This morning was an early day, which is just a bit hard after the late night last night. I was Floor Manager the first hour, when few people come in needing help, but was needed as a helper towards the end of that time for a family researching in Austria. That family eventually got help from several specialists, as the small place name did not pull up in the catalog, in Google, or in gazetteers. Eventually it was located, and the guests learned that the records in that area need to be requested one at a time from the parish that the ancestors attended. The record holders have not allowed the Genealogical Society to film or digitize the records.
Later there was another gathering of missionaries and specialists to decipher a note in a set of marriage records. In talking tonight with my Sweetheart as he remembered involvement in the old extraction program we concluded that in those old records it is important to have more than one or two sets of eyes look at them--and even then we are just doing the best we can.
My research today was focused on very old records in Hessen, where my Kalbfleisch line came from. I looked first at the same film I started on last week--Hofgarten. I was able to find my third great-grandmother's birth/christening record, and thus prove that she and her sister were not the same person. One thing that has caused confusion is that their marriage dates are identical according to notes on my ancestor's child's christening record, and her sister's death record. Of course, the records that cover that date are missing! What a blessing that for those two records, someone saw a need to include that marriage information! I was able to take pictures of the records that do exist with my iPad, and attach those in the Memories of each person's details page. I am grateful my daughter did not resist replacing the iPad I lost at Heathrow Airport in London when a nice Black Friday special made a Mini fairly reasonable. I was asked today by one of the other missionaries about using the iPad that way. The improved Family Tree app makes it so easy. I actually have also used the mini Kindle to take similar pictures, but the iPad makes it easy to also store my Polish, German and Latin word lists, along with the instructions for helping guests from China and Taiwan.
Once I cleared up my Hofgarten records I went on to Altenburg where my Kalbfleisch ancestors had originated. I had not researched these records myself previously, so it was really nice to see the Family Registers for myself--the records from which the Registers were composed are not available now as far as I can tell. So I got more pictures, before I just felt too sleepy to continue with the microfilm.
I was actually planning to go back to the apartment early, but I thought to ask two of the new missionaries if they would like a ride to do some grocery shopping. Sister M, from the Ukraine, had a meeting to attend, but Sister A, from Canada, was very happy to get a ride. She showed me how to get to one of the stores I had not gone to before. She also insisted on giving me a nice selection of fruit for having taken her. It was actually just a nice break for me to take her--I did not feel so tired anymore, and it gave me an excuse to get some dark chocolate covered cranberries at one store, and some 72% cacao bars at another store--and now I know where to get those!
I have been able to keep up my Book of Mormon reading schedule, so I have now finished Enos--almost done with the small plates! The only downside of this is that in a few days I will face the war chapters of Alma. A lot of people have a hard time with the Isaiah chapters in 2 Nephi, but for me, Alma is the big challenge, as I love the words of Isaiah.
Today was a little cooler, but tomorrow will be hot again. And now it is time for sleep at last!
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