Monday, May 3, 2010

Preparing for a Research Trip - Part 2

I leave for my research trip on Friday so this week I am making final preparations! So far I have researched Find A Grave for Wabash county and made spreadsheets for each of the cemeteries I hope to visit. I’ve looked up the hours for the Wabash Public Library so that I can squeeze in some research time on Saturday. I’ve pulled maps with GPS coordinates for all the cemeteries I want to get to and also for the library. (I love my GPS!) I pulled all the research notebooks for the families in Wabash County to take with me and I’ve located all the camera cords I will need to upload my photos to my laptop.

Tonight I want to put together my “cemetery bucket”. I plan on including gardening gloves, knee pad, pruners, a small hand shovel, a whisk broom, Off, sunscreen, and a spray bottle with water. I’m open to anymore suggestions of items I should include.

I still have many misc. items on my “to do” list including getting the oil changed in the car, which is way past due, and deciding what clothes to pack.

My major concern right now is the weather. The extended forecast is calling for rain on Saturday.

Maybe I should add umbrella to that list……..

6 comments:

  1. After my last foray into an unknown cemetery, I will be sure to take my "cemetery bucket." Good hunting on your trip.

    ReplyDelete
  2. I put together a cemetery bucket for my brother for Christmas last year. Now I need one for myself. I would also suggest hand wipes - sometimes we get so excited that we forget to put on the gloves. Also maybe a metal rod to probe the ground for sunken headstones - remember my experiences. They are not always missing. Getting the records from the cemetery office, IF one is available, is also very valuable. Who else is buried in the family plot?

    ReplyDelete
  3. Thanks for the good luck and the tips! I'm trying to find pepper spray to add since I did encounter a wild dog once and I will add the hand wipes. None of these cemeteries will have offices as they are very old and a couple are actually located on farms. We will need to ask permission to visit those. The weather is now for scattered showers on Saturday and sun on Sunday. This may turn out to be a great weekend!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Have a wonderful and safe trip Lisa and I hope the weather holds up in your favor. Sounds like you have thought about everything you need and are very prepared.

    I like the spreadsheet part!!

    ReplyDelete
  5. I hope this was a good trip for you. don't wear out the scanner. I remember one I took. There were many of us scanning. I purposely would darken mine, another lady would lighten it up. Each time, I had to remember to darken it it up.
    And wait for the paper to be loaded up again.
    It would be nice to have one of those personal scanners. Maybe time consuming. But valuable all the same

    ReplyDelete
  6. something for poison ivy, and a long pole- maybe your rake handle to poke tall grass in case of snakes. I hate finding snakes when I'm all alone. I do the snake dance all the way back to the car at top speed!

    ReplyDelete