Starting a Family Newsletter
In a previous post I talked about the importance of improving extended family relationships and mentioned a few ways that this might be done. I’d like to discuss one of those ways now: starting a family newsletter.
The idea of a family newsletter was another novelty I encountered upon getting married. The members of my extended family usually called each other on birthday’s and that was about the extent of our contact during the year, excepting the occasional visit.
After marrying my husband I discovered that not only did his family have regular parties and game nights, they also kept in touch with distant relatives by sending out a quarterly newsletter. We loved receiving that large manilla envelope every four months and reading about the lives of our relatives around the country in their own words. And of course it was fun to write our own little addition detailing new church callings, jobs and other activities. I have no doubt you’ll love starting your own family newsletter. And it’s much simpler than planning a reunion.
First you’ll need to decide on a name for your publication. Our family newsletter is very simply titled, Owens Family Newsletter with the subtitle, The Descendants of Joseph Alma Owens and Alice Elvaretta Harris. You can keep it simple like that or be more creative. You could even ask family for their ideas if you’re having a hard time coming up with your own.
Additional details that you’ll want to think through before gathering submissions for the newsletter are:
* How often will it be published
* In what format will it be published (email, hard copy or both)
* From whom will submissions be gathered/for whom will it be published (maternal or paternal side of the family or both, all descendants of grandparents on down or great-grandparents on down, etc.)
* A set deadline for submissions and target deadline for actual mailing
To get your newsletter up and running, it might be best to start with submissions from your immediate family or other relatives in the area. Then you can send out the first newsletter to distant relatives with a note explaining what you are doing and the actual first copy so they can see how it works and then decide if they want to participate and/or write their own update about themselves. Be clear in communicating your vision for keeping in touch but be respectful of your families ideas.
In, Getting the Whole Family on One Tree,” Ensign, Feb 1981, 42 Godfrey J. Ellis spoke of the difficulties and joys of trying to organize a family newsletter within his “fractured” family. He said:
“It seemed to us that organization had to begin with communication, so we decided to start a family newsletter called, harmlessly enough, The Family Tree. My wife and I spent hours planning such noncontroversial features as “Family Member of the Month” and “Family Talent Spotlight.” But then we discovered that some of our extended family members don’t believe in the concept of family! Rather, they believe that one’s family should be humanity, or especially those who believe in Christ. Although it was difficult for us to understand, some family members of different religious beliefs see the family unit as a myopic concern that must be overcome and outgrown.
The problems continued. Should the newsletter contain news of birthdays and Halloween activities? Would we talk of Christmas excitement and the birth of our Savior? Some family members don’t believe in birthdays, Halloween, or Christmas! Could we put in President Carter’s proclamation declaring the week of November 19 as “National Family Week”? Over half the family members do not live in the United States.
We found the key to be sincere respect for the beliefs of others and keen sensitivity to each member’s feelings. Family members need to feel that the organization includes them, regardless of where they live, where they fit in the family structure, or what they may believe. “
Don’t forget to ask for the Lord’s council as you work on possibly beginning a very valuable tradition within your family
Planning a Family Reunion
“I suppose all of us have our own favorite reason for having family reunions. In a way, they are extensions of family home evenings. Family reunions are an opportunity to gather our larger, eternal families together to learn to understand and love one another, and to unite ourselves in the work of the Lord, just as we do in family home evenings.” – Alma Heaton, Really Getting Together: Your Family Reunion, Ensign, Jun 1975, 12
In a previous post I talked about the importance of improving extended family relationships and mentioned a few ways that this might be done. I’d like to discuss one of those ways now: planning a family reunion.
Growing up I had never attended a family reunion, at least in the official sense of the word. We would go on vacations to visit family at times, since our immediate family was alone in our area. We lived in Utah and all of my Aunts, Uncle and Grandparents lived either on the West Coast or in Texas, so we didn’t see them very often.
As a youth whenever I heard the word reunion I envisioned a massive gathering of family including extended family I may never have even known existed. I thought maybe there would be games and picture taking and lots of food. I discovered I was pretty much on the mark after I got married. My husband is the 12th of 13 children and his family reunions are even bigger than I had imagined. He grew up with a yearly family reunion that involved 3 days of camping out somewhere, barbecuing, games, a family auction and more with at least 100 people. I was pretty amazed the first time I went.
