I'm back in HOT Arizona. That's OK. And I'm unpacked. That's GOOD. I woke up on EDT (not PDT or MST). That's NOT GOOD.
So I was writing research questions when I woke. I was trying not to make assumptions. All of you in the GPS class understand what I'm saying. So, I was writing a question, "When did C Y Trice marry Luna Estelle Drake?" But is there an assumption here? That they did marry? I know they had children. I know that CY seemed to have a good relationship with Luna's father. So, I assumed (there's that word again) that they did marry. And then I asked myself the question, "Does it matter?" (Tom Jones's voice said that.) I think it does matter, especially if I start to fill out lineage society applications. Well, all of that will be looked at in the future; definitely not before about the 20th of August.
Now looking back at GRIP 2013.
The weather was a nice change for me even if it was too wet some evenings to walk. I definitely LOVED the mornings, and drinking hot coffee not iced.
Except for minor computer problems and the fact that I couldn't keep the sheet tucked in, I was quite comfortable in my room. Even if I have to leave out a shirt or two, I'm going to bring a fitted sheet next year. So you may see me in the same shirt numerous times. Yes, I know. I could bring an extra suitcase, but I prefer to travel light. This year I had my computer case, a small purse, and a suitcase that was checked.
I loved the salad bar in the cafeteria. Also I found the cooked vegetables good. Of course the best part of meals was visiting with other researchers. For some reason, though, I never seemed to sit with anyone who was in Paula's class. And I certainly enjoyed her class last year.
I still can't decide which class to take next year. Fortunately registration is not until February. For those of you who want more information, visit the GRIP web site at http://www.gripitt.org/. All of the information will be posted soon.
I want to especially thank Elissa and Debbie for all of their efforts. Of course I want to say thank you to the instructors and the evening lecturers who were great. And then a thank you to all of you who attended, whether I was in class with you or not; whether I sat at a table with you during meals or not. Without all of you, GRIP wouldn't have been any fun. And it may not have even existed.
So Thank You!!!!.
Sunday, July 28, 2013
Thursday, July 25, 2013
GRIP 2013 - Thursday night
Tonight's the last night. And only a half day tomorrow.
I "checked in" for my flight; checked my shuttle reservations. I need to think about packing, but that shouldn't take too long. I didn't buy too much this trip, so I don't have to figure out how to get everything home without paying for excess weight. That's good.
Let's start with the end of the day. After class ended Kristen and I sat in the class room and just talked for over an hour. Then we went to dinner and talked with Sara and Tina with Connie joining in for awhile. I left a little after 6 to make sure I didn't miss any books I couldn't live without. And I skipped the chocolate cookies that I couldn't resist last night. Kristen, Sara and Tina sat and talked until they had to leave the cafeteria.
We all heard Michael Hait talk about probate records. Thank you Michael for filling in. Inventories are really the best way to really get to know a family who lived in the past. What did they think was important enough to spend money on, or to make or to keep? I really like the inventory book and the interesting items listed in it. Unfortunately, I've just looked through it since I haven't found any inventories during the past year. But this next year is going to be different. Right?!!!
We finished citations this morning and moved on to assessing information. The exercises were good but I would have liked to have another one or two because I realized that I wasn't getting all of the clues from the info presented. After lunch we moved on to gathering the evidence and resolving the conflicts, if there are any. With only two sessions tomorrow morning, I know we'll be busy. And some of the good-byes are going to be difficult. But I hope to see you in Pittsburgh about one year from now.
I "checked in" for my flight; checked my shuttle reservations. I need to think about packing, but that shouldn't take too long. I didn't buy too much this trip, so I don't have to figure out how to get everything home without paying for excess weight. That's good.
Let's start with the end of the day. After class ended Kristen and I sat in the class room and just talked for over an hour. Then we went to dinner and talked with Sara and Tina with Connie joining in for awhile. I left a little after 6 to make sure I didn't miss any books I couldn't live without. And I skipped the chocolate cookies that I couldn't resist last night. Kristen, Sara and Tina sat and talked until they had to leave the cafeteria.
We all heard Michael Hait talk about probate records. Thank you Michael for filling in. Inventories are really the best way to really get to know a family who lived in the past. What did they think was important enough to spend money on, or to make or to keep? I really like the inventory book and the interesting items listed in it. Unfortunately, I've just looked through it since I haven't found any inventories during the past year. But this next year is going to be different. Right?!!!
