Making a List and Checking it Twice
Find out why a cobblers apron, old shoes, and insect repellant are must-haves on your genealogical journel. Let an experience researcher share her secrets to a successful research trip.

Several years ago, while browsing through a collection of magazines in a hospital waiting room, I came across a cartoon showing a businessman perched on the edge of the bed in his hotel room, rummaging through his luggage. The fellow's face was filled with pure panic and disbelief and, after reading the caption beneath the cartoon, I understood why. The caption said, "I've arrived with hardware and software, but no clean underwear." This cartoon left a lasting impression and I remember it and chuckle each time I start packing my bags for another genealogical journey.

My husband Dennis and I are fortunate in that his job requires extensive travel to many of the areas where our ancestors lived and has given us the opportunity to do on-site research at local courthouses and genealogical societies as well as meet new "cousins" and visit family cemeteries and long-ago homesites. We are currently on a road trip that will eventually take us to the major cities of 14 different states, including a month-long stay in Salt Lake City, Utah.

One of the things that helps us to arrive at our destination with the proper research tools and appropriate clothing is a simple checklist. Checking off each item before leaving home, and after each research stop or overnight stay, helps insure that nothing gets lost or misplaced along the way. Although the genealogical items on our checklist vary depending on our mode of travel, the type of research or genealogical activity we will be participating in, and the length of our journey, there are several things we always carry with us...

Our Checklist

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