Of course a reunion doesn’t have to be on such a large scale. In the Summer of 2002 my family decided to have it’s first reunion. Everyone flew out to southern California where my grandparents lived and we spent a week together, wore matching reunion shirts and got pictures taken. There was a grand total of 19 of us (only one person missing), but we still had a great time.
Maybe you’ve wanted to plan a family reunion for some time but thought the task too intimidating. Well, I can assure you with realistic goals and proper delegation it’s something you can make happen fairly easily. Let’s look at the fundamentals of a traditional family reunion:
1. Family Members (hopefully this one was obvious)
2. A date, place and length of time
3. A Budget
4. Activities
5. A Menu
That’s not so bad is it? Now, let’s look at actually planning the reunion:
1. Make a list of all family members including spouses, children, cousins, etc. and get addresses and phone numbers for each person/family on your list. Plan an invitation for everyone. Even if Aunt Myrtle is bed ridden she will be happy you sent her an invitation.
2. Involve the family in your planning. Most likely you and a few others will be the ones to really organize everything but you can’t have a reunion if no one wants to attend. Send out an email asking if there is interest in a reunion. Offer up two or three place and date options for reunion asking family members what they would prefer. Choose places which are relatively close to the larger clusters of your family. The easier it is to get there, the more likely they’ll be to show up. After you have guaged your families responses, then you can make the final decision and prepare the actual invitations.
3. Develop a budget and ask for contributions from everyone who plans on attending. The more people who attend, the lower the cost for each family will be. Ask for contributions to arrive before the reunion so you’re not having to spend your own money on all of the costs.
4. Reserve a site early. If you’re planning on having everyone stay in a campground or a hotel you should reserve it early. Especially for larger groups. My husbands family reserves their reunion site about a year in advance.
5. Plan out a menu. Keep it simple for yourself. Sloppy Joes, tacos, hot dogs, muffins and other quick and cheap foods will definitely keep the stress down.
6. Plan activities. Kids activities, adult activities, mixed activities. Make sure there is plenty to do. Maybe involve prizes in some of your activities.
7. Delegate actual reunion responsibilities. Once you know who will be attending it’s time to start asking for help with the actual reunion. Well ahead of time, ask someone to be the main photographer for the group, taking both posed and candid shots. Maybe you could ask others to rotate through the jobs of cooking and cleaning.
In some upcoming posts we’ll be looking at some great reunion activities, easy recipes and other ideas to make it easy to get to know your extended family better at your own family reunion.
Improving Extended Family Relationships
As a Genealogist there really are times where I feel closer to my kindred dead than to my living relatives. It’s often easy to bury myself in the discovering of facts about people I wish I had known and forget to forge deeper relationships with those in the here and now. But I know it’s important to make both living and deceased family members a priority in my life.
“Whether we live in the same city in which other members of our family live, or far away, or even whether we have any living relatives, our choices are the same. Our extended family can be seen as a natural extension of ourselves, or they can be seen as distractions from our own needs and interests.
The scriptures abound with insight into the value of maintaining good extended family relationships. Abraham, for instance, left Ur of Chaldees and took with him his brother’s son Lot to follow the Lord in a new land. (See Gen. 11:31.) During a time of famine, Joseph of Egypt saved the lives of his father, brothers, sister, and their families. (See Gen. 42–47.) Moses and his father-in-law, Jethro, discussed their welfare on at least one occasion: “Moses hearkened to the voice of his father in law, and did all that he said.” (Ex. 18:24.) Though he was a prophet, Moses honored his father-in-law and respected his counsel.” – “Extending Family Relationships,” Ensign, Oct 1986, 57
It’s not always easy to improve our family relationships. Sometimes you may not even want to try when it concerns certain individuals. Maybe you simply can’t see eye to eye with your Mother in Law. Maybe your don’t like being around a cousin because you find them annoying. Then of course there are generational differences. Perhaps you feel like your grandparents simply can’t relate and that it’s not worth telling them about the ups and downs of your life. Or perhaps simple distance between your areas of residence prevents you from trying to establish anything more than a yearly Christmas card correspondence.
