Saturday, May 8, 2010

National Genealogical Society Conference at Salt Lake City

Sorry about the long absence of posts!  I just got back into town from the annual Genealogical Conference sponsored by NGS.  This year it was in Salt Lake City.  One of the big surprises, at least to me, was the snow storm we had on Thursday.  I guess it is quite common to have snow in May.  It melts very fast and didn't seem to bother any of the tulips and flowering trees.

I had a lot of fun going to the different classes and walking the vendors hall.  Of course the lure of the Family History Library encouraged me to play hooky on a couple of afternoons.  My luggage didn't make the trip home with me either!  I think the last three or four times I've travelled by air, my luggage has either been lost or damaged.  I guess I understand why so many fliers carry on all those bags!

Just before I left for Salt Lake, I purchased a deed mapping program called Metes and Bounds.  This is another reason why my post is late.  While at the Family History Library, I copied as many deeds as I could for an area in Clay County, Kentucky.  Since I have been back at home, all I've been doing is mapping these deeds.  It's like one of those giant jig saw puzzles, except you don't have all of the pieces and the pieces you do have don't always want to fit together!  Fun, none the less.

Every time I attend a genealogy conference it gets me all fired up again to do my research.  I'm at a point in my research life where all the 'easy' finds have long since been found.  Instead, I prefer to understand the world in which my ancestors lived.  Trying to figure out who all the neighbors were in the community my family lived may help me understand my own ancestors.  Not only that, they may have a clue to the elusive parents of my 'brick wall' ancestor. 

I'm working on my next post for my 'adopted' Holden family, too...