book was once owned and signed by Clarence Harbaugh. I was researching the Harbaugh family. Although I wasn’t focused on Clarence I did have him in my tree so I took the book to a nearby table and took a picture with my phone. Now I had Clarence’s signature so I could add it to media in my tree. If I ever extend the project I’m working on then I have a good start for another generation!

I had a list of areas I wanted to check – city directories, town records, historical maps and the cemetery and church records I was told were housed there. I was disappointed to find the oldest City Directory was only from 1905, much too late for my family. The church records were missing the index. It was a derivative and I already had the original from the church emailed to me earlier so no loss for me but sad for anyone else who needed that. Since I couldn’t find a burial location for the father of my Generation 1 individual, I really was hoping to locate a cemetery record from a cemetery that no longer exists. I had been told on the phone twice that the library had the Union Cemetery records but I couldn’t find them. I did find an 1843 tax list and the folks I was researching were listed so that was a happy dance.

I moved on to the file cabinet room but there was nothing on the family I was researching. I still had an hour before closing so I went downstairs and asked the librarian where I could find the Union Cemetery records. She looked on the library holding database but couldn’t find it. There is a volunteer genealogist but he wasn’t available and staff didn’t know his schedule. I decided I’d try again the following day as I had emailed twice and left two voice messages but had never gotten in contact with him. The librarian signed me on to a public computer as a guest since I didn’t have a library card and I happily spent the next hour checking out the remaining newspapers that had been digitized. Due to the fragile nature of the originals I was only able to view the digitized copies. Better than nothing! They aren’t available at Newspapers.com, Chronicling America or Genealogy Bank so it was very important for me to see. I did find two references to the family I was interested in – jury duty and an advertisement for a sale. Very nice finds!

The library was supposed to close at 7 but the computers shut down at 6:45. I was almost done with the newspapers but would have to finish the next day.

Soon after I had eaten dinner and checked into my hotel I checked my laptop to see if my phone’s pictures had synched. I don’t carry the clunky laptop when I research anymore but I do take it with me on extended trips as it’s easier to manipulate the photos on the laptop then my Kindle, especially when my old eyes are tired after a long day researching.

I save the photos of places to a Word document and place a caption under each so I don’t forget why I took the picture. I also save pictures of book pages and place the individual pictures in a created folder. For example, I usually take a picture of 1) the index which I then flag with a stickee, 2) the pages that the index pointed me to and 3) the title page. Using the stickee helps me flip back and forth from index to the page I’m directed to quickly. To create the folder to save the pic, I use last name, first name of the individual found and what was the find. In this case, Weaver.Christin.1843TaxList. In the folder I place the picture of the index, the title and 2 pages where I found info. All of the finds are then slipped into another folder labeled with the repository name and date of visit (This would be HamiltonPublicLibrary.WaynesboroPA.14Jul16.. That way, when I get home and merge the pages together to pdf, I can add to media on my tree and note where and when I found the source. I’m old school and like to cite the location of the find in my notes.

Stay tuned for more hints in Part 2.

Researching at the Courthouse

Originally published on genealogyatheart.blogspot.com on 3 Aug 2016.

Last blog I mentioned two rules I use to make a research trip rewarding – KNOW BEFORE YOU GO and PACK EFFICIENTLY. Just back from researching in several states and in various libraries and archives so I’m going to share what worked for me at the different locations I visited.

My first stop in Pennsylvania was the Chambersburg (Franklin County seat) Courthouse. I had called ahead to verify the times the facility was open and that the old deeds and wills I needed were available. I knew the cost of the copies and how they accepted payment (cash/credit/debit). I knew which building (there’s an old and new courthouse) and what department and the floor I needed to go to. I also asked where I should park. This allowed me to save time and money when I arrived.

I had also previously identified what the deed dates I was interested in finding by using an index on Familysearch.org. I had ordered the film for the actual deeds but when it arrived in June, it didn’t contain them. Sometimes the films are mislabeled and you don’t get what you expect. One of the films did have a deed but it was of such poor quality I couldn’t read most of the page no matter how I tried to play with it. I was hoping for a better copy. I also knew exactly what Will Book and page I needed based on an index I found on Ancestry.com.

