This year I gained way more than just the four extra pounds I accumulated on our 8th annual Legacy Genealogy Cruise. I found several new ancestors, learned that my long-time friend is a cousin, had a fantastic serendipitous experience at the cemetery, took 284 pictures, and came home with lots of memories and new friends.
While I gained so much, the day before the cruise departed, I lost my grandmother. She lived a good long life, and although I was unable to make it home for the funeral, I was doing what she loved so much – genealogy. I wonder if she had anything to do with the unbelievable experiences I had in locating my ancestors in Maine. I will write about this soon.
Besides the beautiful cemeteries we visited, the best parts of the cruise were the classes and our attendees. There was something different about the 170+ that accompanied us this year. It seemed as if we already knew each other so well. Everyone commented about how wonderful the speakers were. Between Thomas MacEntee, Steve Salisbury, Luc Comeau, Dave Berdan, Ken McGinnis, and myself, we presented about 16 hours of genealogy and technology classes. We were even able to squeeze in a few extra hours of personal one-on-one time before and after the classes. One of the highlights was our group excursion to the oldest genealogy society in America – the New England Historic Genealogical Society. There, we were given a tour, had time to research, and some were given free personal consultations from professionals. Thanks Thomas MacEntee for setting this up! I was delighted to personally meet Marian Pierre-Louis, our Connecticut webinar speaker. Thanks Marian for making the trip. I tried to get her to spill the beans on Nathan Brown's parents, but I'll still have to wait for our November 2 webinar.
So…it is back to work for the Legacy development team. It's not so hard for me because I absolutely love what I do. We have some great things planned for the near and the not-so-near future.
Below are just a few of the 284 pictures I took.
The view from the top of the Portland Observatory (Maine) with our ship in the background:
Our group:
The Statue of Liberty – one of my favorite symbols of our freedom:
Dinner with Ken McGinnis and Thomas MacEntee:
Me with my 6th great-grandparents in "Smart Cemetery":
Panorama of a town in Nova Scotia:
Yummy clam chowder in New Brunswick:
Me, Thomas, and Marian at the New England Historic Genealogical Society:
Dave Berdan, Ken McGinnis, Geoff Rasmussen, and Luc Comeau:
Some of our cruisers in class:
I guess I should conclude this article now. Our 9th annual Legacy Genealogy Cruise is just 7 months and 2 days away. We hope to see you next May as we cruise the British Isles and the Norwegian Fjords.
Geoff I enjoyed reading this article as well as hearing your presentations on the cruise. I can hardly wait until you have the recorded presentations uploaded and I can review it while referring to my notes. I feel I learned so much.