Im hoping to visit Wales soon to research my family history. How can I make the best use of my limited time?
– Julie Preston is an experienced genealogist with Welsh ancestry, and lives in Michigan, USA. Julie advises: I travel to Wales annually and stay for a month at a time. I do most of my research at my local Latter Day Saints (LDS) Family History Centre (FHC) here in the US, so I use my trips to Wales to visit the National Library of Wales (Aberystwyth) to study original parish registers and other records not available in the USA, as well as to visit graveyards and ancestral homes. By the time I get to Wales, I’ve already done most of my homework, which saves me a great deal of time while I’m there. When I’m in Wales, I try to attend at least one meeting of the local family history society. I think it’s absolutely essential to join the local family history society for the area in Wales that you’re researching. The articles in their journals are invaluable and many members with years of accumulated research are not online – one of those members may be researching your line! I’ve also foun
