New Posting Topics and A New Series

Anyone wondering where on earth this blog has been for the past year would be entitled to know that I have, indeed, been working on projects near and dear to my heart, specifically that of carrying then babying the newest addition to the family (seen stage right), as well as trying to maintain my sanity while raising a toddler while tending to a newborn.

Time, though, as any good genealogist knows, marches on inexorably, and the strains of a new baby and a tired toddler are starting to wear away, leaving me more energy to fight the good genea-blog fight and attempt to resurrect the wilting powers of my own literary merit.

As I have had ample time to consider the time-worthiness of this blog, there will be some changes coming, as far as focus and content; changes which, I hope, will improve my posts dramatically, while realigning my blog with my own set of developing interests. Most markedly, the blog will no longer focus solely on internet-tools and research-techniques, though I do plan to cover these topics as they pertain to research I do personally on the web. When I discover a great site, a useful shareware app, or a new and particularly well-aligned search engine, I plan to share it with my readers. But as far as general coverage of the internet through the proverbial genealogy lens--no more. I find that other bloggers cover the most germane developments faster, better and more efficiently than I tend to (I'm looking at you, Randy Seaver!), so I see no sense in trying to re-post the wheel, as it were.

Instead, this blog will take on a new angle, reflecting my own research interests in the Great and Golden State of California. Particular emphasis will be given to research in the Bay Area (since that is where I live, and where I come in contact with the most primary sources). Look for reports on access and usage of records in nearby repositories, as well as items of historical interest  in various communities throughout the state. Trends and events affecting California residents will be discussed, often in-depth, and every effort will be made to present cohesive, annotated discussions which would be of use to anyone researching in this state.

I also recently began an in-depth research project on a gaggle of ancestors who made their way from New York to California in the first half of the 19th century, meandering lazily and across the decades from upstate New York, to Illinois, to Minnesota, through the Dakota Territory and various mining towns, to the citrus belt of California, until coming to a final halt in the San Francisco Bay Area. Since the family is interesting and had their hands in a myriad of different historical cookie jars, I've decided to expand upon different aspects of this family research in this blog. The series should cover, geographically, the Midwest and Western states, with an emphasis on migratory trends and early settlements along the way.

In the end, I want to realign this blog as a showcase of real research being done by one individual in a specific time and place. I want to discuss the largesse and limitations of research on the internet, and I want to track the actual research process as it unfolds... whenever that process holds interesting nuggets of research technique or historical significance of interest to readers. I hope you'll find the newer incarnation of RDGR to be a useful one, and I welcome any comments on the blog!