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Jim M.

The "Professional Amateur" Genealogist's Toolkit

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Well, while it was out in the country, there was a church next to the cemetery and a house across the road and while I was there someone came to visit a grave and I don't think there were any woods adjacent, just fields and besides I'm female!

Edited by laura1814

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Tom,

Yes, some of the things on her list are so basic, like a map, that I don't think about them. If I were going somewhere besides Tennessee, I'd probably have to buy one. But those good ole Tennessee roads are as familiar as the Alabama ones are. <G>

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Tom,

Yes, some of the things on her list are so basic, like a map, that I don't think about them. If I were going somewhere besides Tennessee, I'd probably have to buy one. But those good ole Tennessee roads are as familiar as the Alabama ones are. <G>

I wish I could say the same Teresa. I lived my life away from the areas I research. :sad: Three hours from south central Virginia and two hours from the Eastern Shore, so I need the maps. The good news is that with my many trips I'm learning the roads. :D If they don't stop construction and expansion around here, I'll need a map to figure out where I live! :wacko:

 

In Virginia we have the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDoT). I don't know about other states, but many (all?) county VDoT "transportation sheds" carry maps for their work crews. Some have two types of maps -- one showing schools and churches, the other showing city layouts. I have been very fortunate when stopping and asking for a county map that shows churches. They have been very nice, sometimes will ask what I'm doing (which leads to conversation, which the person frequently tells me some places to look for), and having given me a map when they have one in stock. If people don't want to mess with that, the state has a package deal of all Virginia county maps for about $40 (I think). The maps are super for hi-liting and marking where you've been, churches, cemeteries, and the like.

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But I forgot to say anything at all about paper, pencils, pens, hi-liters for marking maps, and all that good stuff.

 

:o:nono: My husband would die if he saw me mark up a map. They are sacred paper as far as he is concerned. And they must be refolded properly. :D

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:o:nono: My husband would die if he saw me mark up a map. They are sacred paper as far as he is concerned. And they must be refolded properly. :D

 

Join AAA (or similar) for a year and get lots and lots and lots of free maps. Then you could mark on old maps!

 

I heard once that a great way to torture an engineer (should you ever wish to) is to tie him up and then stand in front of him and fold a map improperly. :fear:

 

As for all the maps and stuff in my car, it all stays there. I don't have to pack it.

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:o:nono: My husband would die if he saw me mark up a map. They are sacred paper as far as he is concerned. And they must be refolded properly. :D

HA HA HA HA I think that's why I have at least two copies of each map. I use one for marking in the car and another for reference only. The one in the car is normally a mess! Different color markings, folded improperly, and at least one or two seams starting to part.

As for all the maps and stuff in my car, it all stays there. I don't have to pack it.

Laura, I'm glad to see that you keep stuff in your car. I thought I was nuts! :wacko: I've even got a dufflebag sort of thing that I keep partially packed. If someone phones from another part of the state and wants me to go to a cemetery or court house with them, I can be on the road in less than 30 minutes. And, if they phone early enough I can be wherever they want me by 11 AM. :D I'm prepared to spend the night or spend a week, its all there.

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Tom,

My brother was born with cerebral palsy and lived in TN with my parents. I have kept a suitcase packed for years, with not only clothes, but things to occupy the kids. When he died last year, I unloaded the clothes, but I still keep bags of things for the kids to do along with my genealogy stuff at the ready in case we get called out of town. Of course with kids, we could live out of the van for a month or two without any new purchases. B)

 

It's not a hummer, but it can go off the road into a cemetery and like Laura, I have 122,000+ miles, so I have all the necessary tools to fix it should it decide to bite the dust on me when I am traveling. Now if I could just get the kids as excited about cemeteries as they are about amusement parks, I'd have it made. :rolleyes:

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Teresa and Laura,

 

It's done me a world of good to see your posts. We have strayed a bit off topic, but to see that I'm not alone in "staying packed" is simply great. I would like to believe there are more like us out there, but who knows.

