Genealogy Bucket List

While You Go Genealogy Girl #2 is home harvesting and freezing veggies, I will be arriving in Salt Lake City tomorrow morning.  I will also be harvesting ... genealogy "finds."  My arrival is a couple days before the arrival of my group, Nebraska Genealogy Tours.  What a fun week we have in store!

Many times I hear people say they wish they could make more time for research trips, but life gets in the way.  Sometimes it is family commitments, health issues, jobs and lack of funds.  It would be nice if we could all have unlimited time and funds to do nothing but genealogical research.  The Family History Library is where you can do extensive research in one place.  It isn't that one trip does it all, but there are enough records there to satisfy many of your research needs.

In September, while working in the genealogy section of my local library, I assisted two out of town couples who were there hoping to locate ancestral information.  None were retired ... close, but not retired.  They had both been traveling all around the United States collecting information and seeing where their ancestors had lived.  These were not "a few days" trips.  Both couples told me that this was on their bucket list.  How nice they were getting to enjoy that list before it was too late.  Life might get in the way, but it can also run you down when you least expect it.  I can only imagine the stories they had to tell their children and siblings when they arrived back home.

What's on your bucket list?

You Go Genealogy Girl #1    Ruby

A Week in THE Library

Temple at Temple Square

My one week in Salt Lake City at the Family History Library went quickly, but with good research results. I had estimated the time it would take to complete my to-do list for the book I have been writing and fortunately I was right on target.  That left me with a couple days for personal research.

When I arrived at the local airport, the shocking news was that my luggage was 5 1/2 pounds overweight.  I was not willing to pay $100 one way to travel overweight.  With it on the scale, I began putting things into my purse and carry on luggage until it was of legal weight.  However, that meant that I could not shop in Salt Lake City and I could not bring home an abundance of paper copies.

There were several groups of researchers in the library.  They came from all parts of the United States.  Even so, there was never any lack of tables or film readers.  The only problem came on Thursday morning of that week when at about 8:30 a.m. there was an announcement over the loud speakers that the photocopy machines were not working.  As the day went on with no machines and signs were posted OUT OF ORDER, some people were disgruntled and others resorted to old-fashioned research ... taking notes by hand.  Fortunately I had brought my hand-held scanner for making copies.  Microfilm could be copied only by scanning to a flash drive.  By evening the photocopy machines were back in business.

Before leaving on the trip, I ordered vault film through the FamilySearch web page form.  Once there I learned that some had been put in the proper drawers on the second floor and others were in overflow drawers.  If you are needing vault film during your visit, order it in advance and inquire about it when you arrive.

Since I was there in May and June of this year, I was curious about any changes that have been made.  There is a large machine on the third floor that will copy pages from oversized books, two pages at once.  Having found a map in the map cabinet on that floor, I asked if it could be copied.  They did it for me in three sections on the machine and YGGG #2 has promised to piece it together for me.

Three times at the library over the last three years, I have tried to locate a certain land record in the 1790s Washington County, Tennessee microfilm.  It is indexed, but the records were not entered in any type of chronological order and the person microfilming them had cut off the page numbers at the top.  Once again, I was unable to find the deed.  Once home I contacted the courthouse at Jonesborough and they mailed me a copy of it.   I thought after the third time and no charm, it was time to ask for help.

Turning leaves in Temple Square

The weather was perfect the entire week.  Leaves were turning and falling and the temperatures were splendid.  After arriving on Sunday afternoon, October 16th, I had a late lunch with some people I met on the shuttle coming in from the airport.  Then I unpacked and went for a long walk around Temple Square.  The flowers were gone that had been so colorful in the spring and strings of Christmas lights were being strung on the trees.  The next few days bulbs were planted for spring blooms in 2012.

Fall splendor at Temple Square

My last day of research was spent on the British Isles floor, the second floor in the basement.  I attended a class on Wales research which proved to be enlightening and helpful.  Then I progressed to actual research in the records of Wales.  Seeing names on those old parish registers is so much fun!  While you are researching at the library, check out the class schedules.  They are free and informative, plus a good diversion from constant research.

I met old friends and made new friends at the library.  It is fun to chat and get caught up on what we are doing with our research and about our families.  I enjoyed flying to Salt Lake City, but it meant a different type of packing than when I drive.  Even with the body scans and pat downs in airport security (because of my two steel knees), it was a quick and easy way to get there and back home.

The last two weeks have been spent working diligently on my new book.  The electronic manuscript is being mailed to the publicist in the morning.  Do I have withdrawal?  Not yet.  I have gotten behind with my own research and cleaning up genealogy files.  As usual though, I find my mind wandering to the next trip to Salt Lake City and ideas for research.