Since the area was just north of the Mason-Dixon line I wondered what the family I was researching’s views were during the Civil War when they lived in the area. I had a hunch but hunches are useless without a document to back it up so I also wanted to check out if any voter’s records survived.

So, in this complex of one stop, I had 3 missions – a will, deeds and voter’s records.

My necklace did set off security which was odd since it didn’t at the airport. Next time, no jewelry! When I entered the Recorder’s Office I introduced myself to the clerical worker and ask for directions to secure what I need.

Directed to a computer I was able to pull 5 deeds in 5 minutes. The printer was a little slow so while it was still printing, I asked about finding the will.

This is not the first time I tried to find the will – I’ve been to the site before and I hired a researcher to also try to find it. Again, I was told it was lost. This time, I whipped out my business card and asked to speak with the head of the facility. I explained to this gracious woman why it was so critical that I find this document and asked if I could go into the basement where the originals were stored as I believed that the will had been misfiled. She informed me policy prohibited anyone but employees from going into the basement. I showed her an email I had received from the state archivist that showed, according to their records, the will was located in the basement. I suggested that the box of wills be brought upstairs and I would go through them to make sure that it wasn’t misfiled. She agreed and sent an employee to bring up the box. All 3 of us went through the box and sadly, it was not there.

Had I been allowed in the basement, I would have gone through every box but that wasn’t going to happen as I had pushed it to just have one box brought upstairs. There is still some hope as the missing document was placed on the “missing list” that a county archivist maintains and if it is discovered, I will be contacted.

The deeds also turned out to not be for the person that I was researching but that’s okay, I have additional information on a related line and the one poor copy I had from the Family History Library microfilm was readable and what I needed. Two down, one to go!

It was a short walk from one building to the next (and through security again – this time my jewelry didn’t set off the alarm!) to the voter’s registration office. The clerk told me that by law, only 10 years of records needed to be maintained so none were available for the years I wanted. She suggested that I go to the historical society as she wasn’t sure when the law was passsed and perhaps, they had older records. That was my next stop and just around the corner! Stay tuned…

Research Tips

Originally published on genealogyatheart.blogspot.com on 30 Jul 2016.

I spent the past two weeks researching in several states. Each archive I visited had different policies and procedures but there were commonalities that helped me use my limited time efficiently. On a visit to one of the libraries I had a co-worker tag along and she asked me to share how I found so much so quickly. Since she’s a dear reader, per her request, I’d like to share how I plan my research trips.

KNOW BEFORE YOU GO – Your time is valuable and you don’t want to waste it! The only way to make to the most of your visit is to PLAN AHEAD. How do I do that? As soon as I know I will be arriving in a distant area I identify who is in my tree that lived in the area I’ll visit and what additional information for that individual I’d like to find. I look at the sources I have and focus on what’s missing. I next go to Familysearch.org and do a search for archives I may be interested in visiting to quickly plan the visit.

Here’s an example from my recent trip to Franklin County, Pennsylvania. I click on Familysearch.org and under SEARCH at the top, use the drop down and click WIKI. On the map of the world I click the US, then Pennsylvania, then Franklin County. Up pops wonderful information! I scroll down to the bottom where the repositories are located. I snip to Word (or if you are using a Kindle – copy/paste to Evernote) and in just a minute or two have created a guide of where I need to go. Is the list complete? No, but it’s a wonderful tool to start with. Using the identified places that look promising – Courthouse in Chambersburg (for deeds and wills), Alexander Hamilton Library in Waynesboro (for obit), and the Franklin County Historical Museum (for knowledge of the area’s records in general) I can visit those websites for opening/closing times, admission costs, records that are housed there, and policies in place. I add that info to my Word document. As I’m Googling to find additional information about these places I discover more archives to add by looking at the right hand bottom of the Google search results page under “People Also Searched For.” To make sure I’m not missing any smaller gem that may not receive alot of internet traffic, I also Google “Franklin County Pennsylvania USGenWeb” Voila – scrolling down under Historical & Genealogical Societies and Museums is listed Waynesboro Historical Society. That’s a place I need to add to my Word/Evernote document as I know that the folks I’m searching for lived in that location. Depending on the time I have to spend in the area, I add churches (baptism/marriage/death/parishioner records) and cemeteries (family plot info), too.