We finished citations this morning and moved on to assessing information. The exercises were good but I would have liked to have another one or two because I realized that I wasn't getting all of the clues from the info presented. After lunch we moved on to gathering the evidence and resolving the conflicts, if there are any. With only two sessions tomorrow morning, I know we'll be busy. And some of the good-byes are going to be difficult. But I hope to see you in Pittsburgh about one year from now.
Wednesday, July 24, 2013
GRIP 2013 - Wednesday night
In class today we moved on to citations. We'll be finishing them tomorrow. This was after the topic of "reasonably exhaustive research." I'm sure you can imagine the discussion on that topic. After all, how do you know when enough is enough? And, no, it's not some magic number.
There are four couples attending GRIP this year. They even were recognized in our daily newsletter. It would be great to have my husband here, but he has his hobbies (and I definitely support them) because he encourages and supports mine (basically genealogy, quilting and reading.) And while I'd love to have him here, I don't know that I would have really had a chance to get to know Pam, and Kristen, and Hugh, and all of the other wonderful students here at GRIP.
Because there was no talk speaker scheduled for tonight, a few groups went to the Carnegie Library in Pittsburgh to research. Others are wandering around this beautiful campus. The weather is beautiful tonight with blue skies and some clouds. And not too hot or humid. It's really nice. Then some of the other students were talking about working on their class projects. So lots still going on.
I started thinking about GRIP 2014 already. I haven't found anything yet that I needed that I didn't bring this year. But next year, I think I'm going to see if I can fit in a fitted twin sheet. Those flat sheets just don't stay tucked in all night. Everything else is working fine in my room. I originally had a problem with the blinds, but those were efficiently fixed. So, now to decide which class to take next year and then get on the computer and hope that not everyone else wants the same class I decide to take.
One more full day of classes. The topic for tomorrow night's talk is Divorce records. Then a half day on Friday, and time for the shuttle to the airport.
I'll check in tomorrow night. Have a great day tomorrow.
There are four couples attending GRIP this year. They even were recognized in our daily newsletter. It would be great to have my husband here, but he has his hobbies (and I definitely support them) because he encourages and supports mine (basically genealogy, quilting and reading.) And while I'd love to have him here, I don't know that I would have really had a chance to get to know Pam, and Kristen, and Hugh, and all of the other wonderful students here at GRIP.
Because there was no talk speaker scheduled for tonight, a few groups went to the Carnegie Library in Pittsburgh to research. Others are wandering around this beautiful campus. The weather is beautiful tonight with blue skies and some clouds. And not too hot or humid. It's really nice. Then some of the other students were talking about working on their class projects. So lots still going on.
I started thinking about GRIP 2014 already. I haven't found anything yet that I needed that I didn't bring this year. But next year, I think I'm going to see if I can fit in a fitted twin sheet. Those flat sheets just don't stay tucked in all night. Everything else is working fine in my room. I originally had a problem with the blinds, but those were efficiently fixed. So, now to decide which class to take next year and then get on the computer and hope that not everyone else wants the same class I decide to take.
One more full day of classes. The topic for tomorrow night's talk is Divorce records. Then a half day on Friday, and time for the shuttle to the airport.
I'll check in tomorrow night. Have a great day tomorrow.
Tuesday, July 23, 2013
GRIP 2013 - Tuesday night
Today was a long day, even though it's not THAT late right now.
I worked hard to understand the differences between types of sources, types of information and types of evidence. And just as I thought I understood one part I was confused again. But it wasn't just me. So I felt a little better about that.
Tonight, after dinner, Angela Packer McGhie gave two presentations: a short one on preparing for a research trip in Washington, D.C. What great suggestions she gave; and a wonderful handout. Her second one was just as good but this was on researching in newspapers. Again we received a great handout including a checklist that I'm sure we're all going to find invaluable. Find Angela's blog at this address:
The last part of the meeting was a group watch of Who Do You Think You Are? Kelly Clarkson was the subject. Josh Taylor, one of the GRIP instructors, was on the show as was his voice. What fun to watch with a 100+ "fans".
Something we don't think about when planning on attending institutes is the opportunity to be with others who love to hear about our family stories. And we get to talk about them, and listen to them, at breakfast, lunch, dinner, breaks, and after dinner. What fun. No wonder many of us have our minds racing and have trouble getting to sleep.
Hope to see you all soon.
I worked hard to understand the differences between types of sources, types of information and types of evidence. And just as I thought I understood one part I was confused again. But it wasn't just me. So I felt a little better about that.
