Murphy's Law and Genealogy

We are in Salt Lake City, in the library, staying at the Plaza Hotel. It took two carts and three men to unload Lil' Red yesterday afternoon. They took our "stuff" to the room, but we had to put it away. Whew!

It is apparent that we are not as young as we were a year ago. There was no rushing to the library last night to get in an hour or two of research. We groaned and moaned, took showers and crashed.

This morning I began the day on the second floor in microfilm. If anything could go wrong, it did. YGGG #2 made magnets for the file cabinets so we could easily return the film to the proper file drawer. The magnets worked good except the second time I used them somebody removed one and placed it on another file cabinet and threw the other one on the floor. The next "go wrong" was when I accidentally let a reel of film wind off the spool.

By that time I was tired of wandering around in the dark and joined YGGG #2 on the third floor in the books. This was a good move as I finally received some rewards for my research. However, when I got back to the room for lunch, I discovered that I had left my photocopy card in the machine. I tired calling YGGG #2 four times, but she can't hear/feel the vibrate on her phone. Fortunately somebody had turned in the card so I retrieved in once back in the library.

When YGGG #2 went to the room for lunch, she returned with a letter from the management of the hotel. I thought we were being kicked out, but instead we are being displaced. They are carpeting our floor, so we will be moving to a different room on Friday. Once again we will be packing and unpacking.

Since last year some changes have been made at the library. There are scanners that plug into your computer or flash drive through the USB port. That makes it easy to scan books and film. How great is that?

Tonight I tried to make photocopies with my hotel room card. It doesn't work! There are signs in the library to turn cell phones to vibrate. They failed to post signs to turn the sound down on computers. All of a sudden this afternoon on a web page on my laptop, it was announced very loudly that I had won a $1,000 gift certificate from Walmart.

Check back later. We will be in a different room and hopefully we will have found ancestors lurking around the corner in the library.

YGGG#1 - Ruby

One Leg of a Genealogy Journey

It's almost time to kick the leg (not too high) and begin the first leg of my journey to the genealogy mecca in the west ... the Family History Library in Salt Lake City.

I am leaving in the morning for the first leg of the journey which is a drive of about 2 1/2 hours to the panhandle of Nebraska. I will stay with YGGG #2 and for a few days we'll gabber genealogy, get our research materials in order and decorate graves in pre-Memorial Day homage to our relatives. The bed in the family room has been moved to an appropriate bedroom so now I will be sleeping in private. That means I can read, snore and be myself.

On Friday, May 21st YGGG #2 and I will load up Lil' Red and head to Cheyenne, WY, making a stop along the way to decorate more graves. We will stay in Cheyenne with her son and do research in the Wyoming State Archives and at the wonderful genealogy section in the Laramie County Library.

Finally, on Tuesday, May 25th, we will take off in Lil' Red heading west across Wyoming to Salt Lake City. The glorious moment will be when we unload our belongings and walk in the front door of the Family History Library. Nobody will say "ah, they made it" or "look who's here." But we don't care ... just let us at the books and microfilm. I have one large notebook full of research notes and material, plus items on my laptop computer. We will be there almost two weeks, so there is a chance I'll get through a good deal of it.

As for YGGG #2 she is going through her usual What-If-I-Don't-Find-Anything syndrome. For me even negative results are a "find." You just keep looking and keep the hopes running high. Research involves imagination and a lot of what-ifs. Our ancestors never seem to have done the normal or what we would consider to be normal. I recently read a journal account of a relative who was pregnant. She did not want to leave Indiana with her husband and family to cross the plains in a covered wagon. She parked herself in a rocking chair in the front yard and refused to budge. Finally her husband and his father picked her up in the rocker and plunked her in the wagon. I would have hoped my husband would have taken pity upon my condition and called the trip off or at least said we would wait until after the birth of the baby. Don't let pregnancies or deaths interfere with the mental process you use in understanding ancestors!

Keep tuned to You Go Genealogy Girls as we blog about our adventures. You can be sure they will be real-time adventures. We won't be going by covered wagon, but Lil' Red is ready to get us there in record time.