You Go Genealogy Girl #1  Ruby

The Four "Belles" of GeneaBloggers...in Salt Lake City!

GeneaBloggers: Cheri Hopkins, Ruby Coleman, Carol Stevens and Becky Wiseman

Today was day four of our trip to the Family History Library in Salt Lake and to our surprise we met two other gals in the library today who are also bloggers,"GeneaBloggers", to be exact! Becky Wiseman of Kinexxions and Carol Stevens of  Reflections From The Fence. The four of us took a short break to visit and compare finds and funny stories, it was fun to meet new friends who immediately seemed like "old friends". Carol and Becky were really nice and another researcher kindly took our photos for posterity. Surely everyone in the library must have thought we were all very special as we posed for the cameras. You never know who you might meet here, yesterday we ran into Michael John Neill of RootDig.com and today we made new genealogy friends.....this has been a good week so far! Who will we meet tomorrow?

The girls had a nice lunch out on the town and both did well with locating many great family records today, the sun even came out for awhile so we are making progress. We are still looking for warm weather here though, glad I brought along my Nebraska cold weather clothes. Even many of the flowers are late here in Salt Lake City this year but those that are out are bright and colorful as usual.

Enjoy one pretty picture of the beautiful white iris here and especially the one of the four gorgeous genealogy "Belles" above!

You Go Genealogy Girl #2, Cheri

white iris in Salt Lake City

Going Prepared to Learn a Lot

The time has almost arrived for our annual trip to Salt Lake City. The You Go Genealogy Girls have been preparing for the trip for months. This has entailed updating genealogy files, preparing a research notebook, aka "big to-do list in a binder." It would take me a year to get through my research notebook to-dos, but I am going prepared. We will be there two weeks. Even with pacing ourselves, there should be time to locate some ancestors.

I also have to-do lists all over the house. A friend recently told me to "get crackin'" so I would get everything done. I have been keeping pace all week. Here's my list of items to pack for trip:

2 pieces of medium sized luggage for clothing

1 bag for 7 pair of shoes

1 bag for cosmetics, hair supplies and good smelly stuff

1 bag for laundry detergent and miscellaneous items

1 bag for the over-sized research notebook, maps and reading material

1 carton-on-wheels for food supplies, such as snacks, cereal and cookies

1 bag on wheels for laptop computer and library supplies

1 fold up mini-bike for exercising in the room

3 pillows

With all these bags, I feel like a pioneer forging the trail. Nobody ... and I mean nobody ... will force me to throw items overboard.

The purpose of the trip is genealogy. How well are you prepared when you take a genealogy trip? That is where our over-siezed research notebooks come in handy. This is no spontaneous trip. It has required hours of reviewing and studying our lineages, looking for research problems and missing information. Notice I did NOT say brick walls! I can work around and through research problems. Identifying them, I analyze what information is need, the best sources and the information they possibly contain and then where they can be found. Will the information produce itself in a marriage record, a will, a land record or death certificate? What is available in the Family History Library? We use the Family History Library Catalog while working on our research notebooks and will continue to use it at the Family History Library.

Let's not get paranoid with "what ifs." Those are the culprits in research. You can talk yourself out of about any phase of research by telling yourself there may not be information in a certain record. Keep in mind your ancestor's records can be found in the most obvious as well as the most obscure of records. If one document does not produce the information, move on to something else. Keep trying. One of the most valuable documents I ever found was a court record for the contesting of a will about 1870 in New York state. The person I wanted and needed to find in the will was not named, but when it was contested, all of the heirs, including that person, were named along with their reasons for contesting the will.

Think while you are researching. What does the document tell you? Does the information pertain directly to your research problem? That doesn't mean it has to answer all of your questions, but perhaps contain substantial information, or information that may prove helpful at a later time. Does the information in the document pertain to your ancestor, but has no direct bearing on your research problem? There may be clues, so do not discount the document. It may be what you need to jump start your research. There is no perfect record and thus you will need to use more than one ... over and over and over. This is why the YGGGirls stay two weeks in Salt Lake City and wish for a year.

Almost forgot the documentation. Silly me. While you are doing all of this research on your dream trip to Salt Lake City, be sure to do it right and document what you copied or used. That includes things such as titles of books, copyright, author, where it is located, case numbers, file numbers, page numbers, column numbers, film numbers. Don't weep later. I told you to do it while you are there.

If you happen to be in Salt Lake City at the library while we are there, stop and say hello. We will be doing research on all five floors at various times. YGGG #2 has dark brown hair and I am the blonde. The color and style of my shoes will change every day. I anticipate that #2 will wear the same shoes each day. Why change a good thing is what she tells me. On the other hand, I only have to wear the same pair of shoes twice in the two weeks I am there. Regardless of how we look or what we wear, the ancestors are waiting for us. We'd better "get crackin'."

