Today!! New In-Service Lesson, Leading to Ancestry Sources! 28 December 2016

I woke up a little earier than usual this morning, which meant I could easily read 2 chapters in the book of Jacob--3 & 4--so that on my P day tomorrow I can tackle Jacob 5.  I really like that chapter with the allegory of the Olive Tree.  But it is the longest chapter in The Book of Mormon, so it is good to have a P day to enjoy it.

This morning was an early one at the Library, followed by 2 hours in the Training room. The happy news was that I had time to get started on an in-service lesson on Searching at Ancestry. Their methodology is somewhat different than FamilySearch.  In a way, I guess it is a little less professional library-oriented.  Instead of the extensive catalog which FamilySearch has, Ancestry does what they call a card catalog that is searched only by title or keyword.  I was trying to find a search that would not be too complicated, and my Eppingen relatives did not work, even trying several different surnames.

Then I thought of using my Dad's great-grandfather--and I actually was able to access records with my surname in the 1819 Mecklenburg-Schwerin Census.  I am not positive I found my second great-grandfather--the birth date is off by a month from family records, and his tombstone.  But it was exciting to find that there may well be a record for him.

Since there was not a firm connection on that line, I started working with my 2nd great-grandmother's family.  I spent several hours this evening attaching sources, cleaning up records, providing evidence of births and deaths, etc. It was a fun way to spend the evening while I waited for my Sweetheart to call.

I spent a couple of hours at the German--Slavic counter, and helped with some deciphering.  I also learned about a Swiss Gazetter I had not known about before, and I appropriately found neighboring parishes for on of the volunteers. I knew the German word for bachelor when another missionary asked me for help. So sometimes I am useful even out on the floor!

Since we did not have choir practice today, I got one load of laundry done.  I even got my coat washed!  Tomorrow morning when I go in for half-an-hour to help with cleaning, I can use the other Swap-Meet coat, and see how that works out. The snow is beginning to melt, but since we got about a foot on Christmas Day, I suspect it will not all be gone before the next possibility of snow on New Year's Day!