Sunday, August 11, 2013

Week 8 Back to a normal week

Well after last week and being in North Dakota my goal this week was to get back on track. This week would involve shorter trips to complete project for clients.

The first visit this week was to the Toledo Lucas County Public Library Local History and Genealogy room at the downtown branch. This is the library I started doing my research at when I was thirteen years old. When I first started my interest in genealogy I thought I would come here tell them my name and they would hand me my genealogy. Boy was I wrong. Thirty years later I am still working on family history, but oh how many wonderful journeys of discovery I have been on since the beginning. So many happy memories. Still one of my favorite genealogy departments. Love how they still keep adding to the collection and the area to do research is wonderful.

The reason for my visit to the library was to work on a local Probate case that I have been asked to work on by a local lawyer. This is a new exciting avenue for my to research. Interesting thing in this search is to not be so concerned about tracing back as it is to trace to current times. Makes for a completely different type of search. Time period is normally from the 1930's till now. Your primary tools of research are the 1940 census, vital records, newspapers and city directories. This can be a heavy challenge due to restrictions on records. With using the multiple sources you are able to piece things together.

On Tuesday I spent my time reviewing my work from the day before. It was also spent identifying the gaps that I still had with the Probate case. It made me realize that I would need to travel to Findlay, Ohio to retrieve a obit. Collecting all the pieces of the puzzle is important to making a clearer picture. Talked with a client as well about the Civil War pension and service records we got back. They were a big disappointment, because they did not provide the information we were looking for concerning as yet confirmed relationships to suspected family members. Will have to identify a new path to get what we are looking for in our search.

Wednesday was spent creating research research plans for three projects that I was going to have to do the next day in Ft. Wayne. Preparation for me makes the research process very quick and systematic. Knowing what you are going to be looking for in a library as big as Ft Wayne is so important so you don't waste time. One of my goals is to go paperless. Job accomplished on my flash drive.

Thursday spent my whole day in Ft Wayne researching on three clients projects. It reminds me sometimes of a bad day of fishing without the sunburn. Results were mixed with the majority of the time learning very little on the families histories. Amazes me some days on how you find tons and others where the well is dry.

Friday was spent answering emails and doing planning for the Irish trip. Traveled to Findlay to retrieve the obit I needed. Very well organized library. Was in and out in less than five minutes. Back to more preparation for the upcoming week.

Next week will be broken up by a trip to Florida. Traveling with my brother in law to help with moving his mother in law back up to Ohio. Don't like taking breaks from genealogy, but this has to be done.

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