In a perfect genealogical world, I would have time to contact the repositories ahead of my visit to make sure that the old deeds are still housed in the courthouse and weren’t moved to the museum but sometimes that’s not possible and I just have to wing it. For this trip, though, I did call ahead or search the website to verify who had what.

I then prioritize what I wanted to find as sometimes life doesn’t work out the way we want. Several years ago I planned a trip around a library in Morristown, New Jersey and guess what?! The day before I arrived they had a gas leak and the library was closed when I got there. I had nothing else identified to visit in the area and the trip was an expensive waste of time. Live and learn!

Once I’ve identified my list of sites to visit I route based on my priorities. On the Franklin trip, my number one priority was to find a will, then the deeds, as I hoped that would lead me to a firm death date and I could then locate the burial site. If they weren’t available my backup was to find an obituary.

Even with planning, sometimes life gets in the way so you have to be flexible. I arrived at Reagan National in DC mid day on a Thursday. I had pre-paid for the rental car thinking I could drive in 1 1/2 hours to the courthouse to get the will and deeds, go next door to the county historical museum to check out their index of county burials and then head to the library (which was open late that evening) to find an obit. Well, it didn’t work out as planned. Arriving early at National I then encountered a long wait at the rental car counter as it was lunch time and there was only 1 employee available who was arguing with the customer ahead of me over company policy. The kiosks were all down due to a computer glitch. I waited and waited and finally another employee came back from lunch. He was new, though, and couldn’t find my reservation even though I had a copy of my confirmation with me. Then he found it but the transaction wouldn’t go through as the credit card I had used to pre-pay had been compromised two weeks earlier and I had a replacement card with another number. He told me my option was to rent a car at the going rate (much higher) and deal with getting a credit on my pre-payment after my trip. Nope! Asked to speak to a manager and none available. Meanwhile, the clock was ticking…. After two calls to corporate customer service I was permitted to update my credit card information and get the rental. Thinking it would be smooth sailing ahead I happily followed the employee’s directions to go to the top floor of the parking garage and find the car in the space he wrote on the paperwork. Except there were no rental cars on the top floor – he should have sent me to the 3rd floor. Took me several minutes to figure out where to go. When I got to the designated space I couldn’t get into the car. I then had to hunt down an employee who told me they rented me the wrong car and I needed to go back downstairs to get it straightened out. When I arrived downstairs there was a long line and seriously, the first employee was still arguing with the customer who had been there when I first arrived. Thankfully, the nice people in line let me take cuts and the new employee again didn’t know what to do. A manager now magically appeared and they found me a different car. Back to the 3rd floor and another wait to get out of the parking lot as there was one employee to check me out. I lost an hour plus that I had expected to use researching. Deep breathing helps!

2. PACK EFFICIENTLY – Below is a pic of what I keep together to make my research trip more efficient:

This is all I take – my Kindle as it contains my tree, my phone so I can take pictures of my finds, a small change purse with quarters for parking meters, locker rental or snacks, a thumb drive to save what I find, identification (those are Library of Congress and NARA library cards but I also put my drivers license credit cards and a few business cards in the change purse), a pencil, red pen, black pen and highlighter, stickees (to flag the index as I’m going back and forth in a text), hand sanitizer and a magnifying glass.

All of this fits into a quart size baggie:

Remarkable how everything fits except the Kindle! Sometimes I take a large rubber band and band the baggie to the Kindle so I don’t drop anything.

This small amount of needed tools helps me move quickly through security and not spend time digging through my purse to find what I need when I’m in the stacks. I also check out quickly as employees can see I haven’t “accidentally” taken something out that I shouldn’t have. This set up is a win-win for everyone!

I actually prefer mechanical pencils to the standard shown above but I was out so I used what I had at home. I’ll get those mechanical ones when the back-to-school sales start this week.

It’s important to know the repositories policy as some do no allow you to take paper, pens, pencils or highlighters in with you. At the National Archives, I had to leave my Kindle case in a locker, too. Again, flexibility is needed.

Next blog, I’ll give you hints for being effective and efficient when you reach your destination. Happy Hunting!

Visiting the New England Historic and Genealogical Society

Originally published on genealogyatheart.blogspot.com on 18 Nov 2015.

Last weekend I had the pleasure of researching at the New England Historic and Genealogical Society in Boston, Massachusetts.

