I can’t believe how excited I am about this, but the first batch of obituaries I requested from the library came in the mail today. Hoyt Library in my hometown, which has been around for like a 100-plus years, has a great local history and genealogy collection, and they make copies of Microfiche obits for free. (Okay, they’ll accept good-faith donations, so I do plan to send them a check.)

Today I got:

• My grandmother, Ruth
• Her first husband, Robert
• Robert’s father, Joseph (my great grandfather)
• Joseph’s father, Alva (my great-great grandfather)
• and Alva’s wife, Elizabeth (my great-great grandmother)

Like the Census records I’ve been digging in, these are just snapshots. But they do have a few details I didn’t know, and mention a few people I wasn’t aware of. For instance, Census records indicate Alva Johnson was a farmer, but his obituary says he came to Saginaw to be a coal prospector. That’s a fascinating career transition, gramps.

Now, to order my next batch. This is fun. If you’re lame (like me).

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