YGGG #1 - Ruby

Researching In Style

This last month has really been a busy one for both of us girls! We have been working each day, putting together our research notebooks, packing and re-packing, and planning our summer over the phone and through emails. At times it seems so mundane and ordinary but we work at keeping each other pumped up and motivated to get it all done. Girl #1 has also been getting Li'l Red all spruced up and ready to head west and she will do all the last minute road travel planning this week while Go Hubby and I make a short trip to Topeka, Kansas for our Granddaughter's graduation which I will share next week with everyone. We have about come to the end of our Salt Lake researching preparations and Girl #1 says she will need a bigger notebook if she keeps adding pages to hers. It is only a 4 inch size right now. Mine is also, but I have two! Trying to figure out what to take and what I can leave is just too hard--so I usually have to take it all. Last year I didn't use much of all the "stuff " that went in the extra notebook and I have been reminding myself that I vowed to leave some of the papers home this year. Who is that person that keeps whispering in my ear, saying "take it, take it"? Wishing I was a bit more organized with everything on my laptop but alas, I still live partially in the world of paper. At least if we get stranded in a freezing blizzard on the way to Salt Lake in late May, we can always live on our jar of peanut butter and jelly beans and then burn my paper "stuff " to keep warm- (yes, it is all duplicate copies so we are safe there.) We are almost good to go....

Last year we came up with the idea to mark the file cabinet drawers in the FHL with bright colored stick-em papers so we could find our way back to the right file drawer a bit easier and quicker. That worked fairly well but this year we will be going in style! All that a fore mentioned research and packing got me to thinking that I needed something fun to do for a break, so today I set out to make some fancy magnetic film drawer markers. Since we are taking all those wonderful little purses and all those beautiful shoes, we needed gorgeous magnets to match. My project got a bit out of hand before it was finished and they look more like party table favors than drawer magnets as they are sporting sunflowers, roses, oak leaves and feathers, but I guarantee these will be better than "a bread crumb trail" back to the file drawer. We can just gaze down the long aisle, spot our little fluorescent floral magnets, and run right down to the drawer. Anyone who has been to the library should appreciate how many hours of precious time this has the potential to save. Only trouble with that scenario is the fact that the two Grannies aren't very good at running any more, it would be just our luck to get our feet tangled up and go down in a heap and the FHL would probably ask us to leave for being unruly.The next day we would have to stay in bed and nurse the bumps and bruises which would negate all that saved time. These little beauties will save some time though and they will brighten up the drab film aisles at the least! Just the same, we are traveling AND researching in style.

Fill up your jelly bean dish, take time to relax and get ready to join us this Spring as we live the life of genealogy researching. We would love to have you come along on our journeys and we guarantee that you will have good time with us and maybe even learn something new and exciting along the way.

101 - How to Pack for a Research Trip

Even though we've done this many times, our packing begins early each time we travel. Of course, some items don't make their way into the suitcase until the last minute. In hope that we do not forget something, we both have lists that we compile and then compare. There are many phone calls and e-mails to coordinate. Of course, if need be we might be ready on a minute's notice ... I think!

Because we travel mostly by car, we can travel with more items than those who fly. We take advantage of every space in Lil' Red. Even so, I keep telling YGGG #2 to consolidate. Check your luggage before any trip. What size do you need? I have three different sizes plus my bag(s) on wheels for the computer and equipment. When flying, all that gets on the plane are my very large bag, one carry-on bag, me and my purse. Next month for the Salt Lake City trip I'm taking the middle sized luggage with matching tote. They must match so I color coordinate! Also I'll take a bag of maps and my research notebook. Another small bag holds sundry items such as paper punch, detergent and laundry bag. Yes, we do some laundry while there. I also have a plastic tub of sling pouches and iPod Touch pouches, uniquely designed to coordinate with every piece of clothing that I'm taking.