YGGG #1 -- Ruby (the one with all the shoes)

Genealogy Overdrive

I never did understand the shifting of a car into overdrive. Google searching tells me that it is a term describing a mechanism that allows an automobile to cruise at sustained speed with reduced engine speed, leading to better fuel consumption. I can certainly relate to "better fuel consumption." Does that sustained speed have something to do with cruise control?

This can also apply to genealogy ... cruising right along at a sustained speed until you hit a bump or detour. Then you crash or make other plans. Maybe the reduced engine speed means knowledge being applied to allow the brain to rest between episodes of sustained speed. I think my brain is working overtime in overdrive which is known to happen during the month of May.

Girl #2, Cheri, is working her brain overtime in preparation for our trip to Salt Lake City. Daily I seem to find something or think of something to add to my suitcase or to my research notebook, which is already bulging. We each pack differently, with #2 taking many bags. I try to consolidate, but this year I'm taking one extra suitcase instead of a large one nobody can lift into the car. My middle bedroom has been turned into temporary storage for suitcases and piles of things to take on the trip. Hope I don't get unexpected company.

My nights are cruisin' with intermittent wake ups when the brain signals something needs to be done before I leave or I need to research a long forgotten ancestor. Get up, write it down, then try to go back to sleep, which often doesn't happen. Girl #2 stays up most of the night and is now trying to reduce the hours she is up past midnight. Eventually she'll return to something more normal so when the alarm sounds at 6 a.m. in Salt Lake City she will wake up without being a grump! We will soon acclimate to the dryness of Salt Lake City, the altitude and time change. After long days of research, our brains will hopefully not remain in overdrive or make a sudden detour.

In between adding items to the middle bedroom, I am finishing a very intense month of physical therapy in order to walk like a normal person. I have matching knee scars that most people don't want to see. No shorts for me! Rigidly sticking with my calendar and with lists all over the house, how can I not be ready for the trip to Utah? I have to pre-pay my bills for late May and early June, have to plant flowers, pay car taxes, write a column and preview my lectures for June and July. Help! I'm running out of days and hours. Where is that overdrive?

This is the price we pay for spending two wonderful weeks laboring in a library full of books, microfilm and microfiche. We won't know if it's raining or if the sun is shining until we poke our noses out the door. Nothing will stop us short of a detour in making our annual pilgrimage to Salt Lake City.

Ruby --- YGGG #1

Genealogy Research is Hard Work...Need Chocolate?

Need Chocolate?

Two things have come to mind over and over this week as I have been working diligently on my Family History Notebook in anticipation of our upcoming annual trip to Salt Lake City and the Family History Library.


One is that I always seem to crave something good to eat late at night when I am working away, not just anything... but, chocolate! Chocolate anything is great; candy, hot cocoa, chocolate cold ovaltine, chocolate milkshakes, dark Dove chocolate and Brownies. Those late night hours of 1 am to 3 am just keep on demanding chocolate.


Hunting the frig or the cupboard for something tasty to  replenish the lost brain power of organizing all those ancestors sometimes is so challenging. It even adds to the drained brain power when I have to look so hard for that chocolate around here. (Reminder to me: next year to stock up on chocolate Easter bunnies! No children around here any more so no Easter baskets to raid either.) Too bad they don't make chocolate flavored doggie treats or Babe and Misty would be looking the house over for their devoured treats too. 


The second thing which has been around this week and showing up repeatedly was the advertising which shows chocolate "stuff". Was that also due to Easter or did they all just know that I am easily drawn in by them? Everybody has been in the act. Yesterday I received my newsletter from the Custer County Historical Society in Broken Bow, Nebraska. They have a really nice little newsletter which includes the happenings with the society and the museum there. The editor included the minutes from the last meeting which were interesting on their own but at the end of nearly every paragraph of the minutes were these words: passed around a heaping plateful of homemade chocolate chip cookies, started the chocolate chip cookies around again, cookies were passed around again.  Well, OK, not all the way around this time, cleaned up the last of the cookie crumbs and we adjourned at 9:07. I must ask you all, how does one concentrate on the finer points of the newsletter when they are passing the plate of cookies around all the time and you are not there to get one? I must confess that their newsletter is a joy to read and a welcome break from the usual mundane society meeting minutes. Maybe all societies could operate more efficiently and with less conflicts within if they all served cookies or candy at their monthly meetings!