 

Here is typical fall time of the year scenario for me. My cousin, who lives 160 miles away, phones around 7 AM and say's "Hey, it's going to be a beautiful day out here. What do you think about us (him, his wife, and me) hitting a couple of cemeteries?" I answer with "Hm-m-m, well-l-l-l-l, I have so-o-o-o much to do. WAIT, I just cancelled all plans and will be there in about 3 1/2 hours." :thumbsup: Around 10:30 or 11 AM I pull up at his place and off we go. At that point I already know that we will probably be gone until around 4 or 5 PM, so I'll spend the night (of course he already knew I would stay HA HA HA). The next moring we get up and decide to go visit some "relatives" and take in another cemetery that afternoon. So I spend another night. And it goes on like this. No hassle, no loading the car problems, no clothes problems, and the only thing I really check closely is making sure I have sufficient meds with me. :) If it looks like I'm going to stay on the weekend, my wife and/or daughter (both work) might drive out and join us on Friday evening. They might stay for a day or two and we all head back home in two vehicles.

 

Um-m-m-m, speaking of cars. Mine isn't a Hummer either, but I take it everywhere! My daughter thought she'd die laughing last year when I was trying to reach a small family cemetery and drove through an unturned corn field. :angelnot:

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Just something from my days as a Scoutmaster - by all means, always keep a couple of rolls of TP in the car... but whatever you do, folks - put them in Zip-Loc bags! There's absolutely nothing more discouraging than finding that you somehow left the TP out in the rain. :shocking: (MacArthur Park as background music here) "And I'll never know any modesty again..... OOOHHHH NOOOOOOOOOOOO...."

 

In troop meetings where we were planning for a campout, I would always ask the group "What's a Scout's best friend?" - to which the enthusiastic response would be (from 60-80 boys) - "TP in a Zip-Loc!!!" The older kids would be muttering something about Girl Scouts, of course, but that wasn't part of the official Boy Scout program... ;)

 

Speaking of Girl Scouts, my wife's been a Girl Scout leader for over ten years, and I think she could support a small town for a week with all the stuff in the trunk of her car.

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Jim,

Former Girl Scout and former Girl Scout Leader, so I know what you mean. <G>

 

Tom,

I keep extra meds in my suitcase. At the end of the month, when I refill, I put the new one in the suitcase, and use the ones out of the suitcase. I try to keep at least a one week supply in the suitcase at all times. That way if I have to leave and forget to take them, I can at least stay a week safely.

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Tom,

I keep extra meds in my suitcase. At the end of the month, when I refill, I put the new one in the suitcase, and use the ones out of the suitcase. I try to keep at least a one week supply in the suitcase at all times. That way if I have to leave and forget to take them, I can at least stay a week safely.

Ah ha! Another great tip that had escaped me. AND, you know what, I have one of those 7-day pill thingies and was only using it while I was gone. I think I'll load it up this morning. :)

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Goodness, we use the 7-day pill thingies all the time around here! They are easy to grab and go. I don't go so far as keep one in a suitcase though.

 

When I was practicing law (which I hope to be doing again soon) I kept a bag in my car with extra pantyhose, a change into comfy clothes (including tennis shoes), and I always carry a travel toothbrush and toothpaste in either my purse or my briefcase with wheels.

 

I never really thought about doing something similar for spontaneous genalogical and/or weekend trips. Generally I don't have enough energy for those anyhow, but maybe I should reconsider. Thanks!

 

Oh, and the TP is always in a Ziploc bag! (My mom was my Girl Scout Leader!)

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OK, so is anyone working on the three complete checklists? (This is not, I repeat, NOT, volunteering!) :bag:

  • Library / Archives
  • Cemeteries
  • Should be in the car anyway

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Okay, after my last research trip I would like to add:

 

Fingernail clippers.

 

I can not stand to type with long fingernails. I drove for an hour looking for a place to buy a pair of fingernail clippers in down town Huntsville AL and finally gave up. Walmart had them, but I didn't go in the right direction. :( So now I have a good pair in my laptop case. At least until I fly again. :)

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Jim:

 

In which VA city were you for this state library? You say "local", meaning a large city or county?

 

I had a rather amusing experience at my local county library. I booted up my ancient Dell laptop (which I seldom use), and horrors of horrors it played the brief Windows boot-up theme -- at the lowest volume but faintly audible. Every head in the room turned to my carrel (I could see some people looking over the partitions to see who the offender was). Someone left the room, and returned shortly with a librarian in tow, who firmly explained to me, with the strained patience one reserves for a young child, that no audio was allowed in the study room. I supressed a smart aleck crack and just nodded. Spent the next 5 minutes trying to find the button that turned off the audio. I can only assume that if I didn't find it and the Shut Down theme played, I'd risk a stoning.