We prefer to eat breakfast and lunch in our hotel room in Salt Lake City. This gives us time to plan our daily research and at noon we can relax and rest before going back to being detectives. Each of us has a crate on wheels with grocery items. Some of these include energy or granola bars, crackers, cereal, tea bags, fruit cups and the popular fix-in-the-microwave, non-perishable soups and casseroles. Having a microwave and refrigerator in the room is great.

Now back to my suitcase. We are women in case you haven't noticed! We tend to coordinate clothes and change clothes perhaps more than the opposite sex. Even though we can wash, we take our fair share of clothes. Recently Dick Eastman commented in his newsletter, "I also take only one pair of shoes; namely, the shoes that I am wearing. I then pack clothes to match those shoes. Carrying an extra pair of shoes consumes a lot of space in your suitcase! You only need one pair. Make sure they are comfortable and suitable for extended walks." No woman would go anywhere, flying or driving, with only one pair of shoes! And most women have more than brown and black in their wardrobe! So much for that ... if you are a woman, don't feel bad about taking a half dozen shoes as long as you can squeeze them into your suitcase. Incidentally Dick commented that he takes duct tape. Hey, Dick, that's a man thing. I take shoes, shoes, more shoes, purses and pouches. That's a woman thing!

Why are we going to all this work for a research trip? Because it's a fun trip where we will work for days, diligently undergoing long hours of brain teasing turmoil. Did I mention it's fun work? How exciting to NOT receive a paycheck (unless doing professional work for clients) and have the pay off be locating information on some long, lost ancestor. To get to that point we have to be prepared for just about anything. I go through my genealogy files on the computer and my documents, looking for holes and missing people as well as missing evidence. There are always those elusive females who only are known as Abigail, Mary and Martha. They need names. Am I up to the test?

Recently I determined that I need to check the Ulster Co., New York land records. Okay ... bet they are on microfilm in the Family History Library. My oversized research notebook now contains a printout of the microfilm numbers for those land records. All I had to do was go to the Family History Library Catalog and begin my search. After printing it off, I marked the film numbers I need to check, as well as what I need to find on each film. It is filed under Floor #2 in my research notebook. I have tabs for all five floors. YGGG #2 does her slightly different, but she also uses printouts. We never take original documents. They are scanned or copied. By scanning, we save space by plopping the jpg files on to our laptops. I am also taking my small external hard drive that can be plugged into my laptop. It contains thousands of documents, notes and biographical information.

A word of caution. Be sure you bags have identification tags on them. This goes for any bag except the laundry bag. I'd love to have somebody think it was theirs and do my laundry! One of the most important items on your list should be a computer lock. Nothing is safe, not even in the library. If you plan on using subscription databases, take your passwords. I use an encrypted program that stores my passwords. One passwords gets me everything.

YGGG#2 and I have opted not to go to the National Genealogical Society conference in Salt Lake City which is happening in a few days. We are greedy and want to do nothing but spend every hour we can in the library. Actually there were other reasons, such as timing and family commitments. We do know that when we go to the library it will be fun. If you pack right, you'll have fun too ... especially if you are color coordinated and take plenty of shoes.

Ruby --- YGGG #1

I Just Can't Help It!

Purses and shoes, purses and shoes...how many can one person manage to travel with? This will be the question that I may answer in the near future!

As many of you know the two Genealogy Girls are in the throws of planning and packing for Salt Lake. One would think that we are just so busy with that chore that it would be all consuming. Well, it kinda is for me, Girl #2...busy every day working on my notebook and planning, wishing I had more time to get that done and have some fun time. I know I work hard every day and nights too, but the end is so very far away. I've also been working on a power point lecture program for our local genealogy society meeting. Each day I call Girl #1 to ask questions and glean guidance and she always has time for me. We are truly kindred souls in many ways, one could not ask for a better partner in "crime". We travel, talk, laugh, cry, research, mourn, eat and think alike in so many ways--we are after all, sisters-in-law too!

