I have wanted to write this New Year letter for several days. The year 2022 was a complete bust for me and my various genealogy enterprises: Three bouts of Covid- 19 which put me to bed for the first 6 months of the year, in spite of being vaccinated and boostered to the hilt, And caught in a new weather pattern for western Utah and its Desert Climate—used to 7 inches of rain all year—living with 20+ inches of rain for 2022—all of which came into my basement some 50% of the weekends requiring shop-vac duty every night.
Now for the good news. A new roof spans the stairwell with its blind drain, where rain water entered my basement all these years. And an outside sump pump is being installed to stop external water from causing a problem. We hope no more all-night pumping sessions to expel the water by hand!
Work on my library building continued any way—with new printing and computer systems installed in our functional, working office and a new roof and interior wall repairs so the 700 linear feet of shelving can be set up and our more than 100,000 volumes, plus numerous family files will be available for research.
Installation of an integrated telephone system using my principal phone number 435-257-6649 (took 6 months to get it done).
The Family History Library in Salt Lake City, UT is now open all week from 9am to 8pm (most evenings). And the United States and Canada Book Collections have more than doubled in size, with titles for every state and district now on the shelves and available for use. Fewer tables to be sure, yet with expanded and more functional computer stations, and free paper and digital copies of what you find!
So lets get busy and concentrate on catching up for time lost during 2022. Some days each month, I will again have research help available for client work. My daughter, Linda Brinkerhoff–many of you will remember her work during the Annual Christmas Tour staged at the Family History Library and in cross-country field research—has returned to Utah and is currently residing with me in Tremonton.
I expect this New Year of 2023 to be among the most productive years for us all! And watch for my blogs to provide up-dated and continued research tips to locate your hard-to- find ancestors! As well as an alert to surnames being researched. We will share exciting new finds and resources used to make new break-throughs for your ancestors!
Your favorite genealogist, Arlene Eakle http://arleneeakle.com
PS Kathryn Bassett, my webmaster, has posted a GoFundMe project for her sister, a substitute teacher, who needs a functional and reliable car. If you can–https://gofund.me/c562c365