For Saturday, February 27, 2010, Randy Seaver's Saturday Night Genealogy Fun pertains to the contest Ancestry.com is offering everybody to participate in.
Randy states, "Your mission, should you decide to accept it, is to:
1) If you won grand prize in the Ancestry.com Ultimate Family History Journey Sweepstakes of $20,000 for genealogy travel to places of your choice, where would you go?
2) Tell us of your dream genealogy trip using the prize money in a blog post of your own, in a comment to this post, or in a comment on Facebook."
My answer was pretty much formed the minute I entered the contest.
While the desire to return to England is somewhere in the back of my mind, I realistically think I would travel around the United States, and Quebec, Canada instead. The furthest I would go will be determined by any new information obtained through the consults. But, since my family has been in the United States before 1800, I would think it would be one of the states.
There is only one library, the Newberry Library in Chicago I really want to visit. Three generations of Pooles were from Evanston, Illinois, and I would love to see where my grandparents were buried. From Chicago, I would go via train to Salt Lake City for five days of research.
A trip to Washington, DC to revisit the roots of my great-grandparents, and do research at my old stomping grounds, the DAR library.
A 4 or 5 day trip around Connecticut, and a completely different trip for Massachusetts, both times staying at bed and breakfast inns and visiting cemeteries, the area, homesteads and seeing the land. In addition, a return mini trip to Quebec, Canada, with stops in Vermont and New Hampshire, visiting areas of my ancestors. During the entire trips, I would be praying for great weather. It is pretty easy to get carried away here, but I think I would also like to go to New Jersey and New York to trace my Ten Eyck line from New Amsterdam, to New Jersey to Albany, NY. That would also require several days at libraries in Albany and Cooperstown.
Depending on the restrictions for spending the 20,000, I would like to purchase a new computer during the trip and a camera as well. If Ancestry.com allows it, I would like to attend one or two genealogy conferences within the year. Not knowing how much time I have to spend the money, it is hard to say when or where I would go, and could my husband attend as well, since this is his hobby too.
A few donations will be made to my favorite Historical or Genealogical Societies, I might even become a lifetime member.
So, let’s see, budget wise, it would cost about:
The four mini-trips by car would be about $12,000.
The trip to the Chicago area and Salt Lake City, about $4,000.
The week in DC, about $2,000.
$2,500 for camera and Apple laptop. If these aren’t covered by the award, I would extend some of the trips for a few days longer. And eat well!
Well, if I am over my budget, I would do them all, and pay the difference out-of-pocket. And, share everything with the blogging community. No, maybe not, I wouldn’t want anybody to be jealous.