Genealogy research is hard work most of the time and taxes the brain so give yourself a break occasionally. Even if you only indulge by eating just one chocolate chip. You will get your "chocolate fix" and probably will have had to get up and move around just to find the little treasures. The energy exerted to walk into the kitchen will more than make up for that one little chip and your bones and joints will be stretched, ready for more work time. Don't mess up the plan by stashing a bowl of chips or M&M's near the computer.  Remember too that your ancestors aren't there to see you and everyone else in the house is probably sleeping in the early am hours so you can even have two chocolate chips if you want to!


One of my favorite scrap booking sites, Scrap Girls, has even been in the act this week of luring me in with chocolate. Their daily newsletter has been featuring very cute and free brownie recipe cards all week. If you love to scrapbook your family and ancestors, check out the Scrap Girls newsletter here and you can sign up. They also have cute FREE daily digital scrapbook items if you get the newsletter.


When the You Go Genealogy Girls head out for Salt Lake in May, my bag will also include this little recipe for an easy nightly chocolate fix while in the room. Fresh and hot! It is so nice that we have a small frig and microwave at the Plaza Hotel. ( Note to girl #1--bring your own treats, I don't share brownies!!!) 


This is taken from the Scrap Girls site this week with a little tweek from me. These are like those expensive little designer microwave brownies in the grocery store but cost much less.

Hot Brownie in a Mug

Microwavable ceramic coffee mug or ramekin

2 T. vegetable oil

2 T. water

1/4 tsp. vanilla

dash of salt (optional)

2 T. cocoa powder

4 T. granulated sugar

4 T. flour

Whisk water, oil and vanilla. Add cocoa and whisk. Add sugar and then flour mixing well each time. Microwave for approx. 90 seconds for a 1000 watt microwave. Center should be slightly molten , just to set. Remember it will continue to "cook" slightly when removed from microwave oven so do not overcook. (I use my overcooked first one as a paperweight on my desk so maybe that is why I crave chocolate all the time).

For fun if you are near the regular oven, plop a few mini marshmallows on under the broiler for a few seconds after you microwave or add a dollop of ice cream and caramel with pecans on top. Three white chocolate chips will melt nicely on top after you microwave the treat, just in case you want more calories.

Next time you crave a late night chocolate treat, try one! Just be sure to lay in a supply of ingredients ahead of time. Two o'clock in the morning is only for you and your ancestors, a time to reflect and yes, even to indulge a little. Happy researching!


You Go Genealogy Girl #2- Cheri

Going to Salt Lake City

The GIRLS are going to Salt Lake City to the Family History Library! We arrive at the Plaza Hotel on May 22nd and will be there two weeks. We hope to have a productive two weeks, meet old friends and new friends and come home with a lot of genealogy treasures.

In order to do this, we need a plan. We each have large research notebooks. These contain to-do sheets which begin as print-outs from the Family History Library Catalog. In case you haven't noticed the FamilySearch web page does allow you to go back to the "old" catalog, which we prefer. Just click on "Go to the previous site" which is in a blue box. We print out the library catalog entries of interest for film, fiche and books. I label mine according to the floors of the library, such as the 3rd floor being the US and Canada book floor. Then I add notes regarding why I am using that book, fiche or film. Each year my research notebook seems to grow. I never get through everything while there, but I definitely make progress, all because I have a plan.

I also want to get as much research done at home before leaving for Salt Lake City. That means making sure I have documents that are needed, such as death certificates and obituaries. The original documents stay at home. If necessary, I place pdfs and jpgs on my laptop for reference. The research papers in the notebook are either in order of preference or by family group all under each floor of the library. Sometimes they don't stay in any specific order. As I study the various individuals or families in need of research, I make a list of goals or objectives. Those dead end lines will be first on my list.

While in the library it is a good idea to not just copy or scan. Be sure you read and evaluate. Our late evenings are usually spend doing that and deciding if we need to look at film or books that were not on our list. We also rearrange our bag on wheels in preparation for the next day, then fall asleep with sweet dreams of finding our ancestors.

As many of you know, I have a little car known as Lil' Red. It is overloaded by the time we reach our destination. Last year it took three carts and three hotel employees to help us to our room. We hope to have a lighter trip this year. Last year we took scanners and a printer along with an extra table. Those will all stay home this year.

Our arrival night will be spent unpacking, arranging and rearranging. The library is not open so we won't be tempted to drop everything in the floor and rush over there. I don't take my large research notebook to the library each day, but sort through the papers that I want for the day. Those go with me in a smaller notebook. Because we stay at the Plaza Hotel next door to the library, I can always go back for more papers. Before setting out for the library each morning, I remind myself that I need to pace the day, take some breaks, walk around or go back to the room and relax. Otherwise I will not be healthy enough to finish two weeks at the library.

