As part of their Family History Library research retreats, Family History Expos provides access to professional genealogists to guide attendees with their research as well as provide advice and instruction. Because I had a good idea of the information I needed, I didn't get to take advantage of that perk as much as others did.
On Friday, I did inquire about the resources available for Indian Territory. My ancestors lived in Oklahoma before it was Oklahoma. Who has those records and how can I get them? My biggest problem is that I don't know what I don't know about these resources. The expert provided me some great leads. I took home a lot of information that will benefit me for years to come.
I also inquired about a German marriage record at the Europe reference desk at the Family History Library. A very knowledgeable woman told me the FHL did not carry the marriage record because it was too recent. She showed me where to write for it in Germany. She also told me exactly what to write in order to get the best response. I was deeply grateful for her advice. She saved me time and increased my chances of getting an answer.
Saturday, I spent the morning in the U.S. book section. I spent the afternoon gathering Pope County, Arkansas tax records from the late 1800's.
In the evening, Family History Expos president Holly Hansen hosted a little party for the attendees. We talked about our research success stories and viewed a slide show of the week's events:
There was even a cake! It was so good that people started cutting pieces before I could get a picture of the whole thing:
I spent Saturday evening reflecting on all I had accomplished. The short answer was "a lot." The long answer requires another post.
On to part 4 here.
[Please see my Disclosures page for information on my connection to Family History Expos. --Amy]
I understand too that some records from Fehmarn churches in Germany have never been microfilmed. Aren't even in the archives at Neustadt, so one must go directly to the individual church or contact them individually.
ReplyDeleteYes, many records have never been filmed. In my case, the marriage record is at a civil office, but there are several of these in Hamburg. The lady at the FHL told me which one to send to, and I was grateful for the help.
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