Something Different

From reading my prior blog posts, you can probably surmise that genealogical trips are not a new thing for me. I have enjoyed traveling to genealogy workshops, courthouses, libraries, archives, and museums. I have gone solo, but alternately have brought along my spouse, willing and available family members, and have met up with DNA-found cousins for these adventures.

One dominant and, to me, unpredicted take-away about my trips is that seeing and personally experiencing a geographical location gives me information that I cannot get online. I cannot tell you in advance what I will find. Sometimes it is a clue or fact, like evidence of a name or a photo of a house, or an actual house that was owned by an ancestor, found in an old city directory that is not online.

Sometimes it is a geographical feature or land formation that is unique from what I imagined or have experienced. I confess, I had to actually see the Grand Canyon to truly appreciate the vastness of it. Hiking the Great White Sands, at the encouragement of my spouse, despite my hesitance, allowed me to appreciate the three-dimensionality, shifting topography, and challenges in navigation without GPS or compass. When researching ancestral migrations, seeing and experiencing the actual locations can give clues for understanding how they lived and functioned in their daily lives; why they moved to another location; obstacles to transporting themselves, their possessions, and any products; and therefore, other potential sources of information about the ancestors or their friends and family.

There are many who will tell you that before setting out for a genealogy expedition, in order to make the best use of your time, you should fully research your destination, making sure the locations will be open and accessible to you; that you identify what you want to research onsite, since many items are available online anyway; that you have been sure to check ahead that items you want to see are not currently stored at an offsite location or off rotation due to upkeep; and to have your notes prepared for quick access to maximize your time, etc, etc. There is more prep to share, but you can find all that advice elsewhere.

For a different experience and blog series, I am going to share with you as I proceed to the Outer Banks (apparently, commonly OBX) of North Carolina, a location to which I have never been. Acquaintances have been to the OBX for annual summer vacations, and I always found it fascinating, since it was never on my radar. Over the past few years, it has become evident that several ancestral lines of interest were in Northeastern North Carolina from colonial times until the 1830’s, particularly Northampton County adjacent to Hertford County, North Carolina. Many of those families eventually located to west Tennessee, especially Haywood, Fayette, and Obine Counties. Sorting the different haplogroup lines of Williams, particularly, have led to examining land and probate records. Then recently, the North Carolina State Archives published existing records of colonial era sea ports of North Carolina, which deepened my fascination with the area and my desire to understand the function of the Albemarle Sound, the Chowan and Meherrin Rivers, and their functional relationship to the northern portion of the NC Outer Banks.

I am going to break a lot of my normal blogging rules to document my upcoming excursion.

• This trip is more about relaxation with family and canine companionship than about genealogy
• Little planning has gone into this trip. And I refuse to care about that.
• Normally, each of my blogs is a research paper, written with care before posting. This time, I will write quicker summaries, in keeping with the fun/downtime nature of my trip and desire to be connected with those sharing my adventure, and also documenting my experience to inspire others to genealogical travel.
• I will be experiencing the OBX as a modern-day visitor, while imagining what it could have been like in the 18th century. Can that be done? Not sure, but seeking historical maps; experiencing the ocean/marine life/weather conditions/flora and fauna surely will help me connect with our ancestors’ experiences.

Thanks for following along, and thank you for your grace in what may be spotty coverage. I anticipate posts at least every 4 days, maybe more frequently. Due to my blog plan, there may be more typographical errors than usual. I appreciate your forbearance. More to come!