I came home to a new fan in my apartment, the balcony door open, and a note from Maintenance that they were airing out the apartment because of burned food on my stove! I called the phone number, but on the weekend I could just leave a message. I will call again on Monday to see if I will owe them anything for this service!
This morning I prayed to find out what I was doing here, since I often feel so incompetent at the Library. I was assigned to be at the German desk for three hours today, and the first hour the certified missionary went over some of the items the study group is planning to go over. One of the items was a guide to how to find where records from small locations in Germany.
About ten minutes later I was asked to help a guest with finding out where his ancestors came from in Germany. I was not happy with that description, because usually it means that we are less-well equiped than other floors to handle that type of research. Blessedly, the description was incorrect. This guest had lots of small locations in Germany from family and other records--he just was not content to believe the family records, he wanted proof!
We started in the catalog, as he had already done some searches, and, for some reason, his small locations did not yield any results. So I went to the books to try to find what was needed. At first I was looking in Baden, as that was what his records indicated. We looked at some microfilm, and were not successful. Then he googled the location--and eventually I realized that the place was in Wurttemburg, not Baden. In the book I found the locations--YAY! By this time I was praying often that he would find his people, but the film we looked at yielded no success. I was due to go to lunch, and he looked again in the catalog, and found another set of films. Usually I go out of the Library to eat, but I just went to the break room, and told him I would check back in a few minutes. I had just started eating when I felt I should go back and check--and as he turned the reader handle one more time, there was the record! I was so grateful that he had success, and he was obviously very happy. He said, "Is there a bell I can ring?!!" It was evidence to me that the Spirit wanted me to be there to read that record for him.
The film not only had the regular records, but also a Family Register, and that was cross-referenced in the christening record. When he found that Register on the film we found several children who had died young, and were missed in the family records in the United States. The family had left Germany and settled in--St. Louis. Missouri! That made me extra interested in this family!
After I finished lunch I went to a computer near where the guest continued to work. He had a question which I don't remember, but I was so glad he asked because it got my brain working again--after eating I was struggling to stay awake. The guest was looking at another of his lines, and again I went to the books I had used earlier in the day. We found the record of another ancestor fairly easily, but then he wanted to find that ancestor's wife. The place had records, but even though there were multiple records with her name, none of them were the right date.
Then he noticed that the place name was different for that woman's parents than for her--off by about 100 miles. While with our modern transportation that is not a big deal, in 1842 it undoubtedly was. So I suggested we look for her mother's death, as that was listed in family records as in 1849. We did find it! I suggested we look then at one other film, which covered the 1842 births--but it was about 15 minutes until the library was to close, so he said he would leave that for another time. After he left I decided to check it out myself--and had he stayed another five minutes he would have had the evidence. I did take a picture of the record. I may be able to get a message to him through Family Tree or Ancestry. If not, I will know that he will have success when he checks out that last film.
I was very glad to talk with both my daughter and my Sweetheart tonight. I hope to finish The Book of Ether tonight, and The Book of Moroni tomorrow in Das Buch Mormon. Then a new month will be upon us--amazing!
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