New England Historic & Genealogical Society, Boston, MA Nov 2015

If you’re planning a first visit, here’s some tips I found useful:

The library is SMALL but filled with tremendous resources that you might not find anywhere else. Don’t let the size fool you! Obviously, the holdings are fantastic if you have New England relatives but there is also a sizable collection of Long Island and New Netherlands. My most awesome find was from Indiana, though, so don’t discount other areas!
COST is free if you’re a member (about $90.00 a year) and $20.00 if you aren’t. Click for Info on Joining! I highly recommend being a member for the following reasons : First, if you’re planning on spending a few days, it’s cost effective. Second, as a member you get a lot of perks you wouldn’t get with a day entrance fee – those wonderful journal articles that the society puts out, discounted fee on accessing a genealogist, training opportunities and so on. Third, you’re helping the society keep the materials available to everyone.
BE PREPARED (Yay, Boy and Girl Scouts!) Seriously, know what you’re trying to find before you get there so you don’t waste valuable research time. You can do a search of the card catalog online at http://library.nehgs.org/ . If you haven’t registered, which you can do even if you don’t join the society, it’s easy and if you save the search items, you can email them to yourself so you have it on your phone and tablet when you arrive. It saves results with the FLOOR listed so you know exactly where you need to look. Emailing saves a tree, time and having to juggle more stuff in the stacks! (HINT: Many of their holdings are digitized so you can peruse the text online and focus on books in the library that you can’t view from home.)
To get familiar with the library you can watch their video, which I did, but if you’re short of time you’re fine if you don’t watch it. Scroll all the way down to the bottom of the page for the video. (HINT: Start on the 7^th floor which is reference because those are the books you can’t easily find elsewhere.)
Getting there is simple – I took a cab from Logan Airport because I had my heavy bag that I couldn’t check into the hotel since I arrived too early. It was $23.00 without tip. Another option is to take the subway, called the T, which is super easy to navigate, inexpensive and available right from the airport to Copley Square. It’s a short walk. There are also parking garages close by if you drive which I would recommend against. I learned to drive in Chicago and I drive in New York City but I never ever drive in Boston. Those narrow streets and congestion intimidate me!
Lockers are available but they are very small and my large purse didn’t fit. The website says NO SUITCASES so I packed light, stuffing everything in the bag, thinking I could get away with a purse. I mentioned this to one of the employees and she laughed and said they wouldn’t have minded the suitcase. Oh, well. Since the flights were overbooked and there was no space in the overheads it all worked out anyway. Across from the lockers is a coat rack so I hung my coat (Wicked Boston cold last weekend, it was 89 degrees when I left Florida) and put my bag on the floor in the corner. No one messed with it.
Check the website for hours and days opened, especially with the holidays approaching. I arrived shortly after 10 AM. There were few patrons researching and no one in the stacks so I was able to accomplish a lot in a little time.
When you arrive there is a welcome counter to your left where I was given a map. They will check your membership before permitting you entry. Once you’re checked, you will be directed to the elevator.
I was greeted by a wonderful genealogist on the 7^th floor – she welcomed me, was willing to help me get started and was open to answering any questions I might have. She had a client so another genealogist took over for her. He was very professional, too, and gave me the wireless access. I always bring just my Kindle as I find it’s a light, space saving alternative to a laptop. With access to my online tree I can fact check right in the stacks. The internet was spotty, though.
The stacks are narrow and dark. There is a small counter in the midst so you can put your finds on the counter and snap a picture of the page. You can also use their copy machine or save to a thumb drive but my smart phone’s camera is good with low light so I could happily click away. I like that approach because I tend to look at many volumes and it wastes time to carry them to a copier, wait for the copier to warm up, and you know the rest. Read an interesting article in Family History Daily that recommends the use of other devices. View here for other ideas but I’m good with my phone.
BRING PENCILS – they don’t allow pens. I did print a concise list of the books I wanted to see and wrote my notes, mostly negative findings, on the margin to transfer to my tree notes later. Here’s an example: “No Adams, Cole or Dennis.” To me, that means those are the surnames I checked out but there were no references in the index to them. That way, I know later if there was another surname I overlooked and I’ll not have to recheck the source in another library for what I’ve already checked.
BRING A MAGNIFYING GLASS or have an ap on your phone. I miss my young eyes, I really do!
BRING POST IT NOTES. You can quickly flag pages to take pictures of findings without having to flip back and forth to the index and they’re reusable.
Once I finished with the 7^th floor I moved to the 5^th. No warm and fuzzy welcome there – two young ladies didn’t even look up from the desk when I entered. What’s cool about these stacks is there is a light switch from the aisle you can turn on to get more overhead light. Very useful!
After you’ve checked out your pre-identified books you may have additional time to look over the stacks. That’s how I discovered my most intriguing current genealogical mystery. Hmmm – why would my husband’s grandmother be enrolled in school at age 7 by someone named Frank? Have NO ONE named Frank in that line. It could be Frank’s name is an error or the record is for someone else in the area with the same name as hubby’s grandma (not likely, though, since I’ve been over the census numerous times without finding another with her name and she has an unusual first and middle name!). Immediately texted hubby and asked “Who’s Frank?” He didn’t know so now I’m on a hunt to discover more. The book was a transcript of school enrollment for the late 1800’s in Indiana. Must find the original record to make sure Frank is correct!
Food and directions – ask at the front desk on the first floor. The first person there was a volunteer not from the area but she was so sweet she phoned someone to help me. I ate at a pizza place inside the YWCA but there’s many places to get a quick bite. I only stopped there because I was freezing and it was half way to my hotel so I could eat and warm up for a bit.