So--- how is it that she has spare time to indulge in purses and shoes? This has become a joke with us about the shoes especially, and now we must add purses into the mix. I pack and travel with lots of stuff as has been noted here before, but purses? At first we shopped together for lots of gorgeous material, many with beautiful prints to showcase our love for genealogy. Plans were made to make a few little pouches to carry our new i-touch gadgets. Okay, I made some patterns, she made patterns and shared hers with me, we were off and running. However, I must say, I am so far back in the race that she will be over the finish line and I will still be trying to get over the first hurdle. I will be older and grayer before I get even six bags made. Girl #1 must have at least 30 small i-touch bags made and at least 8 or 10 of her side sling bags! She makes fun of me and my packing of "stuff" but by the time she packs an outfit to match each little purse, and shoes too, lest we forget those, we will need a bus instead of Li'l Red to head west in. She zooms through her research work each day and then emails to say that she has made another bag. Yesterday's email: "Guess what I am doing???? Yip, got the machines out again. I needed three more sling pouches and I am totally done, absolutely!! Remind me won't you???" Today is not over yet, I wonder how many she will make today?

The Girls will have to plan many, many more research trips just to use all those gorgeous little bags. Sure wish I could get some made, I am jealous and I also want to make all those future trips to cemeteries, libraries and conferences in style. I must really get in gear! I guarantee that WE will be the most fashionable gals in the cemetery, you won't miss us, that is for sure. Girl #1 will be the one with the pretty shoes too. She laments that she can't take them all when we travel. I suggested once that she just take one of each of six pair, that way she could showcase twelve different shoe collections. I got vetoed!

I sure do hope that when the "bus" is all packed, I can squeeze in a few books and my laptop. Can't wear those but I really do need 'em, maybe SHE will let me pack them in the box of purses. One last thought, if we run out of money while at the Family History Library, we can always dress up nice and stand out front hocking her wares for money to get home on. The items for sale: pretty and useful little purse bags and used shoes--surely everybody will need one or the other!
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P.S.
Believe it or not, the girls are not heading to Salt Lake until mid May and will stay for two fun weeks! It just takes us weeks of preparation to get out of town and heading west. Hope to meet all our "friends" someplace along the road of our ventures!

I had to laugh at the cute comment below by Carol--I wonder if Girl #1 has thought of that? Now we will have to pack 551 purses instead of the lowly count of about 40! Thanks Carol!

A million thank you's to Renate from "Into The Light" for recently giving us the Ancestor Approved award! Both of us "Grannies" are very appreciative. Click on over to her blog and check it out, it is very good, and take some time each day to read a great genealogy blog. There are hundreds to choose from with touching stories of family and history.


You Go Genealogy Girl #2-- Cheri

Getting Ready (Drumroll!) for Salt Lake City

In one month and one week, I will leave to join YGGG #2 in the panhandle of Nebraska. We will decorate graves (many graves) paying pre-Memorial Day homage to our ancestors and loved ones. Once done we will pack and repack Lil' Red and drive to Cheyenne, WY. Staying there with my nephew (YGGG #2's son), we will spend a few days of research in the archives and library before packing and repacking for the trip on to Salt Lake City.

Already I have my luggage set out in the extra bedroom. I have started purchasing my stash of breakfast and lunch items that I will prepare in our room. We normally eat out once a day. That allows us to take a quick break from the books an film at noon by returning to our room at at the Salt Lake City Plaza Hotel. What a great place to stay and be only steps away from the library!

I keeping reminding YGGG #2 to consolidate her luggage. After all, Lil' Red is only so big, actually not very big, but bigger than a Smart Car. It is definitely not a grab and go trip, so we need to do some planning. We can wash clothes at the Plaza, but even so we do need clothes, cosmetics, our medicines and most definitely, for me ... shoes.

Why are we going? Silly question ... GENEALOGY. We are also working on our research notebooks and studying family lineages. YGGG #2 calls or e-mails and we begin looking up more things on the Family History Library Catalog. Then we print out call number and microfilm numbers, description of the item, adding notes as to what we need to check. My notebook is bursting, so bad that I had to purchase a 3 inch one. I hope by the time I leave in May, I won't need to invest in a 4 inch notebook. Do I really plan on looking at all that film and all those books? I'll certainly try!