“Developing close ties between generations can sometimes be challenging. Challenging also are the relationships we must develop after marriage. The mother who enjoyed being the special confidant of a son or daughter can no longer assume that role. The father who has been a provider and adviser to a child will discover that his role changes when that child marries. Likewise, the son or daughter who marries must also assume new responsibilities. New in-law relationships must be strengthened. A daughter-in-law needs to understand her mother-in-law’s past relationship with her son, and the mother-in-law must understand and accept the position of her son’s wife as the new central figure in his life.” – “Extending Family Relationships,” Ensign, Oct 1986, 57
Ours is the duty to practice patience and understanding as concerns our family members. They are worth getting to know better. It is also worth the effort because it may strengthen Christlike attributes within ourselves such as those mentioned above.
There are many ways to improve extended family relationships. You could write regular letters or emails to a relative who lives far away. You could start a Family Newsletter or a Family Blog or organize a family reunion.
If some of your family relationships are in turmoil I encourage you to go to the Lord in prayer. Ask him to soften your heart toward the relation with which you are struggling. Pray for understanding and love. If you really want to change your relationship with that person for the better, I can think of no better way to make it happen than with Heavenly Father’s help. If you ask in sincerity he will bless you with the understanding or patience you desire.
“Extending our family to include grandparents and cousins, grandchildren and nieces, neighbors and friends is really just a matter of extending our love. And as the Lord has consistently counseled, the more love we extend, the fuller our life will be of the things that matter most.” – “Extending Family Relationships,” Ensign, Oct 1986, 57
Journaling made easy
In an earlier post I talked about the importance of keeping a journal. Perhaps you’ve read that and understood why it’s important or maybe you already knew the value of keeping a journal. But sometimes, in spite of knowing the importance of something, we find that something very hard to do. Journal writing is certainly not something that everyone finds enjoyable.
I’ve always enjoyed writing, whether it be poems, short stories or journal entries. So keeping a journal is something I look forward to doing and it isn’t hard for me to get creative or think of topics. Math on the other hand is something I avoid doing at all times.
Maybe it’s the other way around for you and writing is something you dread in any form. For some it’s the act itself of putting pen to paper. For some it’s coming up with anything to write about. If you fit into the latter description I have an idea for you. It’s something that one of my Young Women leaders implemented in my life when I was a teen and it may get you started if you’re having trouble thinking of what to write.
She presented us with a standard mason jar. We dressed up our jars and the lids with cloth, beads and stickers (not required for you of course) and then we were asked as a group to come up with some topics we could use for journal entries. After brain storming a while we had a great list and each of us wrote each topic on a thin strip of paper. We put each slip of paper in the “journal jar” and committed to pulling out one slip of paper each night and writing about the topic thereon.
Some of the journal topic ideas included were:
* When and where were you born? What was your birth story like?
* Write down the full names of your father and mother including your mother’s maiden name and write down your favorite things about each.
* Write down the full names of your extended family members and your favorite things about them.
* Write down the most spiritual moment you’ve had in your life.
* Write down the most terrible moment you’ve had in your life and how you got through it.
* What are your beliefs and morals?
* What are your hobbies and why did you choose them?
* What is your happiest memory?
Those are just a very few of the many topics we came up with that night. Some we’re as simple as writing down your favorite color and others we’re more complex. But each topic no matter how simple, will offer important clues as to who you were at one time. Whether it be important for yourself down the road or for future generations.
“On a number of occasions I have encouraged the Saints to keep personal journals and family records. I renew that admonition. We may think there is little of interest or importance in what we personally say or do—but it is remarkable how many of our families, as we pass on down the line, are interested in all that we do and all that we say.”
- Spencer W. Kimball, President Kimball Speaks Out on Personal Journals,” New Era, Dec 1980, 26
Eternal Marriage
Two days ago my husband and I celebrated our 7th Marriage Anniversary. We commented to each other about how celebrating 7 years made us feel so old. That and 3 children! But we were excited to celebrate one more year of being together. After my husband went to work I pulled out our wedding album and flipped through the pictures. They triggered many memories of that special day, both reverent and exciting.
