Welcome

Dear Reader, 

I created the title for this blog after much careful deliberation. I tend to be a visual learner and often make word associations to help me remember important concepts. For me, the word trip in conjunction with family history evokes a variety of visual images. The first being a journey or excursion to an archive, a family homestead, or a far-away country; the second, a stumble--a research misstep--that leads one down the wrong path and up the branches of the wrong family tree; the third, and final image, is that of a nimble light-stepper--you know the picture...the little joy-dance one wants to do when the long-sought-after piece of evidence finally appears before your eyes. It is my hope that topics discussed in this blog will help you plan a successful family history research trip, avoid research missteps, and increase your opportunity to joy-dance.