As genealogist we tend to collect gobs of pictures and other paper documentation and organization is something that takes time, planning and skill. We’ve all had those ah ha moments when we wish we had done it differently. I have taken the suggestions of other genealogist and things they have learned from their mistakes and put them together to help you get organized, whether you are just starting, or if you have been at it for awhile, there are some super suggestions here that might help you in in organizing digital photos. Getting organized is something that is paramount as a genealogist.

GET started now, because a pile of papers that are not organized may just go in the trash after we die. Get it organized and give it to a library or other repository as well as any family that are interested!

PHOTOS

WHERE DO YOU START

First and foremost…get all your pictures in one place. I recently watched a youtube video that gave some good suggestions as to how to do this. You have your originals, plus you have all those on your computer that could be scattered all over the place.

I started with my online photos first so I will talk about online methods in this post and we will talk about what to do with all those boxes and boxes full in another post.

There are all kinds of different ideas and methods out there and the BEST one is the one that WORKS best for you. If you have a good method already and you understand it and feel comfortable with it there is no need to change. If you are just starting out and you are overwhelmed and frustrated with your system, you might want to try some of these ideas. I recently had to get a new computer and found myself very frustrated with learning Windows 10. I couldn’t find any of my pictures. I was so frustrated and spent way too much time trying to locate pictures that I knew I had. The new computer wouldn’t accept some of my files, and I couldn’t use my old software. This caused me to look for a better way.

WHAT I DID

FOR FILES ALREADY ON THE COMPUTER

What I finally ended up doing is to get all my pictures in one place. Though I had organized most of my family pictures into files by name they were still a bit mixed up. All the family pictures go into a folder named FAMILY. I have main folders with the SURNAME, for instance in my case, PIERCE, NUTSCH, BLUM, MCCOLLUM….Sort of like you are building a tree. Then I made a file folder for each individual and couple within the main folder. PIERCE…Starting with my DAD, CECIL…then his children CHARLINE, JEFF, SUSAN, then their children… etc… I then made a folder for my grandfather, VENUS PIERCE, and a folder for each of his children  and so on.  JOHN, CLIFF, CAROL, CECIL would go into his fathers folder. Cecil’s children, would go into CECIL’s folder and so on. Then I sorted all the pictures into their individual files.

1. Step one was to get all the family photo’s into the FAMILY folder.
2. Step two was to move the photo’s into the appropriate SURNAME folder.
3. I would then go back and divide them into their INDIVIDUAL family folder and so on.

So ALL of CECIL’s pictures, his children, his grandchildren, and great grandchildren would go into CECIL’s folder to start with. I would then go to Cecil’s file and move all of CHARLINE”s children, grandchildren, etc, into her folder. Then I would go back and move the children’s pictures into their individual folder…VENUS, SOAN. Then I would move the grandchildren into their individual folder.  (ARE YOU WITH ME?) Basically you are using your pedigree for guidance. If there were pictures with more than one person in it I would include a “Cecil’s Family” or CECIL and PEGGY family so as long as you know what family they belong in you will be able to find them

Group them  by 4 ancestral lines: your maternal & paternal grandparents (I guess 8 if you have hubby’s too) Then group within that by the direct ancestor. You could make a real or digital scrapbook page with a story or caption, or a PowerPoint slideshow if you wanted to do something off line.

The only real problem I have had with this system is that you have to click through a lot of folders to get to the one you want, but you could split them up so that wasn’t a problem if you wanted.

FILE NAMES

One member suggest that you put the names of people who are in the photos in the filename. Also, be consistent about maiden names even after they are married to avoid duplication.

Use a consistent method of naming files in all your directories and devices in order to access them easily.

Except for hyphens and underscores avoid punctuation such as commas as these can mess up some file manager programs and the files will go bad.

A good practice is to name them with the SURNAME of the primary person in the photo, followed by others in the photo. This helps make sorting easier.

Put the surnames in ALL CAPS to make for easier browsing.