I remember posing for photographs in below freezing weather, my cheeks and nose red and my skin pale. In between photo shoots my new husband rubbed my gloved hands between his to try to keep my fingers warm. The gloves didn’t seem to keep the cold out at all. And I was thankful I had chosen to wear white sneakers instead of high heels. At least I had socks on! Don’t worry, my gown kept them hidden. Our ceremony, brunch afterward and reception that night kept us in a flurry all day. I look back on that day and remember most of it as a whirlwind of activity, but there was one portion of that day that plays back slowly and is etched clearly in my memory. It was of the ceremony that united us in marriage for eternity.
We were married in a Temple of God. And as I knelt across the temple altar and looked into the eyes of the man I was marrying, I felt such peace and joy. I looked into the mirror behind him that reflected the mirror behind me and saw our reflections multiplied infinitely, a representation of how our marriage would be if we stayed true to the covenants we were making that day.
I had decided from an early age that I would never be married anywhere other than the temple. I wanted to be with this man and our children to come, forever. By being married and sealed in the Temple I would have that blessing.
“Civil marriage is an earthly contract, dissolved by the death of either party. Eternal celestial marriage is a sacred covenant between man and woman, consecrated in the holy temple by servants of God who hold authoritative keys. It bridges death; it includes both time and eternity. -Spencer W. Kimball, “Temples and Eternal Marriage,” Ensign, Feb 1995, 41
Mormons believe that two different qualities of life extend into eternity. We believe all people will one day be resurrected because of the Atonement of Jesus Christ, becoming immortal, but only those who have been proven obedient to the laws and ordinances of the gospel will be able to live as families and within God’s presence. The latter is called Eternal life or Exaltation and is a gift God would desire all of His children to have.
I knew that after having been given that gift myself I hoped my ancestors would accept it as well. Until the time I was married I had not been able to personally perform marriage sealings for any of them as I did not yet have my endowment. The endowment is a spiritual blessing that must be given to a person before that person is able to be sealed to a spouse or sealed by proxy for the dead.
Like the day of my own eternal marriage, I remember the first time I was able to perform sealings of eternal marriage for my ancestors, with my new husband. I’ll never forget the overwhelming feeling of joy that came upon me as husband was sealed to wife through us. I felt a joy that was greater than my own and I know those ancestors we’re accepting that gift with gratitude, thankful that their eternal marriage had finally begun.
Keeping a journal: Important for yourself and future generations.
I received my first journal when I was eight years old. It was a gift from my parents in celebration of my birthday and my decision to be baptized a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.
The first half of the journal was filled with recollections of my life that my mother had written. I remember excitedly reading about the day I was born, outings with family and other events. She had covered the first eight years of my life for me. Her final entry was dated 10/13, my eighth birthday and contained a beautiful letter. One paragraph of this letter reads:
“For eight years, we have tried to keep a history of the events of your first years….
…Now you keep this journal as the Lord has commanded us to through his prophets, both now as in the time of the Nephites. Write about your thoughts and feelings, both happy and sad. Write about those things that the Lord will teach you through your diligence in prayer and in the study of the scriptures. Write about your hopes and dreams and goals. Write as often as you can and it will be a great blessing to you and to your family.”
So I began. I wrote my first entry that same day, recounting my birthday party. My second entry contains the details of my baptism, the way I felt and the people who were there.
From the time I was 8 to the time I was 14 I wrote in that journal only eight times, but I still read that sloppy handwriting with pleasure today. Sometime in my fifteenth year, my desire for writing was rekindled and this time it kept going strong. For four years I wrote at least twice weekly. This journal, recounting some of the most trying and important events of my life, is now one of my most valued possessions. It has played an important role in my life now, contributing to the fulfillment of a great promise from Heavenly Father. In John Chapter 14, verse 26 we read:
“But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.”
My journal is a tool for His bringing things to my remembrance. Often when I find my life in turmoil today due to depression or other events, I open my journal and find guidance. As I read over tumultuous past events I hear a soft whispering in my mind, “You made it through back then, you can make it through now.”
I am also strengthened when reading past words of testimony regarding Heavenly Father, the priesthood or other things of a spiritual nature, of which I once wrote.