It is interesting to see how people go prepared to the library. Many have bags on wheels which contain their research work, perhaps a laptop computer and accessories. Others have tote bags or just carry in a notebook. We go to stay and park our "stuff" so we have the bags on wheels. A necessity is a lock and cable for the laptops. I also take my iPod Touch which I do not leave unattended. I suspect YGGG #2 (Cheri) will be taking her iPad.

We both have hand held scanners that take up limited space. They are great for making scans of pages in oversized books. There are also scanners available for public use on each floor. Our hand held scanners are VuPoint Magic Wands. Even though we will scan there will be plenty of photocopies made from books and microfilm.

All too soon our time will be over and we will say goodbye to Salt Lake City. It will be time to head Lil' Red east and head back to Nebraska. We will talk all the way home about what we found and didn't find. It will also be those hours that we can decide what we needed that wasn't brought and what we brought we didn't need. Unfortunately we will forget and not write it down. Next year we'll start all over trying to decide what to take or leave at home. Some of that lack of organization may be blamed on age!

If you are in Salt Lake City at the Family History Library during our visit, look us up. We're the You Go Genealogy Girls, Cheri and Ruby. You will find us all day long and evening on one of the five floors of the library.

You Go Genealogy Girl #1 Ruby

Our Brand New Year ... 2011

Happy New Year Everybody!

The YGGGs have twelve months of research, traveling and fun ahead of us. With several inches of snow on the ground, we are communicating by e-mail and telephone. Eventually we will be able to get together and plan our research. January will be eventful for me. I am having the scope on my left knee in a few days. I'm trying to be optimistic that it will work and I'll be able to spend quality travel time in 2011. This month I will also become a great grandmother to a baby boy. I have been researching his mother's genealogy and discovered that his parents share 11th great grandparents.

We are planning our annual trip to Salt Lake City, arriving there on May 22nd and staying for two weeks. That means we have approximately four months to get our research notebooks prepared, update our files and decide how to best spend our time in the library. We feel that we get the best bang for our bucks by going there to do research, instead of ordering microfilm at a Family History Center. Of course, we no more get back home and want to go again.

In 1999 the FamilySearch.org web site was introduced. I can remember that it was continually busy. Logging in at times was next to impossible. Through the years it has become an old friend. In case you haven't noticed, when you type in http://www.familysearch.org in your web browser, things look different. You go directly to the new FamilySearch web site. It has a different look than the old one, but you can still get to the old one by scrolling to the bottom of the page and clicking on "Go to the previous site." A good way to learn about the new web site is to watch the FamilySearch Bloginar Presentation of December 2010. It is about an hour long, but you can pause and take a break.

YGGG#2 and I don't particularly care for the library catalog on the new web site. It will take some time to adapt to it. However, when previewing books on it, you can immediately see what has been digitized. In the meantime, I go back and forth between the new and old. There are tutorials and links for questions and answers. I have plenty of questions.

We spend a good deal of time printing out items from the Family History Library Catalog and placing them in a research notebook. They are categorized by floors in the library and families. As my notebook is huge, I normally take out what I want each day and put it in a smaller notebook.

In early May we will seriously be thinking about packing clothes, computer items and food. YGGG #2 has informed me I need to take two smaller suitcases instead of the one big suitcase. Better add that to my list right away!

We both wish you all great expectations, great research moments and whole lot of genealogy fun in 2011.

YGGG #1 -- Ruby

All We Want For Christmas ...

Dear Santa,

This is what the You Go Genealogy Girls want for Christmas. We hope you will visit us on Christmas Eve. Please ... no coal in our stockings! We will put out cookies and milk.

YGGG #1 - Ruby wants:

1. Ink, ink, ink and more ink for the printer ... always out.

2. Paper for the printer.

3. Days of non-stop genealogy planning and research.

4. Time to read all the genealogy periodicals that are piling up.

5. Success in Salt Lake City in the Family History Library in May and June.

6. An iPad would be nice.

YGGG #2 - Cheri wants:

1. An iPad.

2. More hours in the day. Make those uninterrupted hours!

3. Time for organization and planning.

4. A large printer to work on oversized old photographs.

5. Success in Salt Lake City at the Family History Library in May.

6. New genealogy books.

We both look forward to a new year and new challenges in our genealogical research. Life will be interesting for both of us as we from month to month in 2011. In January, YGGG #1 (Ruby) will add a new bud to the family tree. She will become a great grandmother to a baby boy. The girls are planning a trip to Salt Lake City the end of May into June. Our annual trek always promises great experiences and new "finds." The Family History Expo in Loveland, Colorado will round out June for us. In September we plan to attend the FGS Conference in Springfield, Illinois. Before we know, our wish list for Santa will be on our minds again.

