Preparing for Cincinnati

Time has flown in the recent weeks as I have spent time either indexing or searching for ancestors in the 1940 Federal Census with some interesting results that I will compile in an upcoming post once the dust has settled more.

But today, I wanted to update the preparations occurring in my corner of the world as the calendar edges closer towards the National Genealogical Conference in Cincinnati, and my first opportunity to rub shoulders with so many of the bloggers, authors, and people I have grown to respect in this amazing field.

I thought it was ironic that our Sunday newspaper focused on Cincinnati in the travel section this past Sunday, and since I don't believe in coincidences, that coupled with the addition of Family Tree Magazine adding the city to its May/June 2012 issue only adds to the excitement. Although my mother and I are the genealogy fiends in our family, my father is coming with us, so I am currently exploring the social events that are being offered as well as reading up on what is available in the downtown area for him to explore while we are learning as much as we can (when we aren't spending money in the exhibition hall, trying to find people I have become acquainted with over these past few years, or seeing what trouble I can try to stay away from).

One thing I learned long ago is that going on any trip means much work before one leaves the driveway, so I am currently debating the cost of updating my current GPS vs. replacing it, making a list of the food and snacks we are packing (we have decided that the luncheons are most likely beyond our budget, but will finalize this decision this weekend), ensuring that spring clothing is in good shape and that I have comfortable shoes to survive those long days (I prefer going barefoot ).

The next phase is updating my database as much as I can before we go because we are hoping to do some research on a missing line that actually lived in Cincinnati and ran a saloon downtown in the early 1900s. Another decision: to take advantage of being so close to Frankfort, Kentucky and some of the courthouses in that part of Kentucky that we need to visit for some records while we are so close. I will write more on this next week.

As I am writing this I have learned that the NGS has a mobile app that can be downloaded on a variety of Windows, Android, & Blackberry devices to help us with the schedule of events (including making a personalized schedule), information on the exhibitors including how to find them, maps of the meeting rooms hotels & parking, and even a way to stay connected with each other throughout the convention. This is something I am going to have to add to my to-do list.

First National Conference- Come Along With Me

My bucket list is quite varied, covering everything from traveling spots to meeting favorite celebrities, and attaining goals with my beloved ancestors, and I have been quite blessed in actually checking off many of them, even the ones that seemed impossible years ago.

Last year I was more than a bit blue as The National Genealogical Society's Annual Conference was conducted in Charleston, South Carolina. I had wanted to go desperately, and was so disappointed when circumstances prevented the opportunity.

When I learned that the National Genealogical Society was holding the 2012 conference in Cincinnati, Ohio I knew that I would not be denied. I researched the three hotels that were originally recommended by the Society, and actually made our hotel reservations over six months ago to ensure that I was in the hotel I wanted, which is across the street from the Duke Energy Convention Center and attached by the downtown Cincinnati sky walk system.

I talked highly of this conference within my family, so my favorite sidekick in genealogy pursuits, my mother, decided to attend with me. As of this moment we are electing not to sign up for any of the luncheons, even though I am a member of a few of the organizations, but will seek some guidance on this one in the next few weeks. The conference blog states that any meal tickets must be purchased in advance.

We did decide to splurge for the Wednesday evening tour and dinner at the Cincinnati History Museum, especially since the Union Terminal is there and the railroad plays such a large role in our lives. I was happy to find out, that even though my father will not be part of the actual conference, I could register him for this event. We also plan on going to the evening at the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center , as well as a bus tour they are doing when we first get into town. We decided to take advantage of these opportunities and enjoy them as much as we can while we are there.

Since I am a newcomer to attending a conference at this level, I thought I would start posting on our process as we prepare for this trip, what the experience is like once we arrive, and what we learn during and once we get home.

Next time I will let you know what some of our preparations are for this trip.