Many family historians in the U. S. view this time of year as genealogy travel time! Visits to libraries, historical societies, archives, and courthouses increase as we search for the extensive number of records that are not online today.

Have you forgotten to add other visits to your travel itinerary? Might the ancestral areas be having an all school, town, or church reunion? Maybe it’s the annual town festival or picnic. Stop and think about the people who might be in attendance. People who knew your parents, grandparents, grandaunts and uncles, and maybe even the great grandparents. What stories might they have to share or old photographs. Which person knows about the family cemetery hidden in the woods?

How do we find out about these events? Simple online searches using the name of the school, town, or church plus reunion. Maybe the name plus words such as picnic or festival.

Is the town newspaper online? Look for a calendar of events.

Check for a genealogical society in the area and see if they have a meeting when you will be there. For any of these events, you might need to alter your trip itinerary a bit. It will be worth it!

Have a fun summer!

© 2017, Paula Stuart-Warren. All rights reserved.