Bye bye 2016 and Welcome 2017!

Note : The publication of this post should have been made on December 31st. As Diane unfortunately suffers from a fractured shoulder, it is posted only today. This post as well as some others to come had been written previously and will be published according to the initial calendar by her loyal assistant. As soon as she has completely recovered from her injury, Diane will be back on this blog. Thank you for your understanding.


I don’t even want to take a look at my 2016 resolutions—although I love making lists on New Year’s Eve. Let’s face it, I haven’t published as much as I had hoped for.

How about forgetting the things that I didn’t do but rather focusing on the great things I have accomplished these past twelve months?

First of all, my best moment was my trip to St. Louis. I had such a pleasant experience, digging in well-preserved old documents at the Missouri History Museum Research Centre! I am planning to eventually return.

Second, I attended my first major conference, the FGS National Conference in Springfield, IL, and I must say, I really learned a lot—I even came back with a huge reading list and new research paths. I just wish I had more T-I-M-E!

Third, I made a little trip to upstate Vermont last spring that helped me gather new documentation for my Vermont Project. I resumed its publication no later than yesterday and I hope to keep up the pace to one publication every other Wednesday (alternating with the Bangle Files).

Fourth, when I started the Bangle Files, I was looking forward to new leads but I had never anticipated unearthing so much. No, I haven’t solved the mysteries of that family, but I came up with new information that should help us get a clearer picture. And why not be optimistic? Maybe I’ll find even more in 2017!

So what’s in store for the year to come? This time, I will keep that list for myself—let me surprise you.

As for travelling, no conferences this year, but probably in 2018. I plan to return to Vermont and to go to the New York State Archives and meet up with my geneafriend Diane. As for the rest, I am still at the brainstorming stage, but one thing is sure—and that makes me very sad—I will not be able to return to Salt Lake City with NEHGS next fall due to scheduling conflicts (my day job is the culprit of course).

I hope to find you here on this blog during the course of next year. Whether you do genealogy or not, let me wish you the best for 2017!