Yes, journal writing is very important for our future selves. It is also important for our descendants. Henry B. Eyring, and apostle of the Lord Jesus Christ, in “O Remember, Remember,” Ensign, Nov 2007, 66–69 said:
“When our children were very small, I started to write down a few things about what happened every day. Let me tell you how that got started. I came home late from a Church assignment. It was after dark. My father-in-law, who lived near us, surprised me as I walked toward the front door of my house. He was carrying a load of pipes over his shoulder, walking very fast and dressed in his work clothes. I knew that he had been building a system to pump water from a stream below us up to our property.
He smiled, spoke softly, and then rushed past me into the darkness to go on with his work. I took a few steps toward the house, thinking of what he was doing for us, and just as I got to the door, I heard in my mind—not in my own voice—these words: “I’m not giving you these experiences for yourself. Write them down.”
I went inside. I didn’t go to bed. Although I was tired, I took out some paper and began to write. And as I did, I understood the message I had heard in my mind. I was supposed to record for my children to read, someday in the future, how I had seen the hand of God blessing our family.”
The testimony you record in your journal, or in a letter or other manner may someday influence a descendant whom you never knew while on earth. In addition to that, future descendants doing genealogy work will desperately hope that there is more to you, their ancestor, than just what exists in their imagination.
Spencer W. Kimball, in “President Kimball Speaks Out on Personal Journals,” New Era, Dec 1980, 26 said:
Any…family that has searched genealogical and historical records has fervently wished its ancestors had kept better and more complete records…
…People often use the excuse that their lives are uneventful and nobody would be interested in what they have done. But I promise you that if you will keep your journals and records, they will indeed be a source of great inspiration to your families, to your children, your grandchildren, and others, on through the generations. Each of us is important to those who are near and dear to us—and as our posterity read of our life’s experiences, they, too, will come to know and love us.”
This is true. My most treasured genealogical items are actual accounts of ancestors lives. Whether they be biographical histories, actual journal entries, poems or written works by that ancestor, pictures or other. My greatest desire as I do Family history, is to know these people from whom I descend. How did they live? Who were their friends? What did they believe? Too often, questions of this kind cannot be answered either because a personal history was not kept, or was not preserved carefully enough and has been destroyed or lost. Hopefully this will not happen in your family. Your descendants will want to know you and writing in your journal and keeping it safe will give them that chance.
Genealogy for Younger Children
There are many great ideas for getting our children interested in doing Genealogy. Mormon‘s have been counseled to set aside one evening a week for family time. Called Family Home Evening, this is a prime time to teach different gospel principles, serve others or have fun together doing any number of wholesome activities. If you’re interested in teaching your children about Genealogy, consider setting aside your own weekly time slot for some of the following activities that might spark their interest.
1) Have a “Tastes of our Family Tree” meal. Prepare samplings of recipes that have been passed down through the generations or dishes that represent your cultural heritage.
2) Learn about the places your ancestors lived. Using a large map, help the children place stickers over each town/state that various ancestors lived in and read a little bit about the history of that area.
3) Help your children create their own Family Tree. Copy family photos and help the kids cut them out. They can then paste the pictures onto a family tree they have made out of construction paper. If you want specific instructions for making simple family trees, different ideas can be found here, here and here.
4) Teach your children games that their ancestors played. Hopscotch, Horseshoes, Marbles and Jacks are just a few games their great grandparents might have played as children.
5) Have each child illustrate their favorite part of a family story after you’ve told it. Write the family story down and using the children’s illustrations compile a family story binder.
6) Teach your children at a young age the importance of preserving information for future generations. Encourage them to write in their journal or if they’re too young to write they can draw a picture about their day and paste it into their journal.
7) Play the “Guess that Ancestor” game. Have photos of the children’s ancestors at the ready along with the names of those ancestors on individual slips of paper. Have the children guess which name belongs with which photo. At the end of the game, bring out your children’s photos and your own and compare them to your ancestor’s photos. Asked the kids if they think they resemble any of their ancestors.
Do you have any Family Heirlooms? Show them to the children and tell the story behind them. Questions you might address: What is it? How does it work? Who first owned it? How did they acquire it? What does it mean to you?
There are many great ways to involve our young children in Family History. The sooner we start, the more ingrained the importance of family will be in their every day life.
God’s hand in the journey of the Mayflower
A few years back, my grandmother discovered that we are direct descendants of three of the passengers who came to America on the Mayflower in 1620 – Edward Fuller, Stephen Hopkins and Constance Hopkins.