Tonight, after dinner, Angela Packer McGhie gave two presentations: a short one on preparing for a research trip in Washington, D.C. What great suggestions she gave; and a wonderful handout. Her second one was just as good but this was on researching in newspapers. Again we received a great handout including a checklist that I'm sure we're all going to find invaluable. Find Angela's blog at this address:
The last part of the meeting was a group watch of Who Do You Think You Are? Kelly Clarkson was the subject. Josh Taylor, one of the GRIP instructors, was on the show as was his voice. What fun to watch with a 100+ "fans".
Something we don't think about when planning on attending institutes is the opportunity to be with others who love to hear about our family stories. And we get to talk about them, and listen to them, at breakfast, lunch, dinner, breaks, and after dinner. What fun. No wonder many of us have our minds racing and have trouble getting to sleep.
Hope to see you all soon.
Monday, July 22, 2013
GRIP 2013 - Monday night
A day of classes followed by an evening talk. I'm tired. But I have a few things I want to talk about before all of those pre-bed activities.
I'm in Tom Jones's class on Determining Kinship Reliably with the Genealogical Proof Standard. I'm sitting between Kristen and Eric. We are in the last row, because we arrived ONLY 15 minutes early. Oh. well. The only problem is that many of the students forget that others are sitting behind them and they don't speak up, so it's hard to hear them. The class is not lecture; it's a college seminar, where everyone is encouraged to contribute. So it's important for everyone to speak up.
We're using Tom Jones's new book as a guide (although you didn't have to buy the book to take the class.) We started today discussing what is the GPS and its components. Then we worked on writing research questions that were not too broad or too specific and also did not make any assumptions. A few of us heard Dr. Jones ask a few times "Does it matter?" when we came up with a research question that was, perhaps, not as direct as it could have been. So I think that may be our class motto.
Later we reviewed two articles and identified the type of sources that were used. For some reason I never thought about the fact that deed books are derivative sources. We also began discussing the types of information. These topics are in the book Mastering Genealogical Proof, which is available through NGS.
This evening I heard Michael Hait, CG, speak on "What is a 'Reasonably Exhaustive Search?'" It was very good. Michael has a great sense of humor and his case study was excellent. I really liked one of his explanations for WHY we need to become good researchers. It's because we don't want any "former ancestors." As he explained it, those are the people who we thought were in our tree and then we found out, perhaps after hours of research, that they aren't a part.
Another idea that I may need to post above my computer at home is this: "Don't tailor research to what's available; tailor research to what you want to know." Too often I forget to look at library catalogs, archives' websites, and other possible locations for sources. This is a good reminder for me.
Hope you all had a good day. It's that time for me. My goal is to write tomorrow. We'll see. It's going to be a busy night, what with a talk and then the new WDYTYR on after that.
I'm in Tom Jones's class on Determining Kinship Reliably with the Genealogical Proof Standard. I'm sitting between Kristen and Eric. We are in the last row, because we arrived ONLY 15 minutes early. Oh. well. The only problem is that many of the students forget that others are sitting behind them and they don't speak up, so it's hard to hear them. The class is not lecture; it's a college seminar, where everyone is encouraged to contribute. So it's important for everyone to speak up.
We're using Tom Jones's new book as a guide (although you didn't have to buy the book to take the class.) We started today discussing what is the GPS and its components. Then we worked on writing research questions that were not too broad or too specific and also did not make any assumptions. A few of us heard Dr. Jones ask a few times "Does it matter?" when we came up with a research question that was, perhaps, not as direct as it could have been. So I think that may be our class motto.
Later we reviewed two articles and identified the type of sources that were used. For some reason I never thought about the fact that deed books are derivative sources. We also began discussing the types of information. These topics are in the book Mastering Genealogical Proof, which is available through NGS.
This evening I heard Michael Hait, CG, speak on "What is a 'Reasonably Exhaustive Search?'" It was very good. Michael has a great sense of humor and his case study was excellent. I really liked one of his explanations for WHY we need to become good researchers. It's because we don't want any "former ancestors." As he explained it, those are the people who we thought were in our tree and then we found out, perhaps after hours of research, that they aren't a part.
Another idea that I may need to post above my computer at home is this: "Don't tailor research to what's available; tailor research to what you want to know." Too often I forget to look at library catalogs, archives' websites, and other possible locations for sources. This is a good reminder for me.