S I’ll definitely come back after my portfolio has been submitted and spend time trying to uncover more of our New England ancestors. So much to look at and so little time!

My finding at NEHGS also confirms what professionals emphasize – you have to look high and low to find proof. I can’t explain why I found my husband’s several times great grandfather from New York’s place of burial in Salt Lake City and his Indiana grandmother’s school enrollment in Boston. What’s strange is I looked for the burial records in numerous places in New York and never found them. I never looked for school enrollment records in Indiana so I can’t say that they don’t exist there, I just find it odd to find it in Boston. My point is check as much as you can about everyone everywhere you go. I also find it interesting on Who Do You Think You Are celebrities fly from place to place to trace their families. Lucky for them, their family records are ALWAYS where they lived. Clearly mine are not!

The Scoop on Salt Lake City’s Family History Library – Views of a First Time Researcher

Originally published on genealogyatheart.blogspot.com 26 Apr 2015

Yours truly, Family History Library, Salt Lake City, Utah, March 2015

If you haven’t been bitten by the genealogy bug you don’t understand why anyone would spend a week of their hard earned vacation time in a library far from home researching dead people. My work colleagues gave me polite bemused smiles last month when I shared my exciting news – I was FINALLY going to the Family History Library in Salt Lake City, Utah. Definitely not a dream vacation for any of them but it’s always been my hope to one day research there.

Here’s what I learned from my adventure…

BEFORE YOU LEAVE HOME:

Form a goal – mine was finding clues on how to climb over at least one of my top 10 walls in the four days I would be visiting.
Make a list of the people you want to search – what you know, how you know it, & what you want to know. Then, narrow your list down as you aren’t going to have time to check out every one. I used a small pocket notebook as a backup to my electronic tree. I have my tree saved to a cloud (Dropbox and ancestry.com) so it’s available in case I needed to view saved original records. The notebook enabled me to write down call numbers, page numbers and thoughts and was a backup if the electricity went out. (Ok, I realize that would be highly unlikely but being from Florida where we have the power go out frequently, I was going to find a window and keep working from my paper notes.)
If you haven’t already done so, join FamilySearch – like the library, it’s free. Then, use the online catalog to identify resources you’ll be checking. If you’re not sure how to use the catalog check out this Youtube video. Make sure you remember to print and bring the list you’ve compiled! You’ll be using the catalog as you find new information at the library but this initial search is a great way to identify a starting point. If you see “Vault” on an item request that it be pulled for you so it will be available on the day of your visit – you can do that from home.
View these YouTube videos so you are familiar with the library procedures: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O_umqQmaGvM and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4sAr7NltMaY
You’ll quickly get acclimated to the floor collections: British Isles-Basement 2, International-Basement 1, Surnames and Canada books-1^st floor, US/Canada microfilm-2^nd Floor and US Books and Maps-3^rd floor. Here’s a floor plan of the library: https://familysearch.org/locations/library_floor_plans
Go online to verify the library hours (Typically Monday 8AM-5PM, Tues-Fri. 8AM-9PM, Sat 9 AM-9PM). I saw a sign while there of an upcoming closure so do check ahead of time or you may be in for a disappointing surprise.
Google Earth your hotel and the library (35 North West Temple Street) so you know the route. The blocks are much longer than in my area but it was a pleasant walk as passerbys were very friendly.