As we wrap gifts, bake goodies and decorate the tree, we are thinking about our ancestors. They are on a tree that in places remains undecorated ... lacking full names, dates and places of events. It is somewhat bare, but we hope to decorate it in 2011.

Best wishes to all this December,

YGGG #1 --- Ruby

We've Lost Our Census

Saturday, June 5th was our last night in Salt Lake City after a very busy and stressful two weeks of researching and a bit of fun. As we packed for the trip home, a beautiful fireworks display erupted over the city and was visible from our 9th floor room. We just knew it was in our honor; Utah was glad we had come or were thrilled that we were leaving- either way the show was surely in our honor! Little did the presenters know that we were totally exhausted, having spent a hard 130 hours plus at the Family History Library. Nerves were frazzled, stomachs upset, eyes almost gone blind, tempers flared, and the "girls" had vowed not to make the trip again. Next year girl #1 would fly to Salt Lake and girl #2 would bring hubby along and make the trip by motorcycle.(Where would I put all the junk and copies that I travel with?) Well, maybe the fireworks weren't for us after all but a beautiful thought and display just the same.

Sunday morning came and it was time to gather ourselves, all our stuff and trappings for the trip home. We had accumulated a three and a half foot tall stack of library copies, several hundred scanned to flash drive documents plus some new books and gifts for the family which we had purchased at the new Deseret Book Store. All in all we had added a couple hundred more pounds of freight to the mix. Girl one fretted and watched as I, girl two, got Lit'l Red stuffed full. We even had room left over according to my calculations and could have made another quick round at the copy machines in the library to fill in the voids! Two hours of hauling and packing the car and we were off and heading out of the parking garage. We would quickly head for State Street and then directly onto the interstate going east. Hitting the first stop light, we remarked there sure were a lot of unsavory looking people hanging around and laying around on the sidewalks- all on a Sunday morning. Turn right, more people. Once again we determined that we were surely being honored with a grand send off and goodbye. Our hopes were dashed as we realized we were not guests of honor but intruders in a staging area for the Utah Pride parade! We tried to hail a motorcycle cop for directions out of the barred area but were ignored as he sped on by, sadly we didn't even glean a second look. Girl #1 made the decision to turn left at that time, right into the area where all the horses and riders were staging their set ups for the parade. Lit'l Red was not on the welcome list there. Getting through the horses and riders and going around several more blocks finally brought us to the I-80 interchange and we were finally able to "get out of Dodge!" (Note to us: pack balloons, masking tape and an electric sign for next year, we don't want to miss the next opportunity to star in a parade and get some free advertising for the You Go Girls.)

The first exciting stop on the way home was a rest stop only a few miles down the road. All the excitement had precluded us from making very many miles. It was shaping up to be a long day indeed. The rest stop was not the usual fairly well kept up type, but one with an infestation of prairie dogs right under foot. They made us think of the occasional "winter" mouse that might move into the garage, but these were "mice" on steroids so we made it a short stop, not wanting to be wisked away, down into their burrows and lost to history! Back on the road again and finally and surely heading East. We talked and laughed for six hours across Wyoming. We even began to talk about next years trip back to the Family History Library. The moans, groans, aches, pains and flared tempers had already begun to disappear in anticipation of "next time". What could we do without and what we needed to add to our list besides those balloons for the next parade?

Breezing across Wyoming, girl #1, the driver, finally noticed that we were nearly running on empty. Rawlins, Wyoming was just ahead for another stop and much need gasoline fill up and should be just a few short miles ahead. We were to be in Cheyenne, Wyoming around 5 pm and it was now 3:15 pm. Rawlins was a lot further away from Cheyenne than that so we were running late. No Rawlins, no gas station on the horizon. We were now running on fumes and a strange sign appeared that said "Laramie, 26 miles." Okay, so we had missed Rawlins,Wyoming many miles back and it must have been during the 10 miles we were playing "Lit'l Red gets boxed in" with those three nasty semi trucks or during the strategy meeting for next years trip. Just ahead was a small sign that said we could get gas and sustenance if we would exit next- to the only gas station that would be available for miles. We were just hoping it would be open on that Sunday. It was, and we just made it in on our remaining gas fumes! As we pulled up to the pump, a good looking male walked by. Even with our poor eye sight from days of scanning micro film in the library for those ancestors, these Grannies still knew a good looking guy when we saw one. Inside the station while girl #1 was in the powder room that guy came over and introduced himself to me. As he turned to leave, I told him that he was very handsome, patted his behind and he shivered with delight! As we went out the door, he winked his big beautiful eyes, turned up his wrinkled face in a big grin, and "FROG", the Bulldog, was heard to say: "You Go Girls--- you made my day!"

