Back in May, our Stake President, President Blair, extended the following invitation to our ward members: “My invitation for 8th ward members to record a story of an ancestor that inspires them is meant to get them thinking of their ancestors in general. I don't want people to think they have to find a story of the ancestor whose name they take to the temple--any ancestor will do; any relative will do. I just want them to think of a story and write it down. Great if they can put it on FamilySearch but writing it down is the invitation. I also invite them to submit a name to the temple. Great if they can perform the ordinance, but submitting a name is the invitation.”
I want to share a cool experience from my work in family history. My ancestors on my paternal line all came from the south (Tennessee, North Carolina, Virginia). Yes, I come from hearty “rebel” stock (as you can see from the picture of Jeremiah Mordecai Barrett on the right). While attending graduate school at the University of North Carolina -- Chapel Hill, I was able to meet several distant cousins who are avid family historians. Additionally, I was able to visit a small North Carolina town where my ancestors settled in the mid-1700s. On one of my visits there, I photographed a small cemetery where many of my “kin” were buried. The small country church is long gone, but many old graves remain (you can see one of those graves below).
When I went home for Christmas, I was able to be baptized for several ancestors interred in the small cemetery. Shortly thereafter, I participated as a proxy in sealing those family members together. I have yet to have an experience as powerful. One day I was standing over the mortal remains of these individuals -- individuals whose graves seemed so final. Just a short time later, I knelt over an altar to assist in binding those people together. It was one of the most poignant experiences I have had & truly impressed upon me the importance this work carries.
You don’t have to take my word for it. Listen to Elder Bednar’s promises with regards to this work:
In an effort to assist the members of the ward in successfully sharing a story and taking a name to the temple, we will be increasing opportunities for you to get assistance with your individual work. We will have an excellent home evening on August 1st and will be coordinating other helps as our sisters have need.
I really enjoy being pointed in the direction of helpful resources and then being able to explore those resources on my own. I’m happy to ask questions when the need arises, but I really like to just be able to dig in. If you’re anything like me (and even if you aren’t), you may find any number of the following resources helpful in your own research:
Atlas of Historical County Boundaries: Shows how boundaries for geographic areas changed over time.
Billion Graves: Listings of graves/burials
Chronicling America: Digitized American newspapers
Cyndi’s List: A categorized & cross-referenced list of links that point you to genealogical research sites online.
Find-A-Grave: Searchable database of graves/burials
General Land Office Records: Image access to more than five million Federal land title records issued between 1820 and the present
USGenWeb: Free genealogy websites for genealogical research in every county and every state of the United States
FamilySearch Wiki: Get genealogical research advice, or learn where to find record collections in 84,383 articles.
FamilySearch Learning Center: Browse hundreds of online genealogy courses to help you discover your family history.Anne Barrett, RS Family History Specialist
I really like FamilySearchWiki. It's really nice to have these links all in one spot. Thank you Anne for sharing
ReplyDeleteAwesome, thanks so much Anne!
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