Changes in the Training Zone

          This has been an unusual week for us because of the program changes.  Our computers had been upgraded from Windows XP to Windows 7.  This was no problem for John because his home computer and the one he uses for special zone administration is Windows 7.  My laptop is Windows XP so I had to make some major adjustments.  Added to that we were given the draft manual for Family Tree which will replace new.FamilySearch.  We had some previous training but didn’t know that we would be teaching the new program.  Sister Pethel and her committee have done a remarkable job in creating a very usable guide for Family Tree.  It is great to be able to attach documents with links to establish proof and document changes.  We only had 3 ½ days with our students but they were marvelous days because we were blessed in many ways.  

            John’s student came on the bus from Springville.  He retired from BYU after serving in risk management for 10 years following a long career as a fire fighter.  He was very knowledgeable in all types of programs and systems and had extensive experience in new.FamilySearch.  He had already done the tutorials for Family Tree which is just being introduced.  By the end of the week, both he and John were working on their own files in Family Tree and frequently conferring  with each other for additional insights.   

My student was a descendent of some of the earliest members of the Church.  Her second great- grandmother was Helen Mar Kimball, daughter of Heber C. and Vilate Kimball.   Helen was sealed (only) to the Prophet Joseph Smith in 1843 but they never lived as husband and wife.  Helen and Horace Whitney, son of Newel K Whitney, fell in love after the martyrdom of the Prophet.  My student didn’t have records of whether they were sealed to each other though they were married and had a large family.  She said that her family had a letter from the church says that Helen and Horace had been sealed.  I felt strongly that we needed to go to the Family History Library and look at the Nauvoo Endowment book as well as Susan Easton Black’s 50 volume set of early members of the church from 1830 to 1848.   It was sweet to find that Horace and Helen were married and sealed in the Nauvoo Temple on 3 February 1846, as the pioneers were leaving and just days before the Nauvoo Temple was closed.

 As I told John my experience, he was not aware of the Nauvoo Temple Book in the reference collection or the blue Easton-Black books of early members.  I was because I have used those books in my own research.  Our assignments are not by chance!  If we had had each others student, the remarkable things that happened would not have happened.