I must admit that prior to learning this, my only thoughts about the pilgrims came seasonally. But when I realized the blood of some of those passengers coursed through my veins, I decided I wanted to learn more. To understand their motivations, way of life, and sacrifices. I wanted to remember them year round and remember to thank Heavenly Father that they listened to the Holy Ghost which inspired them to seek out a land of freedom where, eventually,the Church of Jesus Christ could be restored.
The restoration of the gospel (yes, there was need for a restoration), began with the Holy Ghost inspiring one man.
In the Book of Mormon, 1 Nephi, Chapter 13, Verse 12 we read:“And I looked and beheld a man among the Gentiles, who was separated from the seed of my brethren by the many waters; and I beheld the Spirit of God, that it came down and wrought upon the man; and he went forth upon the many waters, even unto the seed of my brethren, who were in the promised land.”
The man who Nephi saw in this vision was Christopher Columbus. In The Great Prologue, Elder Mark E. Petersen said:
“Columbus’s own son, Fernando, in a biography of his father, quotes the discoverer as saying on one occasion, “God gave me the faith and afterward the courage so that I was quite willing to undertake the journey.” And the last will and testament of Christopher Columbus includes this expression: “In the name of the Most Holy Trinity, who inspired me with the idea and afterward made perfectly clear to me that I could navigate and go to the Indies from Spain by traversing the ocean westward” (Wasserman, Columbus, pp. 46, 61). Columbus was inspired, and Nephi looked upon him and beheld him coming to the Western Hemisphere.”
In the Book of Mormon, 1 Nephi, Chapter 13, Verse 13 we read: “And it came to pass that I beheld the Spirit of God, that it wrought upon other Gentiles; and they went forth out of captivity, upon the many waters.”
Elder Mark E. Petersen offers his insight about the above verse in The Great Prologue again saying:
“Under the direction of the Almighty, colonization began. What kind of people did the Holy Spirit influence? Why, the Pilgrims and the Puritans and others like them! Weren’t they worthy of the direction of the Spirit of God? They and many others came to America under divine guidance.”
Nephi also prophesied about the Revolutionary War and the outcome for all those who had gone “forth out of captivity”, which was of course freedom.
Again, Elder Petersen says it best:
“Do you understand the steps that were taken? There was the great apostasy, then the preservation of the Western Hemisphere, next Columbus and the colonization movement, the Revolutionary War to set the colonists free, and then a constitutional form of government which guaranteed free speech and free religion, free assembly and free press.
All of these events were acts of God leading up to one thing–the restoration of the gospel. It was only half a dozen years or so after America was established as a free constitutional nation that one of the great spirits in the preexistence was sent to earth to be born on December 23, 1805, in a little farmhouse; and he was named Joseph Smith. “
Whether we directly descend from the pilgrims or not, we are kindred to them in our belief in God and I cannot think of them without immense gratitude for listening to the inspiration of the Holy Ghost to cross the sea, pioneering the way for millions to come. We would do well to remember their example of faith and perseverance all year round.
As you read the following quote, consider yourself the Mayflower descendant referred to therein and I hope that this Thanksgiving will find you more thoughtful and thankful for what Heavenly Father inspired the pilgrims to do.
The following is an excerpt from, The Duty of Today by Thomas Snell Hopkins, Esq., given at the 18th Annual Dinner, Massachusetts Society of Mayflower Descendants Held at Boston, 20 November 1913:
“And this leads to the question, What is the duty of the Mayflower Descendant today?
It can be answered in a few words. Every Mayflower Descendant should renew his allegiance to the faith of his forefathers. He should hew to the line and should refuse to be turned about by every wind that blows. The world will never be won to righteousness or to good government by great organizations, highly commendable and useful as they are; nor by a great assault upon the powers of darkness, nor by a great assault upon the powers of darkness, nor by any spectacular effort. It will be won when every man, high or low, rich or poor, tries each day to live a clean, honest, God-fearing life, as did they who founded Plymouth colony. Relaxation into individual apathy spells the doom of religion and of good government.