WHAT TO BRING:

Kindle Fire/IPad/Tablet if you have one. Don’t go out and buy one if you don’t! I used my Fire to take notes, sign on to the free wifi to check my tree, use Google translator and do quick searches of the catalog while in the stacks or at the microfilm area. Saved time getting up and walking over to a computer.
Digital camera, scanner or your phone with a fully charged battery. I took pics of the book pages and microfilm discoveries. If none of those suggestion work for you, purchase a copy card. I wanted to come home without killing a forest and be able to quickly import what I found to my tree page so the camera worked well for me. I bought an extra sd card but didn’t need it. Make sure you bring the charger to recharge the battery overnight!
Office Supplies I found useful were a pen (there are pencils with no erasers and scrap paper everywhere), stickees to tag book pages that I wanted to photograph, and a highlighter to highlight the microfilm index pages I wrote down so I knew that I checked each page. (I so despise microfilm even though that’s where I seem to find my most amazing discoveries!)
A magnifying glass – seriously! Some of the records are small and difficult to see.
A bag to carry your research goodies. I used my airline carry-on purse but a backpack would also work. My hotel was several blocks away and it rained so the bag and the rain poncho I brought kept my stuff safe and dry.

WHAT TO LEAVE HOME OR IN YOUR HOTEL ROOM:

Laptop – there are plenty of computers to use. I brought mine the first day and it was heavy to lug around as you don’t want to leave it out unattended. I used it in the hotel in the evening to upload my discoveries, record the source citation while they were still fresh in my mind, and plan for the following day’s research but I really didn’t need to bring it at all since I had the tablet.
A thumb drive – always have one on me but didn’t use it.

WHAT OTHERS RECOMMEND THAT I DIDN’T FIND USEFUL:

Change – I used the lockers on the first day only to store the laptop I didn’t need.
Orientation Room– Since I viewed the YouTube videos I didn’t need to spend time there, though I did a quick walk through of the eye appealing displays in the room.
Snacks-I was so consumed by what I was doing I wasn’t hungry. I brought a box of granola bars but never ate them. There is a vending machine area if you do get hungry.
Meals at the Blue Lemon in City Creek Center that everyone raves about because the line was long (there was a conference in town). For a quick bite, eat at JBs, the old fashion restaurant on the corner – a nice salad bar, daily specials and a to die for chocolate chiffon pie to celebrate your finds! I figured I burned a 1000 calories using my brain to research so the calories didn’t count. JBs online reviews weren’t so hot but due to inclement weather, I didn’t want to venture far. Wish I had discovered them on day 1! Also did Johnny Rocket and Jimmy Johns for lunch, Olive Garden, Squatters Pub, and Blue Iguana for dinner. Used the hotel breakfast bar which had a nice selection of different items every morning.

city-creek-center — City Creek Center with real trout in the creek!

I’M HERE, NOW WHAT?

