I returned last night from my research trip to Wabash County, Indiana and wow, did I accomplish a lot!
Myself, my mom and aunt took over 300 cemetery photos that now need to be uploaded to Find A Grave. We also visited both the Wabash and North Manchester Libraries and did some research in their genealogy departments. The most fun I had was knocking on a door, asking if they had an old cemetery on their property and then donning my hiking boots for a trek through the woods to visit a VERY old cemetery! That was a great experience and I was able to find stones for a couple of my ancestors who died in the early 1800's!
I have so many stories to tell but first I need to organize all my findings and also my thoughts.
It was a perfect Mother's Day weekend for me. I hope all of you had the same!
Showing posts with label Preparing for a Research Trip. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Preparing for a Research Trip. Show all posts
Monday, May 10, 2010
Friday, May 7, 2010
Preparing for a Research Trip - Part 3
Just a quick update since I depart in 4 hours! Can you feel my excitement?
At this point I'm as prepared as I going to be! The weather has took a turn in my favor. They are no longer calling for rain tomorrow just cloudy and windy and cooler conditions. I look at it this way, photography is easier on a cloudy day and I'd rather the weather be a bit nippy than too hot. As long as there is no rain in the forecast I'm a happy camper!
Tomorrow's plan is to hit four cemeteries located near each other and then after lunch head into town for some library research. My goal is to locate family obits. Dinner Saturday night will be with my son who is at college in the area and I can't wait to see him!
Sunday is our day of adventure as that is the day we will attempt to visit some very old cemeteries. My only means of finding them is GPS coordinates. I can't wait to see how that goes!
I'd be remiss if I didn't send a special thank you shout out to my wonderful husband and children for allowing this trip to happen as a part of my Mother's Day gift. Thank you guys!
At this point I'm as prepared as I going to be! The weather has took a turn in my favor. They are no longer calling for rain tomorrow just cloudy and windy and cooler conditions. I look at it this way, photography is easier on a cloudy day and I'd rather the weather be a bit nippy than too hot. As long as there is no rain in the forecast I'm a happy camper!
Tomorrow's plan is to hit four cemeteries located near each other and then after lunch head into town for some library research. My goal is to locate family obits. Dinner Saturday night will be with my son who is at college in the area and I can't wait to see him!
Sunday is our day of adventure as that is the day we will attempt to visit some very old cemeteries. My only means of finding them is GPS coordinates. I can't wait to see how that goes!
I'd be remiss if I didn't send a special thank you shout out to my wonderful husband and children for allowing this trip to happen as a part of my Mother's Day gift. Thank you guys!
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……..
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……..
Monday, April 26, 2010
Preparing for a Research Trip-Part I
In 12 days I leave for my first research trip in 9 years. Since I’ll only have 2 days while I’m there, I have to be very organized to accomplish all I hope to.
Over the past two weeks I have been working on spreadsheets for the cemeteries I will be visiting. Making this task much easier are a couple of volunteers ( v-f, OPPSheryl and tombstoner) on Find A Grave who have posted all the burials in Wabash County, Indiana. By searching for my Wabash county surnames I have been able to add each relative to the spreadsheet for each cemetery. Along the way I have found relatives I don’t, yet, have a connection too.
Unlike The Shy Genealogist who is a pro at using excel to organize her research, I’m a relative newbie in utilizing excel software in this way. My spreadsheet is very simple. I have a column for my ancestors name, their relationship, whether or not a photo has already been taken and who posted the memorial on FAG for transfer requests. In addition, for those relatives whose relationship I don’t yet know, I colored them in red. My hope is to do some research on Ancestry before I leave to see if I can make the connections. I’ve left room underneath each name to enter any notes I may wish to add.
A couple of these cemeteries are located on private land or way out in the country. FAG maps for the cemeteries give GPS locations and I have printed those off to enter into my GPS unit. I’ve also been reading blogs including Western Kentucky Genealogy and It's All Relative to get ideas on what items I should have with me.
My “to do” list is getting longer by the minute but my excitement is growing by the second!
Over the past two weeks I have been working on spreadsheets for the cemeteries I will be visiting. Making this task much easier are a couple of volunteers ( v-f, OPPSheryl and tombstoner) on Find A Grave who have posted all the burials in Wabash County, Indiana. By searching for my Wabash county surnames I have been able to add each relative to the spreadsheet for each cemetery. Along the way I have found relatives I don’t, yet, have a connection too.
Unlike The Shy Genealogist who is a pro at using excel to organize her research, I’m a relative newbie in utilizing excel software in this way. My spreadsheet is very simple. I have a column for my ancestors name, their relationship, whether or not a photo has already been taken and who posted the memorial on FAG for transfer requests. In addition, for those relatives whose relationship I don’t yet know, I colored them in red. My hope is to do some research on Ancestry before I leave to see if I can make the connections. I’ve left room underneath each name to enter any notes I may wish to add.
A couple of these cemeteries are located on private land or way out in the country. FAG maps for the cemeteries give GPS locations and I have printed those off to enter into my GPS unit. I’ve also been reading blogs including Western Kentucky Genealogy and It's All Relative to get ideas on what items I should have with me.
My “to do” list is getting longer by the minute but my excitement is growing by the second!
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