Planning My Genealogy Research Trip to Salt Lake City

We are heading to the largest genealogical library in the world!  I will only have one, maybe two days to research so I have to be totally prepared.  I have been scouring the web for all the advice I can find.  And what do all those great websites say?  Be prepared!  Have a plan!  Know what you want to look at before you get there!

Ok Ok I get the idea.  And I am taking their advice.

1. Have a research plan. What do I want to know?  What do I already know?  What sources might lead me to the answers.

This is harder than I thought.  I have so many tree branches that need help! How do I choose which one to focus on for this trip?

I have to go back to what my ultimate goals in genealogy are:

• Write the McIntire Family History Book
• Research my maternal line, my mother's mother's mother
• Prove all my American Patriots for DAR
• Compile a book of all the military soldiers in my family tree
• Prove my connection to King Robert the Bruce
• Prove or disprove our connection to Capt. Christopher Newport

After looking at my list I've narrowed it down to my maternal line and the Newport connection.

My maternal line has run cold in Pasquotank County, NC and my Newport's are in Philadelphia.
For the next few days I will be making a list of all the records I might want to look at while I'm in Salt Lake.

At FamilySearch.org there is a very exhaustive online library catalog.  When I put in Pasquotank I got over 200 hits.  This is going to take awhile.

2. Create a Packing List

• Map to location with hours, telephone # and parking information (printed out- don’t trust cell phone service)
• Research Plan
• List of records and books you want to look at
• Blank charts
• Mechanical pencil with refills
• Notebook with lots of blank pages
• iPad and or laptop
• flash-drive
• digital camera
• Extra bag for all those printed pages or what ever else you might acquire there.
• Sweater
• Cash for parking, copy machine and snacks, call ahead to see if you can bring food and drink
• Research local lunch places

Until next time, happy hunting!
Kristina