Underscore the separate pieces of info that are different subjects.

example: PIERCE John and wife JOHNSON Alice_wedding photo_date

OH THE DUPLICATES

We often end up with duplicates. Some say delete duplicates, some say don’t. I rename the photo with a number behind it. Often times you will find it helpful to add a duplicate to another folder so it is easier to access. For instance a family photo that has a group of people in it can be added to each individual’s file folder.  If I have group photo’s I mostly just leave them in the most appropriate family folder. ALWAYS, ALWAYS, ALWAYS, NAME your photo so that anyone can recognize it!! Someday you will be gone and you want people to know who that photo is of.

PAPER OR DIGITAL

Lots of people say that they don’t want to save paper anymore. I have thoughts on that, naturally, but I do both. I have extensive paper files, but, everything I have is duplicated in my digital files. I have seen many a computer thrown in the trash by relatives of a genealogist because they didn’t know how to get into it or because they didn’t really know that it was loaded with years of research. I want my research in lots of different places so that my appointed people must trip over it as well as seek it out on my computer which, hopefully, has a an updated format. Each of us has to decide for themselves how they want to maintain their research but I suggest that you keep it in many, different places and formats and also designate who can get to it after you die and give them the passwords.

One of my biggest fears is that my kids, who aren’t really interested in the history, will throw out my 50 years of research as “junk” because they don’t want it.  My niece, promised me that she wouldn’t let them!  I asked her if she wanted it and she said no…but I won’t let them throw it out! I have left instructions with my kids that if no one wants it to donate the BLUM family  history to the Plankinton, SD Historical Society. The NUTSCH family is to go to the Washington Co., Kansas society. I have yet to conclude as to what to do with the PIERCE and McCOLLUM family as they were EVERYWHERE. However, the Pierce family beginnings were mostly from Smyth CO, Virginia and the McCollums from Randolph, NC. so they could possibly go there. The point I’m getting out is to have a plan so someone doesn’t load up your years of hard work and take it to the river which is what happened to a lot of my grandmother’s things.

THINGS I WISH I’D KNOWN

Having scanned thousands of family photos, I can offer a few things that I wish I’d known before I started!

1. If there is writing on the back, make a copy (not a scan) of that, then scan it along with the photo, as close to the photo as possible so you can crop it as part of the photo, then you won’t have to try to figure out which back goes with which photo, if they get separated as many of mine did when my photo program decided to shuffle them like a deck of cards!

2. If your scanner allows you to name them, do that as you scan.

3. If you’re going to remove photos from an album to scan or to move them into archival albums, either scan or take a photo of each page, then you can put them back in the same order, someone put them in that order for a reason!

4. Last, an easy way to share them with family is to start a Facebook page just for family and invite everyone who’s part of that family, then ask them to invite other family members that you may not know. By doing that, I’ve gotten many unidentified photos identified, have gotten a lot of great family stories about the people in the picture, and met cousins I didn’t know before!

Remember, your files and scrapbooks, or boxes of photos  will not be just for you. Someday, someone will have to go through them. If your filenames don’t make sense or don’t clearly tell who is in them, future family members might just delete them, or throw them out thinking they are the usual junk photos that people nowadays accumulate on their devices. With NAMES in the filename people are more prone to notice and save the files.

So let’s get organized starting with what you have on your computer now. In my next post I will give you some tips on scanning and organizing those pictures in the old family albums and boxes. If you enjoyed this post or have some ideas that you would like to share, please leave me a comment below and let us hear from you.

Happy Hunting

The Pierce Family Historian

Know What You Know

One of my biggest pet peeves when researching my family tree is people (especially on Ancestry) who just click and call it good. Pretty soon someone else comes along and sees that information and assumes it is correct…without asking, …and they add it to their tree …and soon you have a lot of misinformation floating around out there and it’s all undocumented.

I’ve had it happen on my own tree. I’ve added a bit of info to research to my tree and next thing you know there are several other trees that have added it to their tree and assume it’s a fact.

