Do you have a diary or journal of an ancestor? If so, you have a treasure full of details that could give you a window into their lives. Because a diary can only be physically in one place at a time, transcribing or scanning the diary and then sharing it with family members is a wonderful gift. My maternal grandmother, Florence Matilda (Creer) Kelsey, was born on on 12 December 1892 in Spanish Fork, Utah, ...
Some books can draw you in from the first page and keep you entranced until the last page. This Tender Land is that type of book. Set in the midwestern during the 1930s, we meet a host of characters – some good and some evil. As family historians, reading historical fiction provides us with a look at an era our ancestors lived through. We can gain new perspectives into the challenges they faced. This Tender...
Many family historians aim to travel to the home country of an ancestor and stand on the land they once inhabited. Another way to connect to our ancestors is to visit places they also visited. If lucky, we can find ship manifests detailing an emigrant’s journey across the ocean, but how did they reach their final destination? That may take good sleuthing in a variety of records. I recently visited upstate New York, where my...
If you seek ways to connect young people and families to their ancestors, guest blogger Tanya Neider has developed a set of Google Forms that provides various learning activities. As a fellow member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the LDS family history perspective shines through. Tanya also participated in our Family History is for Everyone series so we could learn more about her, and I’ve included her answers at the end...
Do you have any farmers in your family history? Maybe a better question is, were any of your ancestors not farmers? With the draw of new land in the United States bringing many people from Europe, there’s a good chance that if your ancestors are American, someone farmed. Noted historian Richard L. Bushman’s latest book, The American Farmer in the Eighteenth Century: A Social and Cultural History, provides valuable insights into the day-to-day world of...
Do you have an ancestor who was a tradesman and entrepreneur – trying his hand at many enterprises? Exploring this aspect of his life can add color and interest to his life history. Such is the case with my great grandfather, William Henry Kelsey Jr. Histories written by two of his children give fascinating views of his life and especially his work, first in the sawmill industry and then in the wholesale fruit and berry...
Do you have a large collection of heirlooms that you’ve inherited? Have you considered a plan for passing those on to your posterity? Heirlooms have a great potential to connect our children and grandchildren to their ancestors. There is something special about trying on the dress your grandmother wore for her wedding or serving dessert out of your great-grandmother’s compote. Add a story to the object or experience, and the heirloom becomes even more memorable....
Do you have an ancestor who “flew the coop” or escaped from a situation to start a new life? My second great-grandmother, Harriet (Huggett) Kelsey, was set to inherit a fortune but was disinherited when she joined the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in 1841 in England. She escaped from an arranged marriage and later married a man of her choice setting in motion events that would end with her moving to a...
Newspapers provide a look at our ancestors’ lives that can be unique. Before Google Photos, Family Search Memories, and Ancestry trees, we clipped newspaper articles and saved them in scrapbooks. My grandmother, Florence (Creer) Kelsey, was a wonderful keeper of news articles relating to her family, and thanks to her, I have a nice collection of clippings about my great-grandmother Selina (Beddoes) Kelsey. At the time of her death in 1962, Selina was one of...
Do you have a fascinating ancestor who is also a historical figure? What if family stories, DNA, and research found that ancestor to be a different race than expected? Researching and imagining their life could lead to asking hard questions and writing their story. Rachel Jamison Webster discovered her ancestor, Benjamin Banneker, was a brilliant mathematician who surveyed Washington D.C., and wrote almanacs. He was also African American, and her branch of the family had...
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