When is the last time you thought about “why” you are interested in researching your ancestors? Have you run into any ethical dilemmas in your genealogy? Today we’re spotlighting our friend and colleague, Dr. Penny Walters. She teaches at Bristol University and lectures widely on several family history-related topics. Penny has also authored the books: Ethical Dilemmas in Genealogy (2019) and The Psychology of Searching (2020), available on Amazon in paperback or on kindle www.searchmypast.co.uk. As an adoptee who discovered her biological parents through DNA, she has developed many lectures around that topic as well as researching in England and...
Have you been struggling to write your family history in a way that is meaningful? Have you considered poetry as a vehicle to share deeply-felt experiences connecting you to your ancestors? All kinds of historical writing fascinates me and today I’m thrilled to introduce a collection of poetry titled Following Sea by author, Lauren Carter. Reading through the poems I was touched repeatedly by the insight so few words could induce. Lauren evokes images of days past and finds strength in her own trials through learning about and imagining those of her ancestors. For example, how often do we trace our...
Family History is for Everyone: Becky Villareal, Teacher and Children’s Book Author When should a child start to learn about their family’s history? Nicole and I believe it’s never too early. We are passionate about sharing family history with children and love to meet other’s who share our sentiments. We recently connected with retired elementary school teacher and author, Becky Villareal, who has written a series of children’s books aimed at interesting them in learning about their families. I recently read Becky’s charming first book, Gianna the Great. A former 4th grade teacher, I pictured students reading the story and being...
Have you read These is My Words – The Diary of Sarah Agnes Prine 1881-1901 by Nancy E. Turner yet? I featured the novel based on the author’s own family stories as a book club selection in July of 2017. Because I’m fascinated with the writing of family history, I contacted Nancy to get her perspective on the world of genealogy and family history. She graciously agreed to answer my questions and share her thoughts. Four generations of Prine women: Nancy’s mother, grandmother -Minnie Mae (Prine) Belcher, great grandmother – Sarah Agnes (Reed) Prine, great great grandmother – Roxanne (Stockman) Reed If...
And the winner is . . . One of the best parts of being a RootsTech 2018 Ambassador is the ability to give away a free pass. Several readers entered the Getting Organized giveaway and shared either a tip or question about organizing their genealogy. Today I’m pleased to announce that the winner is Barbara Garrett, genealogist, author, and blogger at Digging for My Roots. If you’re interested in winning a free pass, there’s still time! Check out Nicole’s giveaway: Get Inspired! Connect. Belong. I asked Barbara to participate in our “Family History is For Everyone” series so we could...
I interviewed Chris Voutsas, an outstanding junior high history teacher, about the family history project he assigns his 8th graders each year, called “My Story in American History.” After our correspondence, I attended the school’s academic showcase open house which featured the family history projects. I was wowed by the outstanding work each student shared. Let’s hear from Chris about why he does what he does. Be sure to check out the video of the students at the end. Hi Chris, how long have you been teaching? I have been teaching here at Emily Gray Junior High since 1980. I had...
Today I’m introducing Alana McCormack, my newly discovered cousin from London, England. Actually, Alana discovered me! FamilySearch sent her an email that she had Mormon pioneer relatives, something she never thought possible since she and her mum were the only members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in her direct line. Harriet Huggett Kelsey Alana found our connection through our ancestress Mary Holloway, born 1753 in Sussex, England who married James Coomber and had a passel of children. My line comes through Jane Coomber and Alana’s line through her younger sister, Elizabeth Coomber. Jane married Thomas Huggett...
Today I’d like to introduce you to Jacqueline Dougan Jackson, family historian, author, and retired professor. I met Jackie online when she and her daughter discovered our blog and the Family Locket Book Club. She has been writing for over eighty years and promised her grandfather at age fifteen that she’d write the story of the Round Barn, the unique barn he built in 1911 for his growing family dairy business. We’ll be featuring volume one of her Round Barn series for our January Book Club Selection. Let’s find out a little more about Jackie and how she got started...
I’m happy to introduce our spotlight today, Clarissa Baxter. She and I met online when she read one of my blog posts about Margaret Ann McCleve, my husband’s 2nd great grandmother and Clarissa’s 3rd great grandmother. We had visited Margaret’s log cabin in Taylor, Arizona which is now a museum. Clarissa tells about a discovery in her family history that brought meaning to her current education goals. Thank you for sharing, Clarissa! To read more about the LDS topics Clarissa addresses, go here: Why Family History is Important in the LDS Church (Mormons) Tell us about yourself. Hey! I’m Clarissa Baxter. My sweet...
Today I’m introducing two young genealogists, Elisse and Robert Brady. They are sharing how they became interested in genealogy and family history and what they like about it. For more information about the LDS topics they discuss, see Why Family History is Important at Mormon.org. Elisse My name is Elisse Brady. I live in Idaho Falls, ID with my husband and my daughter. I love riding my bike, eating black licorice, reading books, teaching junior high English, and watching period piece shows on Netflix. Every time I heard a talk in church about family history I would squirm a bit because I...
