Saturday, March 5, 2016

When Work Calls, Think Family History

Work unexpectedly called me to Illinois this past week, which put me very near to the historic village of New Salem.

The timing and location was quite fortuitous considering it was only a month ago that I wrote about my 5th great-grandfather's home in New Salem. Readers of this blog will recall my piece on my ancestor Robert Johnston and the carpentry work he did for a young Abraham Lincoln (another New Salem resident).

Catch up on my family's connection to the American icon in: My Grandfather, Abraham Lincoln's Carpenter.

When I wrote the above-mentioned blog, I struggled to find a photo of the Johnston cabin that I could use (with permission!) for my article. Fortunately, I did finally receive authorization to include a picture I found online (for which I was very grateful).

Naturally, when work calls a genealogist away on travel, his first step is to plot out the nearest family history sites and figure out how to build them into the itinerary.

This trip provided me an opportunity to add to the photographic record of the Johnston cabin and my own family's story.  Below are video (baselining the relationship to Johnston from my 2nd great-grandmother Minnie Barber) and photos of the Johnston cabin.



Robert Johnston Cabin



Robert Johnston Cabin
Robert Johnston's woodworking space
Lincoln's first general store
Lincoln as a surveyor

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