Showers today are in the bathhouse. This is not my favorite way to get the dirt of the old body. Bathhouses are not always the cleanest, sometimes the heat is not turned up very high and I end up cold, and I always seem to get my pant legs wet and the entire “event” is uncomfortable for me. Larry and Mary, I cannot believe you do this so many weekends every year while camping! You guys have got to be TOUGH COOKIES! My hats off to you!!! I stand in awe.
By 11 AM we are on our way to the Library of Virginia. We find the library, the parking area is under the library. Staff is very nice, library is physically just beautiful. The first librarian who I ask for assistance is hard of hearing and is probably in training. He wants to know where I got my “to do” list and the information on it. Anne and Karen, maybe you have a good answer as to where I got that “to do” list. I wanted to get obituaries from newspapers. Had about 20 of them, give or take on the to do list. Some were from Rockingham County, where the paper is located in Harrisonburg. This poor fellow, aka, librarian (want a be), had the worst time trying to show me how to order up films. Yep, you heard me, ya got to order the films. Unlike many libraries where the films are stored in open stacks where you can help yourself, in the Library of Virginia, many of them are stored somewhere else, where they have to bring them to you. After almost 30 minutes of this “instruction” we order films and then of course, the librarian concludes that none of the papers I want are held by the Library of Virginia. It was a rough start to a research day.
But it got better, I managed to get an obituary for my great grandmother Minnie Maud Remley Bowen and my great grandmother Lorena. Find some birth records, marriage record for Pembroke D. Gwaltney and Estelle Darden. Do some Civil War Pension work, and Civil War service records work. Have pages for birth records for several other records I will look up on Saturday. Worked until 4:45.
Back at the trailer we have a wonderful T-bone steak. Yummy, it was fab!! Good cooking Man!!
Then I start revising the “to do” list. Takes a couple of hours, will print off the revised version before heading back to the Library in the morning.
March 30, 2002
Man decides to stay at the trailer today, I am off to the library for a full day of research. I have my updated “to do” list. I try to order some newspaper films for Norfolk, attempt to locate films for Norfolk for years after 1955. The computer program and I just do not agree. I later discover that even the librarians consider ordering newspaper films to be the hardest chore. I discuss this method of ordering films with several of the librarians. Finally after several “talks” I get to the bottom of the situation. There is a book in the research room with a PRINTED list of newspapers, organized by area, county, and/or town name. If you consult said PRINTED list, you can find a roll number, and then get one of the librarians to assist you in ordering the roll of film you need. By doing this I discover that there are papers for Staunton which I need, Washington Post, which I need, and years AFTER 1955 for Norfolk, which I need. I also discover that the papers I wanted yesterday for Rockingham County are indeed available. I am thrilled to discover this, but irritated that the first librarian could not help me more, and a little peeved that it took me a day and a half to figure all this out. But proud of my tenacity. Like Dr. Lindquist once said about me, I can act like a badger.
As is usual with the research game, I find some, fail on others. Overall it is a good day tho.
I am back at the trailer by 5 P.M., we have dinner, I boil and color Easter eggs, Man gets a campfire going. First of the year. We sit around the campfire for several hours, just as we decide to call it an evening it starts to rain. Good timing.
March 31, 2002
Easter Sunday.
We have our eggs in the cute little bunny egg holder, very cute!
I start on input and redoing the “to do” list. I work all morning, Man disappears into the bedroom for a nap. It is raining, rained all night, rains all day. It is cool, and very dark.
For our Easter dinner we have smoked pork chops, baked potatoes, peas. More YUM!
After lunch, I go back to the input and work. Man watches several really stupid movies that are supposed to be funny. We both do the shower routine, brrr, that walk back to the trailer was tough.
We have sandwiches for dinner, Man is watching “The Ten Commandments” and I am finishing my input and organization for tomorrow. I am heading back to the library. For now, it is time to get some zzzzzz’s.
April 1, 2002
Well, you know the term, best laid plans of mice and women.
Woke up this AM and had a sick dog, so the research trip is off. The day is nice, quiet, we lay around, read, doing nothing much.
April 2, 2002
Today, I get to research. I finally figure out more of the catalog, the newspaper part and then find obituaries. Still cannot seem to find papers, for say, Norfolk, 1914. I manage to work all day and find stuff. But I do find the Rockingham County papers and find all but 2 or 3 of my long list of obituaries for Rockingham, including one for my great-great grandfather, Peter Preston Holsinger, which is very interesting, tells about his escapades during the Civil War, including the comment about his horse being shot out from under him. One of my better obits!
Back at the trailer for dinner we have tomato soup and grilled cheese sandwiches, they taste really good!!!
We decide to stay one more day and I get one more shot at the library.
Nights are cool, we are thankful for TWO electric heaters and enough power to run them both.
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