some of the new books I acquired this week at GRIP.

Day 4  of GRIP continued the whirlwind of knowledge acquired at GRIP. It included lectures on NYC Urban Centers of Research. Different special holdings of libraries and museums and I absolutely loved our Case Study of Joseph Johnson Chase and it really opened my eyes to the importance of doing a case study to lay out all the facts. I knew they were important but actually seeing one progress was fabulous. I also loved Karen Mauer Jones’ quote of not being a source snob and using those unsourced items as clues and hints to move forward.

After classes on Thursday, I went and perused the samples of Board of Certified Genealogists portfolios they had for review and it was great to see real samples of client reports and the depth of knowledge required to become certified.

Thursday evening was another lecture this one by the Legal Genealogist, Judy Russell, CG, CGL. It was about telling the stories of the children. The children who did not survive and the effects they bring on to families. This one had me laughing and crying and wanting to dig deeper. It also had me wishing I could attend the July Session for her course on Women and Children.

With Friday it was Day 5 of GRIP and time to pack up and go home but first we had 2 lectures to complete. The first was about Vital Records and different alternatives. The second was about the importance of reading Genealogical Journals and Case Studies and how they can be useful even if they aren’t about your family. Also loved Karen’s prod to submit articles and not be afraid to submit. Editors are  your friends and will provide guidance.

So with that we earned our certificates and it was time to go home. I will be doing a wrap up post in the coming days but for now I want to dive into research and work on some brick wall problems.

I will say after taking this course I feel more adept at tackling my brick walls and have a few research trips planned to get some boots on the ground things done.