Last night I had a breakthrough with my research. I had already spent three in-depth research sessions in the Cumberland Country archives researching the Hemphill family, who was/is a Carlisle family who immigrated to Cumberland County from Ireland in the mid 18th Century. They were successful in Carlisle but not famous. I thought that it would be very interesting to do an in-depth genealogical project. Who was this family? What were their values? What did they leave from the past, and what do those choices tell us about their lives? Moreover, what can the history of one Carlisle family tell researchers about the lives of other families of that time, how their lives reflected greater history, and how families evolve?  

I thought my work would be fruitful because the archive has probably about thirty large boxes about the Hemphills. However, I grew very frustrated. Box after box all I could find was family trees. Although important, this told me nothing about how the Hemphills lived their lives. The best I could find was secondary sources of Hemphills in California writing to the archive asking for information. The archive would reply with information about land owned by the Hemphills, deaths, and births. 

Last night, however, was very exciting.  I found Hemphill wills, Hemphill photographs, letters of Hemphill business interactions, Hemphill part invitations, and a map of their farm. For the first time I feel as if my project has some meat to its bones. I will go back tonight and closely read all of these primary sources. I feel as if my research is paying off. It was great finally finding the right box!