6-18-2010 0730 Green River Wyoming. I kinda like to write the states name out all the way, since places like Laramie (later today) and Green River figure in my childhood repertoire.
From Laramie the Deserts are my sorry lot
Just me and my hoss and the deserts are hot
This part of a song about the pony express that came on a small 78 record that arrived in the mail each month. I also got a small box from something called 'Things of Science', which sometimes had an owl pellet, and sometimes rocks with trilobites.
I dont appreciate my mother often enough. Not that my father objected to such things, perhaps he even came up with the idea, leafing through one of his physiology related journals, but I dont think he would have arranged the actual arrivals. And when I was sick, usually with something diagnosed as ear infection, and being treated with heat, terpenhydrate with codeine, and perhaps some early sulfa drug, it was of course my mother who held me and rocked me...traveling slowly in that rocker express from one end of the long front room in St Louis to the other.
Well, yesterday we got a chance to appreciate all parents, at the Family Research Center right there on Temple South in Salt Lake City. We parked in a double meter parking space under some plane trees right in front, and thus right next to Temple Square, the geographical mathematical and fully planned center of SLC. We, like all new arrivals, were unobtrusively labeled ( 'First Time Visitor) with name tags, and encouraged to watch a video. Around the comfortable viewing room were tableaux of various families that had found their relatives, with if not an emphasis at least a fair balance of non European and native appearing peoples. Then into the computer room, with its banks of computer, looking for all the world like a cross between the largest net cafe you've ever seen in Paris or London, and a library (which it actually is of course). But it lacked the hushed atmosphere of the average library. Experienced users ( yes, several I asked said they were spending days doing their searches, or were coming back on second trip) working by themselves. First timers each with a Elder as docent. Elwood was ours, a fattish friendly perhaps sl fussy man, equipped with an expanding pointer (to help orient me to where to click on the screen) and an agenda; to be of assistance.
Basically, the LDS church have subscriptions to every major geneological search engine, and make it available for free. We didnt visit the stacks, but they also have reams of hard copy, and even more squirreled away in a rock bound vault (they mention this prominently).
Its clear that they (a) consider who you come from important and (b) have a strong belief in record keeping.
And its very rewarding!! I scored Zerah Burr's Civil War Pension record, and of course the 1910 and 1920 census data showing Helen M Burr as head of the household in Dexter MI, with Grandpa listed as 'son in law'. He was 46 at the time. I found out that Great Uncle Otto had a first name beginning with K ( he only used the initial) and that Great Aunt Emilie used the stage name of 'Ruha Solis' when she went to Paris in 1928. And Sala had equal success hunting down the Bridgeforths in Alabama. At least in 1030, Sylvester lived with his parents and two cousins, and on her mother's side, Grandmother Lollie was head of household, and all the aunts and uncles names seem to be accounted for.
As a more than before sentimental older guy, I watered up a little big actually seeing the marriage record of my mothers parents in Louisville KY, and the whole experience was quite amazing. And the whole room was filled with excited engaged people doing something on computers other than buying more stuff. Go LDS!!
You can't seem to delete your saved searches, but I think thats just to avoid mistakes. You can do CD copies of larger documents and photos. They say theys scrub the computers every day, and if there is any unstated motive other than helping people find people (and perhaps finding an LDS) I didnt pick up on it. It fits with their wandering tribe and generally lost and found beliefs, I guess.
Wyoming is greener, and more up and down. Green River itself was intended to be the middle of the Western railroad. Apparently people found this out and speculated the land up to a population of 2000 before the railroad arrived. So the railroad people moved on to 14 miles west, and GR dwindled to about 200 people before they had to move it back when the river at the other location dried up. Today its still a rail town, with high bluffs along the NE side of town and a river still flows through it.
I felt a little sickish yesterday, but today feels fine. A new time zone so I late start. Today its on to Boulder to encounter Betty and Roland. And more ruminations about the meaning of the term 'infirm', as it applies to an accurate descriptor for what I am experiencing as life rolls along.
alan
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