You know the dance. You know you've done it. The one every researcher does after finding something new. The one where you want to jump up and down and shout to everyone that you found the document, contacted a cousin with the family Bible, made a DNA connection, or found a new branch to your tree. The one that is met with glazed stares and eye rolls.
My Happy Dance Moment for the week:
Last Friday and Saturday, I attended the York County Library Family History Expo in Rock Hill, SC. It's always a fun event, full of great presentations and time to meet up with friends.
I gave a workshop Friday night to help people move their genealogy forward. 34 people attended; one special one brought me to tears!
As I walked through how to analyze a document and watch for conflicts and how to resolve them, I was explaining that the easy way to help with a death conflict I had would be to find the death certificate, and that for some reason, there were missing records for the time period I should have been able to find one.
An 85-year-old volunteer in the county genealogical society research room raised her hand and said, "I know where those death certificates are." She explained that the funeral home handling those deaths had the certificates and didn't turn them in to the county as they were supposed to.
When the funeral home went out of business, the genealogical society received their records. I have used them in the research room. But I never thought the death certificates would be there too!
They are in the research room. They don't tell researchers they are there, but if someone asks, and it's been over 50 years since the deaths, they will give them to the researcher. WOW! For years, I looked for my great-grandparents' death certificates from the 1930s, and all this time they were right there, in a researcher room I have visited many times!
It helped me prove a point to the course attendees. Always go local and ask to speak with an expert in the area to see if they can help! What an unexpected outcome of my workshop.
I can't wait to get back to the research room and get the certificates I need!
What a happy dance moment!
What was your happy dance moment?
Share your Happy Dance Moment for the week, and let's celebrate together!
Thanks so much for stopping by!
Helping you climb your family tree,
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