I can not stress enough the importance of

sources and documentation.

I recently came a crossed a tree that had listed William M Green as the father of Robert Green. I sent them a message and asked them what their source was as from everything I have found… Robert Green’s father was born in Virginia and this William M Green was born in Tennessee. Hmm. My first clue that there might be a problem.

This person replied to me that she just clicked the green leaves and she just knew. She stated that she didn’t get into sourcing but that if I had a source that would prove differently she would change it. Well, I didn’t have a source, but I won’t add a family member without one.

My questions then would be…then how do you know?! There are literally HUNDREDS of William Greens to choose from.

The point is if you do not have some sort of documentation that that person is the right person, you are leading someone else down the wrong path. If you are serious about tracing your family you want to be sure you are tracing the RIGHT family and not someone else’s. I for one want my tree to be as accurate as possible, so be sure to prove your connection with documentation and collaboration.

COLLABORATION

Collaboration is an important part of the search. If someone has information I don’t, I always go to them and ask where or how they know what they know.

1. They might have found sources that you are unaware of

2. They could have a closer relationship to the family and have family information that you don’t

3. They may have access to family bibles and albums that could help you

Always go to the person that shared the information first and document what they tell you. If you don’t keep notes on the information that someone gives you…down the road when someone asks how you know what you know, you won’t remember. I save all the emails and correspondence I have with others when collaborating so that I can go back to the notes if I need to.

DNA has become a huge part of sourcing. If you get enough matches on people with the same line, you will start noticing a pattern in the trees. More and more the same names will start popping up which will be a big reason to follow their progress as it is most likely you will connect somewhere. Getting in touch with distant cousins could just lead you to the clue you have been looking for. One thing I love about cousins is…They are almost always willing to help you. When you have more than one dog on the scent you are more likely to find what you are looking for! (NO, I didn’t call you a dog!)

Most genealogist are eager to share and they want to know what you know as well. Two heads are better than one when it comes to investigating lineage. A simple” because I know” is not going to be sufficient for a true researcher, but someone who is just into clicking little green leaves will take it as a fact. .

TAKE NOTES

If you think you might be on the right track but are still in the process of researching a clue or a hint, put a comment or note on that person so that the next person that sees your tree will know that you haven’t yet proven it as a fact. Perhaps keep your tree private until you know the information is correct. I ALWAYS put a note in the comments if it’s a clue that has not yet been proven.

For example: while looking for the eleven children of Samuel Hays in Indiana, I added Alfred Hays as a son of his, as all the information seemed to add up to that, but I am not absolutely positive that he belongs in the family. I added him as a son, but I put a note on him stating that I had not yet proven this to be a fact and stated my reasons for believing that he was. The next person that comes along and sees this note…may just have some information to help prove or disprove it.

BE COURTEOUS

Be courteous when it comes to contacting people, and be polite. I can’t stress this enough!

I’ve found information that wasn’t correct and added it to my site without checking and then had people contact me …in not a nice way…to tell me it was incorrect. I simply answer them and tell them that I appreciate the information and thank them for letting me know. I don’t, argue with them or comment back rudely. What is the point in that? Simply thank them for the information and let it go. Seriously…you appreciate the information, correct? So a simple thank you is all that is needed. No need to take offense because they did. We are all human, we all make mistakes, simply correct the information provided, thank the person and move on.

You never know when down the road you might need to contact this person for more information and it’s best to stay on good terms. Personally, I’ve never quite understood the need for rudeness anyway. We are all just doing the best we can. So don’t get offended and don’t be offensive.

