I really enjoy research, sometimes I think that writing The Clove is just an excuse to visit historic sites. I’m lucky to spend time with objects from the period I’m working on. The occasional discovery of a personal item is exciting and can make a long drive worthwhile. One afternoon, for example, I could hold what was basically an I.O.U. from Claudius Smith in my hand and see his fantastic penmanship. My best research times were with the unexpected and new to me. I have been to local museums where the staff (who may or may not be getting paid for what they do) have made all the difference between a good and a great visit, bringing to life the past with their enthusiasm and knowledgeable presentation.
On the other hand, I’ve done more investigation than I thought I would need for some things that were supposed to be/should have been at the locations I visited. I have a digital copy of the holdings of a local (State-run) museum, which lists several documents important to the trial featured in my book. Visiting the museum, I was told that the documents in question had been moved to another location, which I also visited. The staff there believed the documents had been logged in, but after a 45-minute search, they came up empty-handed. I finally found them warehoused in a facility in New York City, where I could not visit them. After submitting a request and waiting months, I got some very nice scans of the documents at no cost, my NYS taxes at work.
Those of you interested in doing historical research are probably of the same mind and enjoy the whole experience. When you get jammed by setbacks like my example, you just dig harder.
