As I start the journey of accepting paying clients I am also volunteering at our local Historical Society one day per week. They are assigning me research requests from members and others searching for information about ancestors that lived or passed through Leavenworth, Kansas.
Leavenworth was the "First City" of Kansas established when the military created an outpost on the banks of the Missouri River to supply the westward expansion. The town has historic buildings, remnants of brick streets, and stories of famous and infamous people who lived and worked here.
I am delving in to the records available here in this county, including those housed at the Leavenworth County Historical Society and our courthouse. I haven't made it to the Library yet, but know they have a Genealogy Room with access to years of newspapers and other books of local interest.
What I am finding, is that every little city in America has a treasure trove of "local only" records and that even in this wild and crazy world of digitization, the cloud, and internet search engines, the old fashioned method of sifting through docket books and ledgers, or rolling through microfilm is still needed.
And of course, I am much more meticulous now than I was 25 years ago to record the date and location of my research. Then I make sure I have all the publication and source information to write an accurate citation following Elizabeth Shown Mills Evidence Explained methods.
I am very happy I chose this path for the next chapter of my retirement era; working when and where I want to, doing something I love!
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