"If you can't get rid of the family skeleton, you may as well make it dance"
-George Bernard Shaw


Saturday, April 11, 2009

GTAGS/DAR

Seems I haven't written about my experience with the GTAGS/DAR event from last month, I thought I had better do so now.
It was a nice set up and there were lots of helpers present. Eric came along to help lift and carry and move tables, but by the time we got there it was all almost done. I chose a table and set up my station. The first lady I helped was looking for a woman who was identified as 'some relation' but wasn't really sure and wanted to know more information about her. She was very eagar to find information, but what she had was very vague. I search with her for about half an hour with no luck. She said I gave her some ideas and I tried to give her suggestions to follow up with.
The second lady I tried to help was trying to locate a marriage certificate for her DAR membership. I was honest that I knew nothing about DAR but I would help her as well. I spent about half and hour with her as well with no luck. I also gave her some suggestions to follow up on. I hope she finds her marriage certificate.
I met a few members from the local chapter of DAR and after reflecting on my own research, I don't think I can qualify as a DAR member seems none of my relatives were in the US at that time. Maybe in the Loomis line, but I'm not sure.
After my second person I wandered around the room for a while then fatigue got the best of me and I left about an hour early. I was told there wasn't the turn out like there was last year, but I wonder if it is because many people came last year and don't have the brickwalls they had last year, or who knows!
It was in interesting day. Off to the next.

Slow Going

Things have been kinda slow lately in the genealogy arena for me. I've been so overwhelmed with school and I just learned a couple weeks ago we're going to be adding to our own family tree. Anyway, I've done some work on findagrave.com adding memorials and photos that I have taken, fulfilled a couple of photo requests and had a couple of my own requests filled for Fitzgerald family members in the Cadillac Area.

We are continuing to plan our trip to Pennsylvania for our family research. I just bought one of those scanning pens that scans text from Woot.com. I'm hoping it will come in handy for my research trip.

I finished the last couple of photos in Monroe Center Cemetery. I drove down there on Thrusday after class and the snow is finally melted off all the headstones.

I have submitted my first (and second) round of press releases as the publicity chair for GTAGS. It came to my attention after I sent out the batch orginally, that I put the wrong date, so after several phone calls and emails and another mailed batch, I think I have the error undercontrol. Thanks Brenda, if you're reading this, for catching that for me. This is definately a lesson in checking your work before submitting and making sure to proofread!
Of course, all this is after having the speaker changed because the orginal speaker that was booked wouldn't confirmed and that left us scrambling for a speaker. To make matters worse the orginal speaker was one of my newspaper contacts. I can imagine he was rather suprised when he recieved the email. At least it was straightened out.
I am very excited that this month's speaker is Betty Driscoll from Oceana County and she is speaking on her reserach on the Traverse City State Hosptial! I get lots of research requests about the state hospital and I am interested in hearing what Betty has to say. She is currently working on a book about the State Hospital, which I am sure I will add to my library here at home.