This is no time for idle dreaming. There is a man’s work to do. The example of our ancestor’s, who sacrificed everything that was dear to them, for their God and for us, urges us to action; posterity waits for us;
“Humanity, with all it’s fears,
And all it’s hopes of future years,”and the still small voices from above, bid us fall into line, and, by precept and example, consistently and insistently seek to perpetuate the faith of our fathers and the advancement of the Kingdom of Christ and of good government in all the land. And then, not until then, shall we become worthy descendants of that heroic company which braved the angry seas and the terrors of a great and hideous wilderness that they might lay the foundation of civil and religious liberty in America.”
Family History is a work furthered by more than just the living
I first learned what genealogy was, when my grandmother gave my mom a gift. It was a large blue binder and I wondered what it could hold that might be gift worthy. When I was told it was a binder filled with names of our ancestors, I wasn’t entirely sure what that meant. But I wanted to look through it and to understand. Partly because the name ancestor struck some chord within me. It sounded special, important. And partly because I loved learning, and binders signified learning to me, as I used them in school.
I distinctly remember running my hand over the smooth plastic cover, so nice and new and then opening the binder. The first thing I saw was a letter from my grandmother detailing the contents of the book. And after that, pages and pages of pedigrees and family group sheets filled with names. As I turned each page, hearing name after name roll off my tongue, a fire was kindled in my fourteen year old heart. Every blank line on a pedigree chart called to me, begging to be filled with a name. Twelve years later, my desire to find those names and learn about their lives has only increased.
Not everyone is filled with that desire upon first learning about genealogy. For some, it seems a difficult task, and therefore not an enjoyable one. Learning to do genealogy can seem like learning a new language, or for me, like trying to understand math. But it is doable, and the satisfaction that comes from comprehension or discovery is so much greater after working hard to attain it. But we don’t have to learn it all on our own.
In an earlier post I quoted the following scripture and I’d like to quote 1 Nephi 3:7 again: “And it came to pass that I, Nephi, said unto father: I will go and do the things which the Lord hath commanded, for I know that the Lord giveth no commandments unto the children of men, save he shall prepare a way for them that they may accomplish the thing which he commandeth them.”
For Mormons, doing Family History is a commandment, and one that if they take up they will have divine help in so doing. Even members not of the church may have the blessing of divine guidance in seeking out their kindred dead. The Lord hears all prayers. And prayer should not be forgotten in carrying out, “the greatest responsibility in this world that God has laid upon us…” – Joseph Smith, History of the Church 6:313
I testify to you that as you make an effort to do your genealogy your mind will be enlightened. You will be able to understand those things which before seemed muddled. What was once something you started because you knew you should, will become something you will continue because it will bring you joy. And Heavenly Father will create miracles. Things will happen that could not possibly be coincidence. I would like to share with you a story in relation to this.
Soon after I began delving into my father’s genealogy I found myself at a standstill. I knew the name of my Great Grandfather, the names of his parents and the area in which he was born but nothing else. I had no record of siblings to research in trying to find out more about his parents. His parents had died when he was a baby and he had been raised by friends. And I could not personally go to the area to search so I found someone who could, through RAOGK. This kind volunteer visited the local historical society once a month and made time to look for further information for me. Three months into our correspondence I received an email that made me shiver.
He told me that on his monthly visit that morning (which was a 2 hour visit) that he ran across two brothers looking through the same section as he. He asked them about what they were looking for, and they told him they were searching for information on the same family I was. It turns out that they were my Great Grandfathers nephews (though they had never known him). They were making a genealogy research trip through the area.
That was the only day and time they were in that particular historical society. And they ran into my correspondent, also the only day and time in which he was there that month.
My correspondent gave me their email address. These brothers had a wealth of information on my Great Grandfather’s family which they willingly shared and we still keep in touch, working to find more information on our family line, hoping someday to meet. The meeting of my correspondent and my distant relations was no coincidence. I can promise you that when you do this work, you do not do it alone.
Wilford Woodruff: Layer of the foundation for the Family History Library
The Family History Library in Salt Lake City Utah is the largest and perhaps most well known library of it’s kind. An estimated 1,900 patrons a day make use of the extensive free records collections there. But like most great things, it had small and humble beginnings. It started with a man inspired of God.
