Tika & Cold Case Genealogy

I usually take Tika with me when I go walking in one of our local cemeteries. And I never go so walking without a camera, pencil and paper for one of the things I most enjoy is tackling a "cold case genealogy" project.  For instance, on one walk I spotted a little metal plate resting near a tombstone:

The little plaque reads, "R.N. of A. In Memoriam."  Now I could guess that it means Registered Nurses of America but as yet I've not found out for-sure exactly what that means............. and that makes it an especially "delicious" cold case research project.

I usually pick a "story" of a person who died prior to 1935 so that I'll have some public records to search. From the cemetery file, death certificate, local city directories, and the U.S. censuses, I can usually find enough material to write up a personal sketch for the person. (It does help that Washington state has the most fabulous digital archives:  www.digitalarchives.wa.gov ) 

And what do I do with these projects? They will go posted to my local genealogical society's website (www.EWGSI.org) so that maybe-hopefully-possibly some descendant looking for that person will hit the jackpot. To me this is a warm-fuzzy thing to do.

Tika always enjoys the outings. (And I always have a little green baggy in my pocket, as should you.)