I returned home
last Thursday after nine days of research in Washington, DC, with a like-minded group of
genealogists. What fun we had - we looked at too many
books/papers and maps. Linda, our tour guide, organizes this trip every year in
early December for interested people from the Phoenix area. Some of the people
on the trip have gone several years. This was my first trip.
It is organized
very well. The hotel we stayed in was very convenient to the subway and busses.
DC is definitely a walking town. We were on our own for meals. Bruce and I used
to live in northern Virginia early in our marriage - 35-ish years ago, so I had
been there before. My friends Susan and MaryLu were on the trip too. There were
a total of 14 in the group, so I met new people and enjoyed them all. Of
course, most conversations were about genealogy and family history, but that is
what we enjoy. Nothing like a good conversation about dead people!
The first
afternoon (Wednesday, Dec. 4) was mostly getting settled in our rooms, an early
dinner and then heading to the DAR Library for a Christmas Open House. I knew I
was going be spending a lot of time in that Library so it was nice to get a
feel for it and learn how to get there. We got our Metro cards to ride the subway/busses.
Since most of us had gotten up at 3:30 AM to catch the 6:30 flight from
Phoenix, we were early to bed.
Thursday, we
headed for the Library of Congress and had a great tour and overview of what
they had. There are three buildings comprising the LOC - Jefferson, Madison and
Adams. We spent part of the day in the Madison Building, looking at their huge
map collection including Sanborn maps, and then the afternoon was spent in the
Jefferson Building with books, etc. You
can check out their digital collections online at www.loc.gov. Susan found
great Sanborn maps of her family home and business in the 1930s and 40s, in
Shasta County, CA. She learned a few things she didn't know about the site and
it brought back lots of memories.
Friday was
National Archives (Archives.gov) day. We heard a talk about the Civil War and
the records available to us, and how their system worked. They, understandably,
have tight security. Not just for people, but the papers you are allowed to bring
in with you - and take out. It was a little daunting at first, but after
getting ID cards, figuring out the process to order records, where to go, etc.
it was doable. Another good day - did
get the pension records for a Civil War soldier, James Green, from Bruce's
family. Unfortunately, my William W. Court - who served in the Civil War for
three years, fought at Gettysburg and was wounded somewhere along the way - had
no the records. They said it was a wrong number, I am assuming the records are misfiled.
It is hard to believe there are no records for him, but the numbers didn't lead
to the records as they should have. I will contact someone there after the
holidays and see if they will help.
Saturday was DAR
Library day. Again, a good overview by a librarian. This is where I spent
Saturday, Monday and Wednesday. We would have gone on Tuesday, except that a
smattering of snow overnight closed our government down! Bummer.
But one more day might have taken us back to the Archives.
But I had a list of periodicals I wanted to check out at the LOC and never made
it back there.
Sunday we toured
the Smithsonian's American History Museum. Tuesday, the Kennedy Center was near
our hotel and open for a tour which we found very enjoyable.
Thursday morning
we headed home with papers and new information to add to our genealogy. All in
all a good trip. I was able to meet an old friend for dinner one night (she
lives in Annapolis). Unfortunately, I was supposed to meet a second cousin who
lives in Richmond, VA at the DAR Library on Tuesday - but the weather kept her
away. Next trip.
After I have had
a chance to go through the papers I brought home, I will write about a
discovery that was made.