Hope you all had a good day. It's that time for me. My goal is to write tomorrow. We'll see. It's going to be a busy night, what with a talk and then the new WDYTYR on after that.
GRIP 2013 - The 2014 Classes
Last night I promised that I'd post the 2014 GRIP classes as soon as I had accurate info. Well, here it is. And. OH. How difficult it's going to be to make a choice.
Intermediate Genealogy: Tools for Digging Deeper - Paula Stuart-Warren. CG, FMGS, FUGA
Determining Kinship with the Genealogical Proof Standard - Thomas W Jones, Ph.D., CG, CGL, FASG, FUGA, FNGS.
Becoming an Online Expert: Mastering Search Engines and Digital Archives - D. Joshua Taylor, MA, MLS
Finding and Documenting African-American Families - J. Mark Lowe, CG, and Dr. Deborah Abbott
Practical Genetic Genealogy - Debbie Parker Wayne, CG, CGL; CeCe Moore, and Blaine Bettinger, Ph.D., JD
Law School for Genealogists - Judy G Russell, JD, CG, CGL and Richard G "Rick" Sayre, CG, CGL
I didn't write detailed course descriptions. This info will be in the GRIP website in the near future. But aren't these wonderful? So, which one will you be taking?
Oh, yes. The dates are July 20-25, 2014 and REGISTRATION opens on 12 February 2014.
See you in Pittsburgh a year from now.
Intermediate Genealogy: Tools for Digging Deeper - Paula Stuart-Warren. CG, FMGS, FUGA
Determining Kinship with the Genealogical Proof Standard - Thomas W Jones, Ph.D., CG, CGL, FASG, FUGA, FNGS.
Becoming an Online Expert: Mastering Search Engines and Digital Archives - D. Joshua Taylor, MA, MLS
Finding and Documenting African-American Families - J. Mark Lowe, CG, and Dr. Deborah Abbott
Practical Genetic Genealogy - Debbie Parker Wayne, CG, CGL; CeCe Moore, and Blaine Bettinger, Ph.D., JD
Law School for Genealogists - Judy G Russell, JD, CG, CGL and Richard G "Rick" Sayre, CG, CGL
I didn't write detailed course descriptions. This info will be in the GRIP website in the near future. But aren't these wonderful? So, which one will you be taking?
Oh, yes. The dates are July 20-25, 2014 and REGISTRATION opens on 12 February 2014.
See you in Pittsburgh a year from now.
Sunday, July 21, 2013
GRIP 2013 - Sunday Intros and Dinner
Dinner with friends. Lots of friends. Yes, we're at LaRoche College in Pittsburgh for the GRIP Sunday night dinner and orientation. It was great seeing some friends from last year. I'm really looking forward to talking with some others since I saw them across the room. And I believe that Elissa said that about one-third of this year's attendees were also here last year.
Susan and Stephen also ate with us. They were both here last year and they are from West Virginia. Sarah also came by. She's my across-the-hall dorm friend from Texas. She not only stops for cemeteries, she stops for old bridges (as part of her job.) Can you believe?
Becky and Shelley filled out our table tonight. I didn't talk as much with them as they were at the other end. But there will be lots of time, and many more meals.
Here are our "fearless leaders": the two ladies who had the idea of GRIP and who take very good care of us for the week we are here. Debbie Deal is on the left and Elissa Powell is on the right. Thank you very much, ladies.
LaRoche College was generous with door prizes again. I really wanted the mascot for my dorm room.
But the biggest news for the night was the announcement of next year's classes. Unfortunately I was unable to get all of the correct information; so I'll wait to post until I have it. But you will be pleased to know that of the six classes, two are similar to this year's and last year. I believe two instructors who are here this year are working on new courses for 2014 and two courses are completely new with new instructors. Decisions! Decisions!!
It really rained during dinner and while Debbie and Elissa were talking. But Elissa assured us that the weather was going to be nice for us. And, guess what? It stopped raining before we left the dining hall to walk back to the dorm. I hope all of her predictions are "right on" like this one was.
I'm still having a little trouble connecting to the internet; at least through google. But I found a way to get to blogger anyway, so that's why you can see this post. I hope I can continue to do it this way, since it works.
I'm going to look over the notebook with tomorrow's class information and do a little catching up on some other stuff. But I expect to be here tomorrow night, although I'll be later. There's going to be a great talk by Michael Hait: What is a "reasonably exhaustive search?" See you tomorrow.
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