AS ALWAYS, Thanks for reading I hope you enjoyed it. If you have anything you would like to add…please leave me a comment, or just say howdy!

and Happy hunting

The Pierce Family Historian

Last year my girlfriend and I decided to take a trip together to the Genealogy Library in Salt Lake to see if we could answer some of our dead end questions. I have to admit that I let Jan do all the planning though it was basically just signing up and sending in our money for our reservations with Family Search Researchers. I saved for over a year to be able to take this trip. It was a once in a lifetime dream come true for me. I had been to the Library before like years ago and didn’t have enough time to really do anything and had no clue as to what to do first. Now with the internet the game has changed and most of what you can do there you can do at home, however there are still records there that you will not be able to find online. Some records are stored on microfilm and the books that are in the library are some you will not yet find online, however, I was told while I was there that they are working on that. With joy in my heart I will share with you my history search.

I have never been a fan of Family Search as it just did not seem user friendly to me. I wasted a lot of time getting to dead ends there, so therefore I pretty much stick to the use of Ancestry.com. Family Search has most of the same records, though they have some that Ancestry does not and vice a versa.

My reservation was for Monday the 10th of September, and from my home in Kansas it was a 14 hour drive to Salt Lake, so I took off on the 8th and headed west. I stayed my first night in Laramie, Wyoming, at a Super 8…which was only 54.00 for the night. I do love the freedom of traveling alone! I made it to Salt Lake on the evening of the 9th where Jan was waiting for me, though my drive through the mountains gave warning that there was a problem with the brakes on my car. I was up and ready early on Monday morning. Registration and dinner wasn’t until 4. This gave me time to get my car into the shop and feel more confident about the safety of my vehicle before the end of the week when I would take off on the second half of my trip. (will write about that in my next post)

At 4 that afternoon, Jan and I went to the meeting room on the first floor of our hotel, signed in, and had a meet and greet with the other researchers in our groups.Some of them were on their 12th year with the group! I’m feeling a bit out of my league!  We were then escorted across the street to the Joseph Smith Memorial, where a wonderful meal had been prepared for us. After dinner we were introduced to our researchers who gave a little info on their expertise.  We were then excused to our own devices until 9 am on Tuesday when we would be given a little walk through of how to use the library and then onto the library where we would begin our search.

Jan and I used this free time to take a private tour of the Joseph Smith building which at one time had been the Hotel Utah, now named in memory of Joseph Smith,  the founder of the Latter Day Saint movement. It is located on the corner of Main Street and South Temple in Salt Lake City. It is an absolutely beautiful building with a great view from the upper levels. I highly recommend you take the time to see it if you ever get to Salt Lake. There is a restaurant on the first level and one on the top level. The restaurant on the upper level has a glass roof that actually opens up during special occasions.  It is one of the most ornate buildings I’ve ever experienced!

Tuesday morning came and my excitement grew.  I thought that I was going to FINALLY find Daniel Johnson,

Robert Green, and Samuel Hays!  I had this idea that I would give what information I had to the researchers and they would know exactly what to do and where to look for these dead ends of mine.  I was confident in my belief that by the end of the day the mystery to these aliens would be solved and I could spend the rest of the week searching for other information.

Jan and I, both having Irish Ancestors, decided that we would sit in on the Finding your Irish Ancestors Class before we started the search.

After the class we were encouraged to visit the researcher for help in the lower

level of the library if we were stumped.  We then headed up to the 3rd floor of the

library to get an hour of research in before we broke for lunch. I met with my researcher and explained to her that my first quest was to find Robert Green. She gave me a quick overview of how to use the Family Search site and several areas to look and went on to help the next person in line.

I sit there at that computer all morning punching in guesses and looking for clues to no avail. I am now suffering from a high level of anxiety over my frustration. At noon we broke for lunch and Jan and I went a crossed the street and walked through Temple Square to the building where they offer up a smorgasbord  of food at cost. The food was amazing and they had everything you could think of to pick from. The usual ‘my eyes are bigger than my stomach’ set in and we both ate too much.

We returned back to the library at 2 continued the search. By 3 in the afternoon I was done!!! Overwhelmed and getting NO WHERE really fast, and a headache setting in….I announced to Jan that I was going to go back to the room for a bit to regroup.