To make our research easier, we are taking many accessories. For me it's the laptop, 1.5 lb. CanoScan LiDE200 scanner, my travel external hard drive, plus my Skooba case for all the cords and extensions, my camera, cell phone and iPod Touch. Will somebody PA...LEASE invent something that doesn't need umpteen cords to run? I am sure loading and unloading all of my "stuff" plus all of YGGG #2's "stuff" will make us think twice about how easy it is, particularly on our backs, arms and legs.

For the past few months while recuperating from knee surgery, I have been designing and making iPod Touch pouches and sling pouches. So that I never appear out of sync with my wardrobe, I have about 30 of the iPod Touch pouches and three sling pouches made. I have three more sling pouches to make before I leave in May. They have pockets for the iPod Touch, cell phone, room key card, library photocopy card, money and anything else that will squeeze in. On the sides of the sling pouch are metal loops to hook my flash drive and key to the lock for the laptop.

Have I forgotten anything? Better start the list. Oh yes, I'll need the gel pack and bed buddy for aching bones, aka new knee. I refuse to rent a U-Haul for this trip, so YGGG #2 better start making her list and learning how to consolidate. Shove and push, it should all go into one suitcase. She will reply ... "Dream on." When we leave for Salt Lake City, guess who wins the prize for the most items. It's not going to be YGGG #1.

Oops, we better not forget the jelly beans!

You Go Genealogy Girl #1 -- Ruby

Dear You Go Girl #1:
Well, I get to carry the printer which is for us both-that is another big case(1/2 yours)! I am the old fashioned type who still has to use some paper files so that is a couple more notebooks. A reminder, I don't carry shoes and a purse for every outfit. As "Go Hubby" would say--If you need it, Mom (YGGG #2, me) will have it! "Enuf said"! P.S. If you would ride with me in the big silver beast (Excursion) just once, we could even take the kitchen sink with space to spare and if we get thrown out of the Plaza Hotel for being too rowdy, we would still have a place to sleep. He He.........!!!

You Go Genealogy Girl #2 --Cheri

A Hodge Podge of This and That!

Last week I made the trip east to visit with YGGG#1 to spend some time after a long and cold winter. I had been trying to get there for over a month in between snow and ice storms. Finally, the great day time arrived and I got on the road quick! One short break in Ogallalla, Nebraska to check out my favorite store for Memorial Day flowers. They always have a great selection so I loaded the car with bunches of beautiful poppies and roses. When YGGG #1 and I get together in Mid May before our Salt Lake trip, we will spend 2 days decorating all our family graves in Box Butte county. We have nearly 30 to attend in three cemeteries. What a job- but what an honor!

My next stop was North Platte, Nebraska. Just in time for lunch and then..SHOPPING. Grannie one suggested we go right away to the quilt shop as she knew I had been waiting to get there. Somehow she blames me for all the shopping, but since I don't get to a good place to shop very often it is fun to go and besides she does not complain much. She follows (or maybe leads) and off we go. New material, new books, flowers, sewing notions, craft stuff, clothes, purses. Two old grannies sure can have fun and spend money. The only time genealogy comes in second is when we go into shopping mode for a few hours. My dog, Babee, who went along for the trip only managed to get into trouble a couple times while we shopped. New venetian blinds will be in order for YGGG one now. Hope the dog can get a job to pay for them!

We surely are starting to show our age though. What a nuisance..we had to stop and rest often, but only after several hours and many miles on foot. Grannie one propped up her new knee and I rested my back. I got a 2:30 boost of "5 hour energy", which wound me up and I was good to go again. We got out the research notebooks, hit the computer library catalog and were off and running until late night, every night for a week. The notebooks are now bursting with new ancestors and records to find at the FHL in May. Eleven at night came fast every evening and it was time to read a bit, before the "day" was gone and we had to start all over again. The monthly meeting of the North Platte genealogy society, watching WDYTYA on Friday night and The Generations Project on Monday, and even more shopping rounded out my stay in North Platte. Two old granny sisters-in-law sure can make work but we do have great fun!

