The new coat is on it's way (check the previous post)! The weather in Syracuse seems to be cooperating with not much snow this year. Let's hope that continues for at least another two weeks. I am getting excited about my trip. I am also going to see a former high school classmate and enjoy a day with her, which should be fun.
I have heard from a few new "relatives" this past couple of weeks The first was a woman in Michigan who is descended from the Muirs. Andrew and Mary Donaldson Muir, born in Scotland, arrived in America in 1828 and arrived in Michigan within the year. They are my 3rd great-grandparents. I had written an article on them entitled: "Early Settlers of Augusta and Superior Townships." This woman found my website, read the article and then emailed me. She is descended from this same couple, through a different daughter. This article (Winter 2010) and a more recent one on my Hazelton family (Winter 2011), can be found at:
But, of course, the last couple of weeks have been mostly about getting organized for my trip. Ezra Lane, my 4th great-grandfather, was born in Connecticut and eventually migrated with his family, to New York (bringing along his father, Roswell). He and his wife, Sarah Chapman, had eleven children. The first seven were born in CT, the last four children in NY. By the 1860s, most of the sons had migrated to Michigan or Kansas. It appears that several of the daughters married and stayed in the NY area. It is not always easy to follow daughters. Two of them, Almira and Laura, married brothers, James M. and Richard P. Watson, respectively. Ezra's son, Roswell, my 3rd great-grandfather (named after his grandfather), married Jerusha Rhoads and stayed in NY. They are buried in Ira, Cayuga County, NY. I hope on one of these trips to visit their grave sites. I assume the elder Roswell, Ezra and Sarah might also be buried there, but there are no stones or records that prove that. I guess I am thinking I will see a "space" where they might be.
Anyway, I have done a great deal of research over the last several years through the mail, email and phone calls. The various organizations: historical societies, town historians, libraries, have been a great help. But, what can I do while I have "boots on the ground" that I haven't been able to do from a distance? I emailed some of the more experienced genealogists I know and asked for recommendations. I got some good suggestions and am following them. Apparently the court house may have records that have never been filmed. Libraries may have newspapers to browse - hopefully, some will have been indexed. I could visit cemeteries, but that may happen on a later visit. And, I need to travel to other small towns nearby - again, that may have to wait.
I would love any suggestions that someone would consider sharing on research in an area one is visiting. Back to organizing!
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