Three Tips for Genealogy Road Trips!

Me, infort of 675 Union Street in Lakeport NH. Possibly the house my great-grandparents William and Minnie Bloomfield live in when they came to New Hampshire in 1920.

I learned so much my roots trip, it's hard to know where to begin. This will be a first of many posts reporting on this genealogical expedition. I'm still gathering and organizing all the information I learned from the trip. In the meantime, I thought I would dedicate this post to some tips about genealogical travels. 

1. Plan ahead and know what you're looking for: One of the most important things we did as we planned the trip was ask some questions we hoped to answer. Before we set foot in Vermont, we had a pretty good idea of what we were looking for and this was key! Our prize as Jimmy put it, was Moses Bloomfield (the Patriarch of the Bloomfields) and his wife Freida Toby Bloomfield. While the idea of the trip was to learn as much as we could about the Bloomfields brothers' lives in their early years in America, our biggest question was: where is Moses and Freida Toby's grave? This question, has been nagging us for several years and understanding the Bloomfield family history in Vermont and New Hampshire where they settled is key to finding the missing graves. While you never know what you will unearth during a genealogy dig, knowing what you're looking for helps focus your search. At the same time, it's important to stay open and flexible and change course if necessary.

2. Check hours for places you plan to visit such libraries, historical societies, town halls and cemeteries.  Historical societies have limited hours. You will certainly learn a lot by visiting them in person rather than contacting them on the phone or by writing, but make sure you plan your trip according to their hours. Libraries have a wealth of information including photos, histories of the town, city directories and more. Town Clerks are your best friend, visit them in person, you'll be amazed how helpful it can be. Just make sure they are open. Many larger cemeteries have specific hours as well so be sure and check. Smaller ones may or may not be gated, but you can usually find a way in. Just make sure there is still light out.

3. What to bring: A camera, scanner (portable flip scanner if you have one), a gps and a notebook to take notes and information on the ancestors you are looking for. I must say that my iphone worked as all of the above at times and it was invaluable. Having access to my family tree at any moment through the web or apps was crucial. When I didn't feel like carrying my big camera or when it failed, I used the phone. When a photo or document was too large to scan easily, I photographed it with my iphone. And of course, I took quick notes on the phone as well. When the car's navigation system failed, the phone's  gps came to the rescue! Don't leave home without it!

Compared with what I knew about the Bloomfields three years ago (see my post: How I Met the Bloomfields), I was already an expert on them before I left on my roots trip. Some of non Bloomfields relatives must be wondering whats this obsession with Bloomfields and why concentrate on them if I already learned so much. To my relatives, I'll only request that you be patient with me. I am researching all my family branches and I will get back to your branch soon enough. One of the main reasons this trip focused on the Bloomfield was that I had two collaborators: my mom and my cousin Jimmy. My mom is always supportive of my genealogy quest and I need her personal knowledge of the family to guide me. Jimmy, is a fellow amateur genealogist an he is credited with planning the details of this trip and making it happen. As I dropped him off yesterday after an exhilarating and exhausting three days he thanked me and remarked that he could not have made the trip without me, and I hereby concur: I couldn't have done it without Jimmy!


More about the Bloomfields:
Roots Trips Series: Reports from a Vermont and New Hampshire road trip to research the Bloomfield family history:
Part I: Roots Trip Road-trip planning!
Part III: Roots Trip Gem of the Day, Looking for Moses Bloomfield
Part IV: Why in the World New Hampshire?
Part V: Springfield Vermont Home of the Simpsons and the Bloomfields
Part VI: Which Ancestors to Research?
Where Was This Picture Taken?- Legacy Roots
Friday's Faces From the Past: Mystery Man
Hot Off The Press

Guest blog on Geni.com: How I Met The Bloomfields

Roots Trip

I'm getting ready for a family research trip! A trip, a long time in the making. Since I moved to the US at the age of thirteen, every time I drove past Laconia, the same a thought crosses my mind: "My grandmother was born in Laconia. I should see the place where she was born, and where she lived." Even when I stopped in Laconia and visited friends, it's never been about my grandmother. For years, the thought was only a fleeting thought. In and out. Yet, when I became interested in genealogy, the idea has taken on a different meaning. Since I moved back to New England I have been trying to make quality time for this kind of trip. A trip up north, to New Hampshire, focused on my roots. I'm not going to see the foliage, or enjoy Squam lake or worry about making sure everyone else in the family has something to do. I'm going to revisit the past.

I've written in the past about the Bloomfield branch of the family (See my guest blog on Geni.com: How I Met The Bloomfields). This trip is about digging deeper into the Bloomfield family history. Luckily, I have two wonderful collaborators, interested in the very same family history. So tomorrow, my mother and a Bloomfield cousin and I are heading out to NH and Vermont to retrace our Bloomfield ancestors. We set out, armed with a flip scanner (as recommended by a colleagues Jacqi Stevens at A Family Tapestry Blog Spot, and Lorine McGinnis Schulze at Olive Tree Genealogy ), extra batteries, camera, smart phone, a trowel (for planting a plant at family graves), Billions Grave app, gps and my great-grandmother's memoirs. We plan to retrace the steps our ancestors took since 1903 when they arrived in the United States from the Pruzhney area in Russia, now Belarus. We will be visiting cemeteries, historical societies and known addresses of places they lived. My cousins has meticulously planned out almost every minute of our trip.  We hope some of the old buildings will be standing, and if not, we will enjoy and absorb their surrounding of where they lived.

One of the addresses we plan to track down is 9 Park Street in Springfield Vermont. My second great-grandmother Freida Toby Bloomfield owned a men's clothing store there in 1928. We knew they owned a grocery store, but found an add (on ancestry.com) in the City Directory for her clothing store. There is a photo of her seated with her son Aaron and his family in front of their house (The home and the store are listed in the same address in the City Directory). These are the examples of the clues we will be using to guide us on this journey.

Add for Freida Bloomfield's Store in Springfield Vermont. (Top right) (Freida was my second great -grand-mother. 

Freida Toby Bloomfield with Aaron and Alice Bloomfield and family, Windsor Vermont. c1924

We will be departing tomorrow for this long awaited trip.  I know many family members who could not join us, are looking forward to updates so I will be posting some as we advance. I also look forward to hearing my genealogy followers who are in the NH and Vermont area with tips and advice.


More about the Bloomfields:
Roots Trips Series: read the full reports from a Vermont and New Hampshire road trip to research the Bloomfield family history:
Part I: Roots Trip Road-trip planning!
Part II: Three Tips for Genealogy Road Trips
Part III: Roots Trip Gem of the Day, Looking for Moses Bloomfield
Part IV: Why in the World New Hampshire
Part V: Springfield Vermont Home of the Simpsons and the Bloomfields
Part VI: Which Ancestors to Research?
Where Was This Picture Taken?- Legacy Roots
Friday's Faces From the Past: Mystery Man
Hot Off The Press

Guest blog on Geni.com: How I Met The Bloomfields