Traveling to a family history location is very important to me. So, I have made a big effort to go to as many family history locations as I can manage!
In April 2011, I traveled to Massachusetts and Connecticut to go in search of Goss and Barclay ancestors. I described my experiences on that trip in the blog: Massachusetts Meanderings and More!! I visited cities like Brookfield, Lancaster, Becket, Granville and more. I studied the graves at several cemeteries like the Old Indian Cemetery in Brookfield where Capt. Philip Goss and Judith (Hayward) Goss are buried. They are Solomon’s great great grandparents.
Old Indian Cemetery, West Brookfield, MA 2011
Going further back to 2008, I traveled to Pennsylvania and shared that experience in the blog: Pennsylvania Wanderings…! That blog was about my trip to the Wilkes-Barre and Luzerne County area where Philip Goss and Mary (Kendall) Goss settled. That blog is a bit old and some links are broken but rather than fix those links I left them alone. The blog still has good information such as pictures of the towns, historical sites and cemeteries that are part of the Goss history.
Forty Fort - Nothing is left of the old fort
The recent trip to Massachusetts is where the Goss family came from in Massachusetts, and the Pennsylvania trip was where my line of the Goss family went to. One day I will return to Boston and head west and see if I cannot dig further into the family history.
There are many more trips taken to search for family history that I did not blog about.
In June of 2003 I traveled with my husband to Plymouth, Massachusetts and visited the Mayflower Society Museum and Library and I spent four lovely days researching sources in the Library behind the big house. I even managed the research although I had a cold. During this same trip, we traveled to Boston so my husband could attend a conference there. I took the opportunity to visit the New England Historic and Genealogical Library and the Boston Public Library where I found more sources and information.
The Mayflower Society House, Plymouth, MA
I have traveled on three separate occasions to the DAR Library in Washington D.C. The first in 2000, the second in 2008 and recently in 2011. I shared the 2011 experience in the Massachusetts blog and a little of my experience in 2008 in the Pennsylvania blog. I spent a great deal of time searching sources when I was at this library.
D.A.R. 2008
There have been several trips to the Family History Library in Salt Lake City where there are many sources to study and discover. I have been there in the hot summer and during a snow storm. The Family History Library is going through a major change and within the next 10 years they should have digitized their collection. A lot of sources are being posted online that can be accessed from home while others are only accessed there at the library.
In August of 2007, the Federation of Genealogical Society and APG were having a conference in Fort Wayne. I knew I had to go and visit the Allen County Library. They had just opened up the brand new library. The curious creature that I am, I realized that Ohio was only two hours to the east with Michigan about the same. I did not blog that trip but I will share some highlights in this blog. This trip was in search of Spracklin, Goss, Delano and Keller family history.
The header photo of this blog is the Lee Cemetery in Hardin County, Ohio where Peter and Elizabeth “Betty” (Andrews) Spracklin and some of their children rest.
All the repositories that I have mentioned are excellent facilities to do research on the Goss family and more. I have had some great discoveries and some disappointments but I am glad I had these opportunities. I have been blessed to have the chance to travel a great deal in search of my family history!
I am not done yet, I am off to Ohio for the second time in August 2011. I will share some of my experiences in this blog.
