Our eager researchers jumped right in, scouring all of the reference material available. And since the Library has one of the largest genealogical collections in North America, there was plenty to choose from. Some members spent time looking through an extensive collection of city directories and federal censuses; while others made good use of family histories, state, county & town histories, vital record indexes, abstracts of court records, and PERSI--the most complete collection of genealogical periodicals in the U.S.

The trip was a success for many, including:
· Dolores Mitchell - who "struck gold" by finding documentation on her grandmother Bridget Walsh's immigration to America from Cork, Ireland alone at the age of 17 on the ship "The Majestic." The family's oral history was not shared much, so Dolores had little to go on. She researched at libraries and eventually found that her grandfather (black) and her grandmother (white) were married in Sept. 1899 in Cleveland, Ohio. This led to Dolores tracing her grandmother to Ellis Island.

· Dorothy Swain - who was able to trace her maternal side to great grandparents Colin & Emily Humphries. Dorothy saw her grandfather Charles (son of Colin) listed in censuses back to age 16 in 1880 (Virginia). Dorothy uncovered valuable info that her mother was not able to relate due to the early death of Dorothy's grandmother (in Tennessee). She also discovered how the naming patterns in her family repeat up through today.

· Blanche Kirven - who called this "the best trip I've had". She made great finds tying her heritage from Lynchburg, Virginia to Hamilton, Ontario and back to the U.S. Ancestor Nelson Stephens had escaped from his slaveholder Charles Stephens in Lynchburg, Virginia, fled to Canada, started a family, then returned to the States.

More information on their, and other members', discoveries will be included in the AAGS News letter.