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Subject: Re: Researching in Charleston, Part Two
From: Melba J Clark
Date: May 02, 2000
Elizabeth,
I am enjoying your writing about your preparations, etc. Keep them coming.
Melba
-----Original Message-----
From: Elizabeth Russo
To: [email protected]
Date: Tuesday, May 02, 2000 12:55 PM
Subject: Researching in Charleston, Part Two
METHODOLOGY
>
>In order to better understand my comments, perhaps it would be helpful
>for me to explain how I went about researching. Thus, shortfalls that
>might be due to my own shortcomings might be more readily exposed,
>rather than placing the burden unfairly upon the research facility.
>Comments, questions, suggestions for improvements welcomed.
>
>Advance Preparation:
>
>Knowing that my time would be very precious in Charleston, and knowing
>that my research would cover several lines over many generations [from
>late 1600s to about 1830], I knew I had to organize as best I could well
>in advance.
>
>Because the decision was made in December 1999 to hold the reunion in
>Charleston, I had about four months to prepare.
>
>I first set about organizing the data I already had in my possession.
>This meant organizing my gedcoms [which I transferred in parts to my
>laptop from my primary p.c.] and printing an outline. [I use Family
>Treemaker.] I then decided to further organize my data into narrative
>form so that the facilities where I would research would have some idea
>of my research issues, but also so that they would have something for
>their files. Finally, I uploaded my most crucial gedcoms to a
>MyFamily.com website so that I could download them again if needed, or
>access them from a public library computer. Of course, Rootsweb's World
>Connect project is a good place to upload your gedcom. I didn't do so
>for this trip because I wanted my gedcoms to remain private until I had
>corrected and updated my data.
>
>While organizing, I ran across many "holes" and research needs that I
>began to organize into charts. I kept these charts in my wordprocessing
>programs [I use WordPerfect on my p.c. and Word on my laptop], as well
>as on hard copies.
>
>I downloaded the basic chart form from Ancestry.com's Research Calendar
>found on:
>
>http://www.ancestry.com/save/charts/researchcal.htm
>
>and modified the form for each facility where I would be researching.
>For example, for the public library, I had the title of the book and the
>call number as columns in the chart; for the SC Historical Society, I
>had the request number [more on these topics later.]
>
>Once I had gone through and listed all the documents I knew I wished to
>examine or obtain based upon my own notes, I then turned to the
>facilities where I knew I would be researching to see if I could further
>list some finding aids.
>
>For the SC Historical Society, I went to their website at this URL:
>
>http://www.schistory.org/
>
From there, I clicked on each of their "Online catalogs" categories and
>performed searches for my various surnames. For those "hits" that
>looked promising, I recorded the information on the chart I had prepared
>for the Historical Society, including the request number. I also
>explored all of the links connected to this website.
>
>While at the website, I also found the e-mail address where I could
>address questions: [email protected]
>
>The ever-knowledgeable Peter Wilkerson answered my inquiry, and over the
>months we worked together on a research strategy.
>
>Because of the volume of my research, I ended up attaching my chart as
>an email attachment and sending it on. [More on this later.]
>
>For the Charleston County library, I went to this URL:
>
>http://www.ccpl.org/scr.html#bibstart
>
>and read thoroughly all of their links, as well as performing searches
>in their catalog and databases. Again, I recorded what I wanted to
>research on the chart that I had organized for the library, including
>call number, title and author, as well as what surnames I expected to
>find within those books and other sources. Unlike the other two
>facilities, I did not contact this library in advance.
>
>For the Huguenot Society, several researchers and cousins [Thank you,
>Mary, Betty, Renee, and more] gave me references to my various surnames
>from the Index to the Transactions of the Huguenot Society; again, these
>were duly recorded on yet another chart modified for the Huguenot
>society.
>
>Additionally, I struck up a lovely correspondence with the Director,
>Renee Marshall, and emailed her with my long list of research desires.
>We were able to winnow down to a manageable amount some documents that
>she copied in advance and mailed to me [with a bill that I later paid by
>check]; doing so allowed me to better know in advance where to
>concentrate my research there. The Huguenot Society, to my knowledge,
>does not currently have an online searchable database, but their website
>is here:
>
>http://www.huguenotsociety.org/
>
>One week before arrival:
>
>Closer to the date of arrival in Charleston, I let the Historical
>Society and the Huguenot Society know of my approximate schedule for
>researching in their respective facilities, and they let me know about
>their adjustment of schedules for holiday hours. The need for
>contacting each of these places was also dependent upon the fact that
>there would be several researchers coming to their relatively small
>facilities at one time, and I wanted to give them fair warning.
>
>Also discussed in advance were the use of laptops [allowed in all three
>places] and scanners [allowed without charge at the library; not allowed
>at the Huguenot society yet; SC Historical society considering a policy
>allowing scanners.] I used my laptop on this trip, but not my scanner
>even though I had it with me.
>
>Once in Charleston:
>
>Each day's schedule was planned around the hours of the various
>facilities, along with the amount of research to be performed. For me,
>I have access to census records and some of the more widely available
>books such as deed and will abstracts. I get these records on my treks
>to Washington, D.C. [I live in CT, but have a daughter living in D.C.]
>I have access to the Huguenot Transactions in New Paltz, NY where I can
>go a few times per year. So, I wished to concentrate on materials not
>available outside of SC.
>
>Since the Historical and Huguenot Societies had vertical files on my
>various ancestors, and since these facilities were normally only open
>during the daytime, I first concentrated on researching in these two
>places during the day, and then at the Public Library in the evening, as
>it is open until 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday evenings [and until six
>p.m. Fridays and Saturdays; they also have Sunday hours but were not
>open on Easter Sunday.]
>
>Particulars as to each facility will be covered later.
>
>[to be continued]
>
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