I already have a folder with a "to-do" list for my trip to Salt Lake in May--when I may get some time to work on a few of my own problems.

Right now, I'm keeping a list of "quick lookups" into specific materials I know they have in Salt Lake City or that I've recently found on their card catalog. As I notice a record or document I'd like to get while I am there, I print out the card catalog reference and make appropriate notes and stick it in my folder.

I'm also thinking about the families I want to work on while I am out there. It is still early, but I know there are details about a few ancestors I would like to know. Planning my research is best not done at the last minute. Consequently, I'm working on a research approach for:

• Robert Frame, born ca. 1816 in Spain, resided in 1841-death in 1860s in County Cumberland. Occupation cotton warper.
• Elam Blaine, Revolutionary War veteran who died in Delaware County, Ohio in the 1840s.

I may work on others, but these are my two starting points.

We encourage trip members to fill out a "research outline" on their families they will be working on to help encourage them and to make it easier for them and for me to see what they have done, what they know about their ancestor's environment, etc. It also allows us to have time for a dialogue about their research problem, perhaps to do additional research at home or using sources nearby. In some cases, requesting a document or source from elsewhere will make research significantly easier while at the FHL.

Labels: slc2008