Back home this week has brought more challenges to get all my research done for my notebook to take to the Libraries. YGGG #1 helped me to line up some areas to search, now I must get busy and peruse all the good websites for helpful clues before we leave to head west. Go Hubby isn't getting much for homemade meals these days either as I am just to darn busy! At least that is what I tell him. I have been trying to get him to write another story for my personal blog: Those Old Memories. It will save me time and besides, he gets better reviews (and comments) than I do! Will I ever get it all done in time? It's just get up and go to bed and the day is gone. Do any other genealogists or wives ever get caught up?

While organizing my research stuff, I have spent some more time on a great site for Swedish researching. I have been here before but thought some of you might like to check this one out if you are into Swedish research, especially within Skaraborgs Län and specifically around the
Falköping area. Annelie Jonsson has a really great site, Emigrant.se and she is very involved with GenealogyWise and the Swedish groups with helpful advise. Late night dates with several great state web sites have kept me occupied too. A nice cup of white hot chocolate and left over Valentine truffles have rounded out my "dream" dates. The clues of more names and places to follow up with have just been the wonderful bonuses!

A busy month ahead for sure. I will give a small program at our local genealogy society meeting in April on the use of the various census records. That will be fun but I must get the power point done soon so I can get back to my ancestors. Our oldest Granddaughter will graduate in May in Topeka, Kansas so Go Hubby and I will travel east for that event. We are anxious to see all 8 grandchildren and spend a couple precious days with family. Our son will leave his family at home in Kansas and come back to Alliance with us after graduation.YGGG, Ruby, will be here the next day. Son, Jason, is going to help the YGGG's do cemetery work early and see us off towards Salt Lake City on the 22nd of May. He will house and dog sit for me for the two and half weeks that the YGGGs will be in Salt Lake City. While Go Hubby is working, Jason will do some fix up things around here for us. He and his Dad will have a little time together to take a "bike" ride and do some gardening and house painting --all while I play at the Family History Library. Yea!

Finally a nice day today, spring may actually be heading our way. Wish I could play but alas must get back to work on my notebook. All of this and that keeps coming to mind. Dreaming of the future trip to Loveland, Colorado for the Family History Expo, where I have been and where I need to go. Next stops: websites for Tippah County, Mississippi and Carroll County, Tennessee. Those Hopkins and Henleys are waiting in the wings.

You Go Genealogy Girl #2- Cheri

She's HEEEERE!

Finally, the third time is a charm! After two failed plans in the last six weeks, my sister-in-law, aka #2, is here in my home, sleeping in my spare bedroom, using my electricity to plug in her laptop (when she remembers to do it), eating my food, using my shower and staying up until after midnight. But, are we ever having fun!! We talk non-stop, perhaps in our sleep, as we have not been together for a long time.

Today is the luck of the Irish day, aka St. Patrick's Day. We are celebrating by doing something ... oh yes, we are going to continue identifying photographs of relatives and ancestors. Actually we are doing a pretty good job of figuring them out. We will also head out this evening to the North Platte Genealogical Society meeting. I may have to reintroduce myself as their President because I have not been there since January. My faithful Vice President took over for me in February while I moaned, groaned and elevated my new knee. Now the knee is much better and after three hours of shopping with # 2 yesterday, I can proclaim it is almost like the old one before the old one got bad. You know what I mean!

We have also been syncing our iPod Touches. Since we are planning a big trip to Salt Lake City toward the end of may, we'll also sync our thoughts on the research we will need to do while there. In preparation for the trip, we'll soon begin planning our food stash and wardrobe (and for me all my shoes I'll take). Lil' Red may be dragging all the way across I-80 to "This is the Place."

Our plans this week also include tweaking a trip for the local genealogical society to visit the museums and research centers where #2 lives. This will happen in July. At least it probably won't snow then! Sandwiched between all these trips we will make our reservations for the Family History Expo in Loveland, CO in June. Hope my other knee holds up during all these escapades.