I think the frame you referred to is called a copy frame or copy stand if it has attachment arms for lights.

 

Judith

 

I visited my local state library yesterday. I had a lot of fun figuring out how the system works. (see signature line) After reading and signing a good half-dozen forms, showing my driver's license twice (which was copied both times), I finally reach the manuscript area. There are cameras everywhere - what are those for?

 

I

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Judith,

That reminds me of the time I had my computer set to my "cat" theme. Cat colors, cat meows, etc. I was having a TMG problem and Bob called to help me fix it. After a few seconds of key strokes, he finally asked me if I needed to do something about my cat. Being used to the cat noises as I worked, I had learned to block them out. :LOL Needless to say, we got a good laugh when I realized the "cat" was electronic.

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I visited my local state library yesterday. I had a lot of fun figuring out how the system works. (see signature line) After reading and signing a good half-dozen forms, showing my driver's license twice (which was copied both times), I finally reach the manuscript area. There are cameras everywhere - what are those for?

 

I had -

  • An 8.5x11 legal pad in a zippered folio, two carefully chosen black ballpoint pens (had to be sure they'd actually work!), and a 1GB thumb drive
    [Addressing me very slowly, e-nun-ci-a-ting e-ver-y syll-a-ble, she loudly announces to the entire room: "We ask patrons only to use loose paper and pencils in this area. (pointing) That's what the lockers are for." <_< The two "power genealogist" types across the room roll their eyes in unison - how did they do that? Wait - never mind - I know.]
  • No change in hand
    ["Pa-trons are ad-vised to bring su-ffi-cient funds with them to the li-bra-ry, in-clu-ding loo-oose change for the lock-ers." :wacko: I don't know how she did it, but she's got the word "loose" with two syllables - I heard them! And - it's a good thing I don't take myself too seriously.]
  • Not much time to do any research after getting set up in and learning the "system" :(

I ask: "Why do you need cameras? People would actually steal this stuff?" [i get "the look", then her eyes drop down and to the right, and she clears her throat, preparing to speak. Then it hits me.] "Uh, wait a minute, I know." [Of course - there's always been a market for historical documents, stolen or otherwise. I wonder if it's possible to get "Rookie" tatooed on my forehead on a Saturday afternoon. :lookaround:]

 

I'll be much better prepared next time... :)

 

I saw a number of people using various combinations of the following items.

  • Laptop (some had very expensive Dells - >$4K) - all apparently wireless, no one using Ethernet cables
  • An expensive magnifying glass
  • Loose-leaf notebook paper
  • Pencils out the wazoo
  • Rolls of quarters
  • Some wheeled carry-on luggage rigs, custom designed to carry all of the above
  • Bonafide attitude

What's in your toolkit?

 

Would you consider -

  • A small flatbed scanner - USB-attached to a laptop?
  • A camera?
  • One of those portable document photography "frame" gizmos?

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In this topic I could not see the most important item of your toolkit.

Whether visiting an archive, cemetery or family, you need to write out and bring your

 

WORK PLAN

 

List the information you are seeking, and the information you already have that is pertinent to your questions.

(My relevant information is often contained on my current family group sheets, with their memos and sources.)

 

Perhaps some of you have your work plan on your notebook computer and therefore didn't mention it.

Without a plan or sense of direction you might not get the most out of the trip.

One option is to use the TMG Research log, which can be filtered and printed as the List of Tasks.

This can be filtered by the repository which you expect will hold the information sought.

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For a cemetery visit I go loaded and it doesn't matter if it's a church, family or public cemetery. Let's see ...

 

Pocket knife -- this fall I will purchase a machete to keep in the trunk

Cell phone

 

Basically I take the exact same items with me to the state and county library, state archives, genealogical societies, visiting people, etc.

 

OK Tom, I want to know how you get a machete into a state archive, library, gen or historical society????? :unsure:

 

One thing I've changed over the years - I no longer take my notebook computer with me, rather I use my Palm which has my entire TMG database in it, plus I have a folding keyboard with it so type notes etc right into it. I can download any digital images I take with my camera into the Palm & I have spare memory cards for both it & my camera plus I always have at least 2 flash drives with me but the Palm can also be used as one using the USB connection.