First Day – I admit that I’m a research nerd and I got so excited when I walked in that I announced to the world that my dream had come true. I guess that got me tagged as a Newbie which resulted in the staff asking me throughout the day how things were going. Each morning staff welcomed me back and asked what I’d be working on that day. By my last day I was hugging several volunteers and staff members good-bye as their genuine interest in my research bonded us. I sent a few email thank you’s upon my return home as one genealogist’s neighbor was from my childhood hometown and I had pictures to share. Another volunteer was researching the same surname (Coke) from the same areas (Virginia and New York) and we hit it off.
On each floor is a podium with helpful volunteers. I call them the Greeters. On your first time on each floor they can give you useful tips for their resources. For example, on the 3rd floor on the left wall is a notebook cheat sheet to quickly locate state-county-city books on the shelves. I wouldn’t have found it if the Greeter hadn’t told me about it. After you’re familiar with the floor I found myself going to the podium behind the podium – that’s where you ask for specific genealogical assistance.
Ask For Help – I liked to get there at opening because there are no crowds and you can quickly speak with a genealogist. If there is a wait, they’ll give you a restaurant style pager. I never waited longer than 5 minutes. Getting a new pair of eyes on your quandaries can open up a new direction for you. Blue lanyards are research helpers, red lanyards are collection helpers. Even if you forget which is which you’ll be directed to someone that can help you.
Pace Your Day – I varied my activities between looking at books, microfilms (which tires my eyes), following a new lead online after using their other resources, and talking with a genealogist. I tried to speak with a genealogist first because both of us are fresh first thing in the morning, there is no wait and the advice might have revised my plan for the day. I looked at books next because they don’t circulate to my home library for review like microfilms do so I didn’t want to miss them. On my last afternoon I browsed the surname books on the first floor. I found 2 books on Leiningers I didn’t know about and was surprised they didn’t have the 2 that I have, nor any of the 3 Harbaugh books. It’s important to remember they don’t have everything. If you don’t find what you’re looking for it still may be out there somewhere so don’t give up!
Classes – I didn’t think I would have time to take a class so I didn’t look at the schedule from home. Thank goodness that the daily classes are posted and an announcement is made about 30 minutes before the start of one. I found I did have time so I took Scotts-Irish Research Ideas and French Resources. Both were awesome, FREE and gave me additional direction to pursue. I wish I could have squeezed in the German class, too.
Have Fun Outside of the Library, Too! All research and no sightseeing makes for an exhausted and grumpy travel companion so do see the surrounding area. There is a Visitor’s Center next to Salt Lake Palace Convention Center (with a nice small gift shop) a block away that can assist you. My travel companion and I took the UTA light rail which is very inexpensive to the University of Utah to visit the “Dino” Museum and the botanical gardens next door.

Dino Family Tee at the Natural History Museum in Salt Lake

magnolia-at-red-butte-gardens — Magnolia at Red Butte Gardens

A student we met on the light rail gave us a short walking tour of the University which was also nice. There is a free campus van that will drive you from the light rail to the museum/gardens. It’s about a 10 minute walk but it’s all uphill!

One night we did the Grimm Ghost Tour which was fun but a little creepy – I skipped out on visiting the serial killer’s basement.

The Mormon Tabernacle Choir had a dress rehearsal on another evening which was wonderful. (No pictures, no audio and they check your bags).

We also rented a car to go to Antelope Island and the Great Salt Lake. This is where the bison and the antelope play.

WHAT I WISH THE LIBRARY BIGWIGS WOULD KNOW:

Your knowledgeable and dedicated employees and volunteers are beyond awesome! I so appreciated their wonderful recommendations, encouragement and patience with my many questions. I am thankful that I was able to visit your beautiful facility and plan on returning again and again!

Only suggestion I have is to remind your Elders if you want the Millennial generation to become interested in genealogy, they need to be encouraging. On two separate days, my travel partner was questioned by Elders as to why I was asking all the questions. She responded politely that she was new to genealogy and was in town for the conference. The response of both was, “Hrmph.” My advice, Elders, is listen to the Sisters. They always said, “Glad you’re here!”

WHAT I TOLD THE ‘KNOW AT ALLS’ WHEN I GOT HOME:

IMHO, there are 2 kinds of people in the world – the glass is half full and the glass is half empty. Before I left home I had several people tell me I wouldn’t find anything. WRONG! I found and learned so much that I only wish I had more time to spend and lived closer. I am truly sorry for the folks that never found what they were looking for. I know it’s frustrating but it is what it is. Just because you didn’t find anything doesn’t mean no one else should go.

I also had acquaintances tell me that I would be accosted by Mormons who were going to repeatedly attempt to evangelize me. WRONG! No one ever tried to persuade me to join the Mormon faith. No one ever asked me what my faith is. The ancestors I was researching had been Quaker, Roman Catholic, Lutheran, Dutch Reformed, Puritan, Episcopalian, Presbyterian, Baptist and Methodist. No one cared that they weren’t Mormon. No one tried to ‘baptize’ them. Just because a Mormon woke you up too early on a Saturday morning does not mean it’s going to be a problem in the library. It won’t be. So go visit – you really must!

Next time I’m going to share my thoughts on how the library experience pushed me to pursue becoming a Certified Genealogist.