So close, yet so far

A couple of Sundays ago, Christy and I were working on Indexing projects for the LDS Church.  It's where you look at scanned copies of records in their original handwriting and try to decipher what is on them.   I began working on U.S. Census records, but with my mother as our family genealogist, she encouraged us to begin working on U.K. Land Tax records.

I figured, big deal, this will be easy.  America was principally founded by people from the British Isles, our English language comes from them (but we do drive on opposite sides of the road), so how different--or difficult--could these records be?

Ha!  Much-o difference-o.  Definitely different.  Made me think about how on my Mexican cruise I kept seeing American stores or franchises, yet the Mexican way of life was totally different.  So interesting to me that things can be so similar in a multiplicity of ways, but thinking and ways of life can be so different.