Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday were my FHL days. I took Trax (the above-ground subway) in and out of the city. It was so nice. It didn't run as often as the trains in Boston, but it was nicer and less crowded. It dropped me off right by the FHL. I came out with a nice research plan, but it kind of fell apart when I was there as I decided to focus on books (that don't circulate to family history centers) rather than microfilm (that does circulate). I copied about 150 pages, and took photos of another 300 or so pages, so I have plenty of things to sort through now that I'm back.
I was disappointed that I couldn't find probate or church records on microfilm for the Kentucky ancestors that I am particularly interested in and wanted to make the focus of my trip (part of the reason my research plan fell apart). I wanted to use the son Marion in a proof argument, to show that he either was or was not the son of my ggg-grandfather and grandmother. He shows up in the family group sheets, with a few details about his life, but currently have no hard evidence such as census records, probate records, vital records or newspaper articles to prove that he exists. But without the church and probate records I couldn't prove anything either way. I did get some nice histories of the area, including some newspapers that covered the rural area, that will be helpful in future research.
Over 2 million reels of microfilm make Salt Lake and the Family History Library a genealogical mecca. This is one of about 10 rows of filing cabinets where microfilm are stored.
One of my friends, Marilyn, works at the FHL, so we went out to lunch twice and dinner once while I was there. We met through ProGen, a rather intense genealogy study group for people who are thinking about becoming professional genealogists. We met in person in March when we both were speakers at the Franklin Family History Conference and found we had a lot in common outside of genealogy. It was so wonderful to spend some more time with Marilyn while I was out there. Her friend Patsy, who also works at the FHL, joined us a couple of times.
From left to right: Patsy, Marilyn, Lori LynWe went to eat the Lion House and the Nauvoo Cafe. Both were absolutely delicious, and the conversation was wonderful. Here is the ham sandwich I had at the Cafe--the best ham sandwich I have ever had.
3 comments:
My parents are on a mission at the FHL!!! Did you see them??
Maybe--didn't talk to them though. I should have consulted with you before I left on my trip!
I love Lion House sandwiches and cinnamon rolls. Dad and I often stop at Deseret Book in Denver where they have a little cafe inside and get a cinnamon roll.
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