That evening we were taken on a tour of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints Conference Center. I had little to no experience

with the Mormon faith other than letting the missionaries come in and talk with me when they came to the door, so was not at all in expectation of what we would find here.  We were greeted by a delightful guide who took us through the building and explained in detail what the building was used for and a bit of the history of  Salt Lake City.

The conference center is basically the main meeting place for events revolving around the LDS. It was HUGE! The 21,000-seat Conference Center replaced the traditional use of the nearby

Salt Lake Tabernacle, built in 1868, for semi-annual LDS Church general conferences and major church gatherings, devotionals, and other events. It is believed to be the largest theater-style auditorium ever built. The sound system was amazing!

Through out the building are commissioned works of art that mesmerize one. The color and the light in the paintings were so life like.  In the center is a large fountain and the  roof top is a garden all it’s own where you can

see the city from above. Darkness fell on us before the tour was finished and it was just a short walk back to the room.

I approached Wednesday morning with new hope. Today was the day I was going to search for and FIND Daniel Johnson. I was going to let Robert Green rest for a bit and come back to him later. I made a new friend who was an expertin using the library and she gave me a bit of guidance. The researchers camearound every now and then to check on me and see how I was progressing,and then they were on there way to help someone else. Towards the end of thesearch day even they were getting upset with Daniel! How could there be no records of him ANYWHERE!!! At 5 o’clock Jan and I called it a day and went for a bite and then met the group foa tour of the gardens in Temple Square. Oh my goodness!

There was planted every kind of flower and plant one could imagine and the gardens are scattered with statues. Most of the planting is done by volunteer groups of children and there are thirty gardeners that tend the grounds.

Large flowered baskets hang from every pole. Simply amazing!

Thursday morning, a bit less enthusiastic but a little more familiar with the method…I set out on my search again for Robert. Another day to no avail. By now the researchers are starting to get nervous.

They don’t want you to go home with nothing. One took on Robert and one took on

Daniel and we spent the day searching every clue and scenario we could think of.

What if Robert Green wasn’t even his real name? Maybe he was in trouble somewhere

and just picked a name? How is it that he has no parents, no property, to record at

all to give us a clue. No obituary, no cemetery record, no gravestone.  NOTHING!  And Daniel was just as evasive with the exception that I was able to locate a few land records that could perhaps give me another place to look for clues.

We took rest that evening by sitting in on the practice of the Tabernacle Choir. If you aren’t familiar with them you should get acquainted. They were wonderful even in practice.

Friday the researchers didn’t come in until 2…so Jan and I went to the library for awhile in the morning and then took some time to walk the downtown mall area and have some lunch.  That afternoon I had three researchers team up with me and we worked until 5 to no avail. These guys are definitely aliens.  I was so tired when I got back to the room I laid down on the bed and fell asleep exhausted. It really hurts to use the brain that much.

Saturday came and went and I experienced more of the same. The researchers too were disappointed that we came up empty.

Through it all it was a wonderful trip and I so enjoyed it. I learned so much, had a wonderful week with one of my besties, and made some new friends along the way. Would I do it again? Probably not…as most of what I do I can do at home, but YES I would visit the library again. I felt in the end that I had done my due diligence as a professional wasn’t able to come up with as much as I had. I would however recommend the week to a new researcher that needs the extra help in their search. It was worth every penny in the end. 

Sunday morning I took off early and met one of my new found friends in Winnemucca, Nevada for an evening of drinks, dinner, and slots. The following morning I left early and made my way through the mountains of southern Oregon and found myself in Eugene at dusk where waiting for me was my son and his family. Hugs and kisses were abundant as were the laughs and giggles.

Thanks for taking the journey with me! AND if you know where Robert Green and Daniel Johnson are hiding…send me a clue! I’ve been hunting them for 40 years!

Please leave a comment if you enjoyed my trip as much as I did! Or if ya just want to say howdy!

As Always

Happy Hunting!