Wilford Woodruff was born March 1, 1807 to Aphek Woodruff and Beulah Thompson. He was much like any other young man while growing up, but looking back on his youth he acknowledged the hand of the Lord in preserving his life many times. Some of these experiences are recalled in Teachings of Presidents of the Church, Wilford Woodruff. It is no wonder that Heavenly Father was watching out after him, as on April 7, 1889 he was sustained as President and Prophet of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.
Long before then, Wilford had accepted the word of God. He had been baptized December 31, 1833, just two days after having heard the gospel for the first time. From that day on he immersed himself in the work of the Lord and building the restored church upon the earth. He served 5 full-time missions, helped with the migration of Church members to Salt Lake City from Winter Quarters, witnessed the first baptisms for the dead in the Nauvoo Temple, served as Church Historian, and as Prophet received revelation declaring that Latter-Day Saints should discontinue the practice of polygamy.
Also as Prophet, on November 13, 1894 he oversaw the establishment of the Genealogical Society of Utah (GSU). His testimony of the eternal nature of families and of temple work for the dead had been evidenced for much of his life. It began with a discourse given by the Prophet Joseph Smith.
In Teachings of the Prophets of the Church, Wilford Woodruff, Page xxxiii, second paragraph, we read: “About three months before the Prophet Joseph Smith was martyred, he delivered a discourse to a large assembly of Saints. Elder Wilford Woodruff, who recorded a synopsis of the discourse, said that the Prophet spoke on “one of the most important and interesting subjects ever presented to the Saints.”
…He spoke of the need to be sealed to our parents and to continue that sealing ordinance throughout our generations.
…For the next few decades, the Latter-Day Saints knew that there was to be “a welding link of some kind or other between the father and the children”. However, their procedures were not completely set in order; as President Woodruff observed, the Prophet Joseph had not lived long enough to “enter any further upon these things.” Acting according to “all the light and knowledge [they] had,” they often had themselves sealed, or “adopted”, to Joseph Smith, Brigham Young or other Church leaders of their day rather than to their own fathers and mothers.”
President Woodruff sensed that there must be more concerning the sealing revelation. And on April 5, 1894, additional revelation came to him from the Lord.
In Teachings of the Prophets of the Church, Wilford Woodruff, Page xxiv, second paragraph, we read: “When I went before the Lord to know who I should be adopted to…, the Spirit of God said to me, ‘Have you not a father, who begot you? ‘Yes, I have.’ ‘Then why not honor him? Why not be adopted to him?’ ‘Yes,’ says I, ‘that is right.’ I was adopted to my father, and should have had my father sealed to his father, and so on back; and the duty that I want every man who presides over a temple to see performed from this day henceforth and forever, unless the Lord Almighty commands otherwise, is, let every man be adopted to his father.
…We want the Latter-Day Saints from this time to trace their genealogies as far as they can, and to be sealed to their fathers and mothers. Have children sealed to their parents and run this chain through as far as you can get it…”
And would God give this command without providing a way for it to be accomplished? As Nephi, a prophet living in the Americas long before Jesus‘ birth testified, He will always provide a way for his commandments to be obeyed.
In 1 Nephi, Chapter 3, verse 7, we read: “And it came to pass that I, Nephi, said unto my father: I will go and do the things which the Lord hath commanded, for I know that the Lord giveth no commandments unto the children of men, save he shall prepare a way for them that they may accomplish the thing which he commandeth them.”
So it was, that seven months after President Woodruff received further revelation about work for the dead, that the Lord made a way for Latter-Day Saints to find their ancestors so they could be sealed to them back through the generations.
The Genealogical Society of Utah (GSU) grew slowly at first but over time it’s record collections grew extensively and a main repository, the Family History Library we know today, holds all of the information The Genealogical Society of Utah (GSU) has collected. In addition, thousands of other resources both Church and Non-Church related have sprung up in support of helping the living connect with the dead.
Truly Malachi’s prophecy is unfolding before our very eyes. While the Family History Library is not the first library established for the purpose of genealogical research, its establishment was divinely appointed. It was founded in Utah, where thousands of Latter-Day Saints looking to perform ordinances for their ancestors, would have access to it. Wilford Woodruff was the instrument of God in the founding of this amazing resource. I have a testimony that he really was a Prophet of God, and I am grateful for the revelation that came to him concerning how families should be sealed and how to make that possible.