Great group!
A great crowd, great facility and great questions — the perfect recipe for a wonderful evening with genealogical friends.
I was warmly welcomed last night by the Genealogical Society of Bergen County, New Jersey, in a gorgeous room at the Ridgewood Public Library and we all had a great time poking around in the nooks and crannies of courthouses from around the country to see what goodies can be found if only we’ll go and look.
The best part of any speaking engagement is getting to chat with the audience, and last night’s was really special. I particularly enjoyed hearing one listener explain why it’s so important to include a flashlight in your on-site research kit: she was allowed down into a courthouse basement to poke through old records there, but the clerks forgot she was there — and at the end of their workday turned out the lights and locked the door!
I’ll be looking forward to my next opportunity to share an evening with this group.
Thank you, Bergen County!!
I’m so very sorry I missed your presentation and visit! We were just talking about you and your blog in yesterday’s Mondays with Myrt and the on-air Hangout. I’m kicking myself for not knowing you were going to be so very close to my home. I’ve been following your blog ever since Dear Myrt brought it to my attention several weeks ago & I find it extremely useful and informative.
Because of living on a fixed income, I’ve held off joining the Genealogical Society of Bergen County because the majority of my family lived in Ohio. I hate to say it, but I didn’t think this society would be of much relevance to me. Now that I’ve been proven wrong, I’ll be looking closer at my local society! Thanks for bringing them to my attention. Looking forward to your next visit in this vicinity.
Thanks for the kind words, Laurie — and thanks for sharing your experience. Folks tend to forget that local societies can be wonderful resources and great places to hear great presentations and meet new people who can help in our research. I hope to be invited back to Bergen County, and will be speaking elsewhere in NJ this year: in Burlington County, June 1; Ocean County, November 6; Central Jersey, November 12; and Hudson County December 14.
A flashlight is good for those poorly lighted areas when your eyes get a few years on them.
I make it a practice to pack up and LEAVE 10 minutes … maybe 15 … before the end of the courthouse (or library) workday and I make a point to say goodbye and thank you. I don’t want to delay the departure of the workers for even ONE MINUTE. I’m usually tired by then, anyway, and I figure they will be more welcoming to me the next day … or more welcoming to the next genealogy researcher who wanders in. Heck, we all need help from the folks who work there and it is easier to get this help if they aren’t angry with genealogists.
DICK
Good system, Dick — thanks for sharing your thoughts.
Geez! How did she get out if they locked the door? That’s scary! I’m with Richard. I will leave 15-20 minutes early so I don’t get locked in and so the staff will have enough time to pack up.
She managed to find her way up the stairs and make enough noise to be noticed before the very last employee got out the door. Thank heavens!
I thoroughly enjoyed your presentation at the Ridgewood Library and was so inspired that although I did not travel from my desk, I found gold at the Monmouth Co. NJ archives: last time I was there I missed the fact that they had a pdf of Deed Books ABC. And one of the entries spurred me to google the age of jurors–which took me straight to your site today!! Thank you for such a fun and informative evening. I totally agree that the stories are the best part of genealogy!
Thanks so much for the kind words, Jan, and I’m delighted you found some goodies at the Monmouth County Archives!