The Pierce Family Historian

Now that you have collected all the information that you can find on your ancestor it’s time to put it all together and start writing a good story for them.

I hope to give you some tips that will help you to write a profile for them that will bring them to life for others that will be searching for them and the descendants of the future.

ORGANIZE

Gather all the information that you have on your person. Your census, marriage licence,  obituaries, pictures, veteran documents, deeds, wills, pictures, letters….everything you have.

Lay it out in order and create a timeline for them, from their birth to their marriage, the birth of children, their death etc. Recreate their life in the best order that you possibly can.

Decide where you want to begin the journey. If you are missing information on their childhood you might want to start in the middle.

Putting your ideas on index cards might make it easier for you to organize your info.

Decide how long you want the bio to be. Do you want it short and to the point or do you want to write a book?

Set some goals for yourself to write at least so many words per day/week/ month. Do you have a deadline?

Use your sources.

ASK QUESTIONS

Think of the struggles, and trials, high points and low points and write them down.

What was life like during their life time. Did they live during the depression, what were the conditions? Were there illness, health problems, deaths in the family?

How did they live/work? What were the details of the kind of work they did? Did they get up early, go to bed late? Was it hard work? How did they get to work? Did they walk, ride a horse, drive?

What was happening in the area where they lived? What kind of house did they live in? Was it rented or owned?  How did they get the home?

What was happening in history? What was going on in the world and how did it affect them?

Write down the accomplishments they may have achieved.

Recreate the memories they left behind.

STAY FOCUSED

Do your best to tell your stories in the order that they happened. Write a little bit at a time. I’ve found that if I put it all down on paper first as I think of it, then go back and rearrange it in the order it should be helps.

Find a quiet time of the day when there are few distractions so that you can concentrate on your writing. Surround yourself with the memorabilia that will put you in the time and place that makes you think of that ancestor.

MAKE IT INTERESTING

Think about your own life and reflect on the memories that you have. Reflect on your own memories and use that as a guide as to what you might share about this person. What are some of the things you remember about growing up and put yourself into the life of your ancestor? Become them and think of what it was like for them. Tell their story. This person you are writing about is not just a name and date…a beginning and and end, they had a life filled with laughter, tears, love, heartache, joy and sorrow. Paint a picture of what their life was.

Go back and re read what you’ve written. Is it easy to read and descriptive? Is it interesting enough that it keeps the readers attention and the desire to read on? Is there information that is hard to follow? Cut out unnecessary words  and avoid long sentences that will make the reading hard to follow.

DESCRIBE THEIR PERSONALITY

Were they a happy person, a worrier, a drinker, a trickster, a teaser? Were they a serious person? Boisterous? Quiet? Loud? What made people think this about them? Bring them to life with your words.

THE CORE

What is your key point to your story? Is there anything especially interesting about this person that you want to focus on? For instance, were they a war hero? Is that your main focus? Or perhaps they raised 10 children?  You could focus on what it must have been like raising that many children, and what it took to do so. Maybe they were a womanizer and that is your main focus. Knowing your key point or core might make your writing a bit more focused.

USE TOOLS

Templates can be useful. If you are having a hard time knowing where to start perhaps a template could help you to get things organized  and give you a layout.

There also helpful books that will give you ideas and questions that might strike some interest and memories in your thinking.

A dictionary or thesaurus are two tools that no writer should be without. Keep your words simple and understandable. Write like you would be telling the story yourself.

EDIT

Go back and edit your work. Sometimes it’s a good idea to get some new eyes on the project. When you’ve read and re read it so many times…you often miss mistakes that are otherwise easily recognizable.  Ask for feed back and take it with a light heart. In the end…it’s your project…but be open to constructive criticism.

In conclusion I hope that gives you a place to start and some tips to make your writing experience just a little bit easier. As always is there is anything I can do to help in anyway don’t be afraid to leave me a comment below and ask. Do you have anything else you would like to add? Let me know that also!

Happy Hunting!

