Thursday, November 22, 2012

I'm Thankful For ...

Researching your family history is rarely ever a solo effort.  It involves other people, different places, and stepping back into history.  Here are a few things for which I am thankful as I have been researching this year.

I'm thankful for meeting a third cousin who lives across the country from me. We met online, e-mailed, and shared photos and copies of family letters.  Now we each know more about our family.

I'm thankful for Lisa Louise Cooke whose Genealogy Gems Podcast convinced me to start writing this blog.  And I really appreciate those of you who have responded favorably to it.

I'm thankful for the fantastic volunteers who transcribed the 1940 census so that it is available for anyone to search online for FREE.  Thanks also for those organizations who worked together to help this come about - USGenWeb, FamilySearch.org, FindMyyPast, the National Archives, and others.

I'm thankful for those who saved old letters, photos, and other mementos.  This is the stuff of everyday life that helps the past come alive.

I'm thankful for the knowledgeable and helpful people at the Manuscript and Rare Book Library at Emory University in Atlanta.  Their web site had information about how to find the place, where to park, etc., and the box of Camp Family letters I planned to study was waiting for me when I checked in.  Thanks also for lending me a pencil when I had forgotten mine.

Finally, I've thankful for all I have learned from my family, those with me today, and those whom I "meet" through researching.


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