Researching Through the Pandemic

I am speaking for myself when I say that there is nothing more awesome than to hold a piece of your ancestor's life. 

My first hand experience came at when I worked in Emmitsburg, Maryland where the Daughters of Charity lived and worked. The archivist invited a few of us to visit the archives, showing us several of many historic pieces that once belonged to Saint Elizabeth Ann Seaton. This was my first dive into history to understand the relevance of historic documents a bit and feel the excitement to witness them in person.

Years later I had the opportunity to visit the Maryland State Archives in Annapolis, Maryland to research my great great grandfather, Christian Monath. His naturalization was granted to him in October 1865 after having lived in the United States for five years and three years in the state of Maryland. 

Social media sites offer digital images of original documents, and I am not complaining because I had to rely on these resources for the past year. However, by visiting repositories I have access records that tell a real life story of someone I never met but is a part of me. The resources available are not all found online and it is not the same as touching a piece of history.

So, am I counting the days and months to return to normal and to have access to leave my home office to that of a repository? Yes!!