The Pierce Family Historian

Susan Holmes

Wow. You’ve started gathering information on your ancestors and all kinds of questions start popping up and you decide you want to take on traveling for adventure in exploring where they lived and learning more of the history of their origin.  Even traveling within the country can be quite an expense. I hope to share with you a few ways that you can cut your cost in your travel exploration.

Make A list

I have been putting together a travel plan for myself. My hope is to next year visit Germany. I have three family lines that originate in Germany, BLUM, MOSSINGER, and NUTSCH, so I am gathering information on the cities that I would like to visit and what I will want to explore while I am there. My traveling buddy is so understanding when it comes to my genealogy search that he has agreed to go with me but insisted that I know

where I want to go,

 what I want to see,

and who we plan to visit ahead of time.

Basically I’m doing research to find the names of the cities and villages that I want to visit and making list of exactly what I want to see while I’m there. In my records I have quite a bit of information gathered on the area and I know what I want to visit when I get there. There will be of course things that you have not thought of until you get there so make sure to plan for enough time.

One thing especially, I was told by Great Uncle Martin after his visit, was that he ran out of time while visiting the church records or could have gotten back a lot farther. (He got back into the 1500s) Keep in mind how old your cities are that you are wanting to visit. Write out a list of all the people you want to explore information on while you are there.  Find out where you might find those records in advance and make arrangements ahead of time for your visit so you are sure you have an appointment if needed. You can find a bit of information on the German Church Books here.

KNOW YOUR HISTORY

Knowing a bit about the history of the area during the time your relatives lived there will be of great help to you also. I have been reading about the history of Germany for years but have been refreshing my memory so I will be prepared for the questions that I’m sure will come up. I also write down my questions when I think
of them in a notebook that I can take with me.  Even if I find the answers I’m sure there are going to be things I will want to see based on some of the questions. There are some great books on the subjects at Amazon books

Write out a list of all the people you want to explore information on while you are there. Make a spread sheet or fill out your pedigree charts with as much information as you know on them and keep notes of what it is you don’t know so you will have it handy to do your search.

Organize your family members into towns and groups so you don’t miss anything while you are in the area. Too many times I have found after I returned from a trip that there was more information available to me and I missed it. (I am NOT the ORGANIZED genealogist!) Yet, this realization causes you to make another trip! Nothing wrong with that RIGHT?!

Do you know if you have  relatives there that you can visit? I know that my BLUM family line still has relatives in Germany so I am already building a relationship with them so that I might pay them a visit. Having relatives in the area that you are wanting to explore will make your visit to a new country a little less stressful. They will be able to guide you or even accompany you to areas that you would otherwise have to find on your own. Before my great uncles died, they made a tract back to Germany and were able to get around quite easily with the help of the relatives there. There was also a great reunion planned for them to get to know the younger generation that they had yet to meet. I so wanted to visit Germany when my sons were there in the service. Exploring the family history with them would have been such a wonderful experience and perhaps some of my addictive behavior would have rubbed off on them!

Language could be an obstacle. This might be something you might want to address in advance. Having one person that speaks your language could help tremdously.

Don’t forget your passport! 

Give yourself plenty of time to get your passport so if there are any problems you won’t feel the pressure. Several years ago my mom, my sister, and I planned a trip to Portugal and Mom had a bit of a glitch in getting her passport due to the fact she was born at home. I don’t recall what the procedure was exactly, but give yourself plenty of time.  If you don’t already have a passport, don’t fall for the online ads claiming they will help you. It isn’t that hard to do it yourself and you will save yourself the fee they charge for their “help”.

PLANNING YOUR BUDGET

We all know how expensive it is to do anything these days so plan your budget carefully. I have found that having a membership to a private travel platform will cut your traveling cost and your hotel cost in half.

Do a little comparison shopping and you will find awesome deals. The membership cost will more than pay for your savings.

I do hope this gives you some value. Please leave me a few comments and tell me where you are going to to.

Happy Hunting!

The Pierce Family Historian