We stayed overnight in Cheyenne, Wyoming and completed the trip on home to western Nebraska on Monday morning. After a meet and greet with hugs and kisses around from my own two dogs, we had anticipated a quiet day of relaxation after the nearly 1600 mile trip. Girl #1 was going to complete the trip on home to North Platte, Nebraska the next day after a short visit once again to the final resting place of her husband and my brother. Those plans of relaxation and early to bed did not work very well when storm clouds starting rolling into the western Nebraska area in the afternoon. We had remarked that morning as we drove from Cheyenne to Alliance that the sky was strange and the low fog bank that stretched for many miles ahead of us was unusual for our area. About 6:30 pm, the storm came up following watches all afternoon. Watches changed to Tornado warnings and city sirens began to blow. The Grannies roped up the dogs and headed to the basement in night clothes. Girl #1 hobbled back up the steps to retrieve her flash drive with info from Salt Lake, just in case, and she knew all her other important files were safe back home in North Platte. The storm hide-out under the steps was full of junk which I had to clean out hurriedly , the dogs wouldn't mind, and we just wanted to get to bed! City streets flooded up over the walk way and into my lawn, roads washed out and girl #1 worried that Lit'l Red would float down the street, when the water reached the underside of her car.We got 2 and 1/2 inches of rain in an hour that night plus more over the late evening. Finally, two and 1/2 hours later after three separate storms passed by, all prompting city tornado sirens, we were able to get settled in for the night. It must have been the anger from all our ancestors that we left behind this time in the Salt Lake Family History Library, still hidden away in the dark recesses of time. We brought many back home with us but sadly many were left behind until the next visit!

Today we are both glad to be home and anxious to sort out all our goodies and get started now with the hard work of sorting our treasures, papers, documents and maybe even a census or two. The real work of all the family mysteries has now begun. After taking the shuttle to the British Isles, the slow boat to Sweden, multiple side trips to the book floor, and hours living in the micro film room we are blessed with information. Girl #1 will be busy for all summer analyzing, sorting and entering her finds, I will not even get to start on mine until later as my husband has vacation coming up and we will be gone camping but at least I can read and study some of my finds. Neither of us got completely through our research notebooks so we have a good start for the next visit. Even if we lived in Salt Lake, the research and stories would never come to an end!

Now it is time for us to once again gather our senses, and think of packing again. Soon we will be off again to Loveland, Colorado for the Family History Expo on June 25and 26th. More genealogy and summer fun. The Grannies will be once again on the go. We hope to meet you there but if you can't attend, we'd love to have you join us as we report on the great classes and fun from Loveland!

You Go Genealogy Girl #2, Cheri

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

More Good Stuff

Don't you just hate that word "stuff?"  What is stuff?  It is what I put in my computer bag to go to Salt Lake City and the Family History Library.  You Go Genealogy Girl #2 supposedly had an identical bag, only blue and mine is red.  Once there, she realized that hers was much smaller. She definitely has NOT learned how to consolidate, so ended up putting her "stuff" into one of her suitcases on wheels.  

Actually you see everything imaginable in line at the front door of the library as well as inside. If you are lugging around a laptop, plus supplies and notes or notebooks, it is a good idea to wheel it in.  Girl #2 wasn't the only one there with a suitcase!  

Let's take a peak at what was inside my rolling computer bag.  Of course, my laptop was in it. Along with that I had the power cord and the computer lock, both necessary.  You won't need an extender to your power cord in the library, but you may in your hotel room depending upon how far you are from a plug in.  Girl #2 decided to use the desk and I used the round table in our room.  She had a power outlet close by, but I had to use my extender cord.  

In the pocket area of my bag I packed 3x5 cards on which I jotted down call numbers of books or micofilm numbers.  You are allowed five of each at a time (even though people sometimes take more books to their tables).  Having five numbers on the card helps in keeping pace with the retrieval process.  

I also had a staple puller, small stapler, pens (red, blue, black) labeled with my name and a mechanical pencil also labeled with my name, plus a highlighter.  Nobody took any from my work site, but Girl #2 has been known to snatch pens from me in a "quick-use" and then they don't get back ... yes you do!!  Thus the names on them.  I took post-it notes and never used them.  If you take them, do not mark books with them as they leave a residue that can be damaging to the pages.  If you take a small stapler, be sure to take some staples!  

Girl #2 uses a mouse and mouse pad at all times with her laptop.  I used mine only in the hotel room.  If you are a cordless mouse user, be sure you have replacement batteries in your bag.  I did and had to use one.  

