5/31/2022
I left Michigan this morning at 10am and arrived at my location in DeForest, Wisconsin before 3pm. It was a long drive and the GPS made me go through downtown Chicago, I'll be avoiding tolls on the way home so I can avoid that mess again.
About an hour after leaving home I realized that I forgot my Benadryl and Tylenol, both are needed today 😪. Tomorrow I'll be heading into town to check out the museum and library. Hoping to find something new for my research.
I spent a couple days in DeForest, in my mind I was expecting a much smaller town because I have only seen old photographs online. I visited the library, very small but nice. They did not have much information beyond what I was able to find online. I took some photos of what they had and added that information to the family tree. I found a line that I feel my relative could have come from but so far I have not found him listed in anything so I'm afraid it is another dead end.
I visited Sunfish Pond, they've got a paved walking trail at the back of development, I got a few odd looks while taking pictures, it was a nice spot though. I'd like to go back, to visit Madison, check out the big library, maybe I'll find additional information on the founder and his family. However, part of me feels like this particular branch is not the one we need. There are DeForests in Australia as well, I'll be looking into those lines eventually. Tracking those that left France and made their way to the USA is where I'm hoping to find the branch that my ancestor came from.
For now, I'll keep searching the branches that I have tied together between New York and Wisconsin and then from there moved to other states; Kansas, Oregon and possibly California. I found a DeForest Park and Wetlands in Long Beach, California, that may be something to look into later as well.
If you have been searching your family history or are just beginning, happy hunting and leave no stone unturned 😀
