Remember, Remember the 5th of November, Gunpowder treason and plot; I see no reason why Gunpowder Treason should ever be forgot. (Old verse coined after 31 Jan 1606)
5 November is Guy Fawkes Day–the infamous attempt in 1605 by a domestic terrorist group in England to blow up both Houses of Parliament and the King James, 1st of England and 6th of Scotland. Someone outed the crew and the piles of gunpowder smuggled under the parliament buildings the evening before–4 Nov. Eight of the dozen or so perpetrators were beheaded and their bloody faces pilloried on London Bridge for all to see. Guy Fawkes included.
5 November became a day of national thanksgiving for the preservation of the British government. And many places throughout the empire still celebrate the event with games and theatricals and harvest goodies. And of course, school children are often given the day off to celebrate with their families. Bonfires and late-night parades light up the night sky as well.
The human memory celebrates events long after the actual story fades away. And we have wikis of all sorts to fill us in on the historical details.
Today I discovered that the registers of microfilm call numbers at the Family History Library–prepared as an easy button for access to the records of the British Isles–have been and are currently being posted on http://www.wiki.familysearch.org Paper copies of the pages are bound in notebooks to provide ready access to these films. Gone are the frayed pages and difficult-to-read carbon type. Now we can select the right roll of film from neat and organized spread sheets.
Just when I think I know where stuff is, Library personnel rearrange and re-shelve the books. Re-label the spines. And remove standard reference volumes to place them in logical order. You can always tell when another such shift has occurred–there is Arlene Eakle hunting for the green volume hidden behind a navy blue binder with a brightly colored dot designating to which shelf the book belongs.
Since I assist attendees who come for a whole week and more of undisturbed research, I like to spend a few days before the whole group arrives spotting the changes, so I can quickly find stuff for these visiting genealogists.
One such day was today. There are so many changes, however, that I must spend additional time to get up to speed. Leland and Patty Meitzler’s Salt Lake Christmas Tour is only a few weeks away. I’m preparing, are you?
Why not join us? You get me as an extension of your research arm–along with a whole crew of experts to help you. Check out the plans for 2010 at http://www.genealogyblog.com/?p=8220 Your favorite genealogist, Arlene Eakle
PS Each week the new bookshelves at the Family History Library are loaded with new books. I try to spend a portion of each research day checking these for the names I am currently searching for. Yum!