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)

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

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