Family History Trippin' by Thomas MacEntee can be purchased at Amazon.com. (This book was given to me to review by the author.)
Review by Midge Frazel, 23 October, 2013 (review located at Amazon.com and Goodreads)
Genealogists and family historians are alike in that they
know that researching families is a never ending adventure. Planning these
adventures brings out the travel agents in all of us and forces us to become
organized and planned before we pack the suitcase. With so many kinds of family
history trips, it is difficult to give sage advice about the preparation or
should I say, it used to be difficult to help others. Armed with a studied copy
of Thomas MacEntee's ebook, Family History Trippin', my tie-dyed bandana and my
mobile technology, I set out an adventure with a fellow genealogist. Putting
what you read and study into practice is the only way to measure how valuable a
book purchase can be.
MacEntee's book gives a good overview of the process of
looking before you leap with suitcase in
hand. No longer can you grab your cell phone, cord and charger and just bolt
out into the world. Libraries and other repositories, (town halls and
historical societies) are low staffed and have irregular hours. Many people
working in them have not enough experience with the public. You must know where
you are going, when they open and close, whether you need an appointment and
what equipment you can or can't use.
In addition to the answers to these question, you need to consider
the people you are researching with and what information (directions, maps and
phone numbers) you need to bring with you. This ebook gives many app lists,
travel ideas and pre-trip ideas for consideration. Is your trip local (library,
historical society, local conference or meeting) or many miles away (genealogy
conferences and cruises)? What lodgings and places to eat are nearby? What is
going on at home and other kinds of distractions will there be?
Case in point. MacEntee suggests making your own genealogy
packing list and provides advice about leaving no stone unturned before you
pack for your trip. The local library a fellow genealogist and I visited
suggested an appointment and asked if we were going to need help from a
librarian. They made us leave our tote bags with them. Did we each have a
pencil?, they asked. We answered their questions and armed with our tablets,
and a camera we joyfully entered the secured historical room. My pre-visit and
a map of the local area helped us a lot.
Even experienced researchers can benefit from reading this
ebook. I would not have thought that a planning and packing list would be
needed and that an app would be so, so useful. Thank you Thomas, for making the
details of a trip be so pre-organized that so the information could be
gathered, have time for a enjoyable lunch and visit a graveyard all in a six
hour period without stress.
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