 

If I'm travelling away from home, I have my notebook computer but don't take it to whatever repository I'm visiting, rather download from my Palm each evening & make a CD or DVD copy as well. I also use an APG mechanical pencil (I have 2) along with a package of extra leads. I can fit the pencils, leads & a pair of white cotton gloves in the case for my Palm keyboard & I carry this case plus the Palm in my purse at all times. When at a repository, I simply take them out of the purse, lock the purse in the locker & carry the Palm, keyboard & usually a file folder or clipboard &, if permitted, my digital camera & tripod (small one).

 

Fortunately, most of my research is in a climate zone that doesn't require all the bug spray :D hmmm, guess I'd best not be too smug or we'll get a sudden infestation of some sort of bugs.......we do have the odd mosquito and during the day in late summer/early fall, if there's food around, we'll be inundated with wasps, known as 'yellow jackets'. Otherwise, we're very fortunate not to have black flies & other like pests.

 

I agree with carrying all sorts of 'just in case' items in the vehicle - I carry a camp bed & sleeping bag all the time as I live a ways out of town and travel back and forth often at night by myself so if the road becomes a problem (flooding, trees blown down, etc.) I have some options, including my boots in case I need to walk any distance & an umbrella (I'm on the 'Wet Coast of British Columbia' :) so it gets used fairly often).

 

B)

Joan

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OK Tom, I want to know how you get a machete into a state archive, library, gen or historical society????? :unsure:

<snip>

Joan

Let's see... the machete? Ah, yes! The machete is normally there for use on family and private cemeteries. Thick undergrowth, brambles, thorn bushes, weeds, low-lying branches, etc. I've been on several cemetery cleanups where a machete was indispensable.

 

I'll admit that I've never taken a machete into a state archive, library, gen or historical socity, etc. :D I'll also have to admit that there have been a couple of times that I wish I had. :rolleyes::whistle:

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excellent thread! I have a few different lists of to-bring items, depending on where I'm going. First thing: I check the website for the archive, library etc to see if they have policies on paper, pencils etc and to double check their hours.

 

So, for the places I regularly go:

 

1. Lancashire records office

-1 gbp coin (for locker)

-railcard (cheaper train travel :-))

-user registration card :-) for ***first visit would need proof of where your postal address is, this is very common for british archives***

-my genealogy notebooks (about 5x5 inches each, indexed for previous visits)

-printouts of my TMG and other to-do lists, and lists of items I've gotton before so I don't duplicate. Includes list of items that need to be ordered from the archives in order of importance, since they only deliver 3 documents at a time.

-phone numbers of local collaborators

-computer and power cord (they have wireless, yay!)

-mechanical pencils

-camera (they charge for use, so I bring it just in case there is something I desperately want a copy of that cannot be photocopied)

-credit card and at least 10 gbp cash (they allow payment for photocopy tokens with credit card, and I get loads of photocopies they make after I've left, so we just total at the end of the day and I make one payment on the card)

-sweater/jumper (can't bring in a coat but can wear in clothing. it's not usually cold though)

-lunch (it's not close to places to eat) and water

 

For items I order up, I generally take a few key notes then order a photocopy, which they post a few days afterward to me. All OPR I take notes in my notebook and transfer later to TMG, I often refer back to the notebooks later so this system works for me.

 

A good thing to note for anyone visiting uk archives (at least the LRO) from overseas - photocopies probably can't be provided on the same day, so they'll probably need to post it to you back home!

 

2. The Harris library in Preston or Manchester Public library

they don't seem to complain if I take photos, so I generally look at microfilm/fiche and photograph anything that interests me with my digital camera. I also bring the notebooks, computer, and lots of change since if photocopies are required they don't take credit card. The usual lists, pen/pencil etc.

 

3. graveyards, etc. (I don't do this often so I'm not an expert)

-GSP and extra batteries

-map

-camera and extra batteria

-the ubiquitous notebook, pens, pencils

-mobile phone

-umbrella? :-)

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Well, I try to take as little as possible to libraries and archives--laptop, scanner or camera. I don't know when I was last in one that didn't allow laptops. If there might be an outlet problem, I take a second battery for the laptop.

 

This doesn't mean I don't often have a lot of other stuff along, like kleenex, hard candies in case of funny throat, pen and paper. In Europe, passport for ID the first time I go.

 

On the other hand, I do like to keep things like jumper cables, tent, and sleeping bag in the car. But this isn't really for genealogical purpose.

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