We also purchased identical purses, so #2 is going to put a flower on hers so we can figure out who has what. However, it should be no problem as hers will be a heavy purse. I have been making iPod Touch pouches in my recovery mode. They are designed for just about any clothes that I have in my wardrobe. Some are funky and some are sentimental and some are just downright .... iPod Touch pouches.

Now I'm off to physical therapy to show them I can bend my knee and get a workout. When I get home #2 should be out of bed, planning our day and lining up genealogy projects. What is it they say about twins? Double the trouble? We aren't twins, but when it comes to genealogy, we are definitely "double the trouble. "

Ruby ... aka #1

Wishing We Were Going...

The You Go Genealogy Girls, as "Bloggers of Honor", have been invited to the upcoming Family History Expo in Salt Lake City on March the 18th. This Expo will be concentrated on the field of "Immigration" and should be a great one to attend. How we wish that we would be able to go. Jealousy doesn't usually come around in our usual postings but this time it has. We envy anyone who is going to attend this Expo! We will still be recuperating and organizing for the upcoming summer travels, but you can bet we will be on the road soon and we will be heading to the Family History Expo in Loveland, Colorado the weekend of June 25-26th.

If you never have attended a Family History Expo, check out their new web site and make your plans to attend the upcoming special Expo on "Immigration" or one of the other great learning weekends that are coming up this year. The You Go Genealogy Girls attended the Expo last year in Sheridan, Wyoming and had a blast. As "Bloggers of Honor", we got to participate in some fun extra curricular offerings but the learning classes of the Expo were definitely the highlight. If you would like to read of our fun trip to the Expo in Sheridan, Wyoming last summer, you can review those blogs here, here, here and here! Whew...we were busy grannies!

Everyone from the beginner to the seasoned researcher can find lectures that they will love and best of all, will learn from. The Expos offer great chances to meet new genealogy friends, enjoy good food, shop great genealogy vendors and attend excellent lectures. We are lucky that Holly Hansen and her group have worked to bring some of these Expos to areas of the country that are centralized so that many people have the chance to benefit from their awesome genealogy learning lectures.

We surely hope that you will be one of the lucky ones to attend the "Immigration Expo" on March 18th in Salt Lake City. We will be thinking of you all with envy!

Buffalo Chips, Cow Patties...and Such!

Cow patties, buffalo chips and such things. This is literally the kind of "___" that sometimes keeps me awake at night. Sleep...who needs it?

My husband, AKA "Go Hubby", has written a short story which is posted over on my personal genealogy blog: Those Old Memories. You can click here to read "Grandpa's History Lesson". I am thinking that reading and publishing his story about Grandpa and cow patties must be the source of the thoughts that were running around in my brain last night.

Today, I know more about "cow patties" than I ever wanted to. Buffalo chips and cow patties have been used since the days of the pioneers in our country and for hundreds of years before in other cultures. They are gathered, dried and burned for warmth. Many people in India still harvest cow patties for daily use and some bronze artisans burn them because they offer uniform and hotter heat as fire box material. I read an interesting story at Texas Escapes about the Texas chips and patties. If you care to further investigate the history of this subject, please feel free to follow these links to enlightenment! Cow Patties by Mike Cox, and cow-patties-make-good-energy offer different points of view. If you have an afternoon to fritter away, try a Google search on the subject, the images are awesome to say the least. Did you know that chips and patties are dried and crafted into clocks and paperweights? They are also popular items for the playing of cow pattie bingo which often involves betting on the winner and his placement of the smelly surprise. Cow pattie tossing contests still live in the west! How about cow pattie cookies...the recipe may be found here---Yummy!!!

If you are a serious genealogist and cemetery researcher, I am sure you have also encountered a few cow patties, deer droppings and such along with those left by "graveyard rabbits". Alas, the ones left by the real graveyard rabbits, those furry, long eared, four legged types!

Until next time: may your powder stay dry, the sun always shine upon you, the wind be at your back and may your boots stay clean and dry. Don't be discouraged from trekking across fields and cattle watering holes to visit that old abandoned family cemetery. Just buy some taller boots!!!