Plan a Research Trip

"If you look like your passport photo,
then in all probability you need the journey."
—Earl Wilson

Tips for a Genealogy Research Trip:

1. Make a list of your objectives. Ask yourself, "How can I make the best use of my time?"
2. Prepare folders with names, dates and other information you already have.
3. Use Google maps to find churches, cemeteries, schools, etc. that will be possible resources.
   
4. Search the Internet for addresses, hours, and phone numbers of courthouses, libraries, archives, and historical societies you'd like to visit.
5. Email or call ahead for information on collections. Do they have card files, newspapers or original records that can only be searched at that repository? Are there records that have not been microfilmed, such as church records?
   
6. Take a magnifying glass to help in reading old records.
7. Figure out how to use the setting for taking pictures of documents on your camera. Take an extra battery.
8. Take a digital recorder if you plan to do oral interviews, or to record your observations. (I'm excited to try this feature on my iPhone.)
   
9. Be ready with a notebook to document your findings and the sources, and folders to stash old photos or postcards you come across in antique stores.
   
10. Get some sleep before you leave.