Other sundry items included hand sanitizer and hand lotion, both of which I used extensively. In fact, first thing each morning I took both out of my bag and had them by my computer.  It is dry in Salt Lake City, especially if you are from points east.  Be sure you pack some lip balm.  I also took a small magnifying glass, but never used it.  The eyes are still pretty good.  Oh yes, I took business cards and did hand them to people we met.  Girl #2 borrowed from me as she forgot hers.  I have a small, round plastic pill box in which I put allergy and pain meds, just in case.  Girl #2 had spare eye glasses in her bag ... I know because her bag accidentally fell over on one pair and she had to put the lenses back in them.  

In another area of my computer bag I had a few file folders.  These came in very handy for sorting out copies and keeping track of them.  I also had a spiral notebook in which I made notes.  In addition I made notes to myself on my laptop.  

Speaking of the laptop, be sure that your laptop is updated with your family files and other items you may need.  You need know the passwords to subscription sites if you are checking them while in the library.  There is free Internet access in the rooms at the Plaza. Girl #2 was bumped off frequently, but I was never bumped off.  You can access Internet from any location in the library, allowing you to check e-mails, the local newspapers, your bank account, get into your subscription accounts and also check blogs (ours in particular!).  

Each evening before going to bed, we cleaned out our computer bags, making sure we had everything needed for the next day, including the file folders and all my pens and pencil.  I used a sweater mainly to mark my chair so I could spot it.  Each morning all I had to do was put a fresh jug of water into the computer bag, insert the laptop, zip up and grab my sweater and little pouch I slung over my shoulder for my cash, library photocopy card and room key card. Usually I had to wait for Girl #2 to stuff more into her suitcase.  

Then we were ready to begin our brief wait for the library to open, watching genealogists in their array of bags and attire line up at the door.  We met great genealogists while we waited. Hope they thought we were great also!  

Planning a Trip to the Family History Library

I have posted some of my thoughts and tips for researching in the Family History Library at my other blog, Genealogy Lines. 

It is never too early to plan your trip.  You Go Genealogy Girl #2 and I began planning our trip last November.  This meant reviewing genealogy files, documents and deciding which lineages we should definitely research.  We began searching the Family History Library Catalog online. As we found film, fiche or book information, we printed it off.  Then we prepared a notebook which contained a layout of each floor of the Family History Library.  In each section we placed the sheets we had printed off by floor, i.e. Main Floor, 2nd Floor, etc.  We added comments on some of the sheets as reminders as to what to check.   

We both took our computers.  The first thing I discovered was that my notebook was a bit bulky and cumbersome to look through at microfilm readers.  So ... I took out the pages that were on floors with microfilm readers and clipped them together.  Because we were staying at the Plaza next door, we could easily go back there if we forgot something, needed to get rid of extra baggage, etc.  

Resign yourself that you will never get everything accomplished in one trip.  Don't struggle with time ... just enjoy it.  And DO take breaks.  We discovered that even just going outside refreshed us enough to continue our research.  Do not be afraid to ask for help or ask questions.  If one attendant at the library doesn't have any answer, keep asking.  

While packing is half the fun of traveling, it can become a chore.  We drove to Salt Lake City, so could take more than people do when flying or going by train.  If you stay at the Plaza, you can wash clothes in the laundry room on the lower level.  It doesn't take that long and counts as a break.  We brought a large paper punch which we really did not need.  There are some supplies such as this on each floor in the library.  I probably should have taken a more complete listing of places, such as counties, states, etc.  While I used my laptop each day, this might have saved a bit of time.  

I love shoes, but only took two pair on this trip.  You Go Genealogy Girl #2 surprised me and had several pair of shoes.  I wish I had brought more shoes.  Just changing my shoes helps when putting in long days on the feet.  While you think you are sitting at tables or film readers, you are still doing a lot of walking ... into the stacks and photocopy machines, after film.  

If you do not have a lock for your computer, get one before you arrive in Salt Lake City.  This is a MUST.  You can link it to the leg of the microfilm reader stand or use the special desks on book floors that have electrical hook ups plus a metal loop for the computer lock.  

When you purchase a library photocopy card, keep track of it.  Don't leave it in the machine. Sign your name to it and if you do leave it, just hope an honest person turns it in.  If you use a flash drive to make copies of books or film, remember to take it with you when you leave. There are instructions for how to scan to the flash drive, but don't be afraid to ask for help.  

Your time will go quickly, so enjoy each day.  For all of you going to the library, I wish you great success ... as much or more than I had during my visit!  

You Go Genealogy Girl #1 --- Ruby