Ancestry Magazine

Hitting the road? See just what a family historian needs to turn a home on wheels into home sweet traveling home.

Say you’ve decided which RV suits you—trailer, camper, fifth wheel, or motorhome. Now it’s time to pore over brochures, really visit the models. Does this one have enough closet space? Sufficient outside storage? Is the RV so big you will have difficulty on back roads and finding a campground that will accommodate its size? Seasoned travelers seldom have a unit larger than 36 feet because of difficulties driving along narrow mountain roads or parking near a small town courthouse.

My husband and I started with small units, but when we began spending six months on the road each year, we graduated to a 35-foot model. It was ideal: we had all the comforts and necessities and all the equipment for a small office, including the following:

• toilet, sink, shower, and holding tank

• stove, oven, and microwave

• refrigerator and freezer

• furnace

• TV and radio

• air conditioner

• generator

• backup camera (to see behind us)

• CB radio

• CD/DVD player

• computer

• printer

• scanner

We added a small cabinet for my “genie tools”—a genealogical guide with addresses of courthouses, a camera for tombstones, and file notes on the families.

While we traveled, one of the most enjoyable parts was parking along a lake or stream and having our lunch while reading notes from the morning or planning the afternoon’s search. Each day had special meaning either for the beauty of a mountain or a sunset, the thrill of finding an ancestor’s old home or final resting place, or just meeting others. We have boxes of notes, but more importantly, we have priceless recollections of elderly family members and their endless stories. Some of them are now gone, but the memories we have will endure. For us, it wouldn’t have been possible without our “home on wheels.” Would you love an unstructured adventure?

Give it a try.