Do you have any heirloom holiday decorations? My mother, sister and I were all married in December and have kept the ornaments used to decorate the trees at our wedding receptions. I also have a special advent calendar that my grandmother cross-stitched for me. Every year we tie candy or activity ideas to the advent calendar, just like my mother did when I was a little girl. My husband’s stocking was lovingly created by his Grandmother....
Have you thought about what it must have been like for your ancestors who lived through the Great Depression of the 1930’s? My dad’s family experienced the Dust Bowl, the era of incredible dust storms that choked the plains of Texas, Colorado, Oklahoma, and Kansas from about 1932-1938. He told of the drifts of sandy dirt on the roads and breathing through a damp handkerchief in the midst of a dust storm. The third in...
When registering for RootsTech last year, I tried to find more information about Innovator Summit to know if it was for me. After finding only one blog post about it, I decided that my interest in entrepreneurship and technology was reason enough to attend. I have always admired friends and family members who start their own businesses. I respect their courage, inspirational work ethic, and determination. I love to watch ABC’s Shark Tank and learn about people...
Family history stories: research is showing that they contribute to a child’s resilience and strength. But what about adults? What can we gain from a family member’s experiences, thoughts, and feelings? I set out to write this article for Veteran’s Day. I wanted to finally get down in writing my mother’s memories of sending off three brothers to fight in World War II. With almost all of her generation gone, my time for getting the...
Have you ever read the childhood diary of a parent or grandparent? If only I could have the pleasure of finding such a gem! Information about what our ancestors were like as children is hard to come by. Childhood journals, if written in the first place, often did not last through the decades. When Nan Hunter discovered one such little treasure, her family gained delightful insight into the mind of a ten-year-old boy who would become...
You’ve searched Find A Grave and Billion Graves. You’ve visited your local cemetery and taken photos of the headstones. What’s left for your cemetery research? Answer: the records kept by the cemetery office or sexton’s records. You may be surprised at the details in these records. I recently discovered a collection of cemetery records at the Utah Archives for my Kelsey family and today I’m sharing what I found. I’ll also give you three tips...
Why do some stories stand out in our memories more than other? Is it in the content or is it in the telling? Today I’m sharing a fictionalized account of one of my Dad’s favorite stories. Without fail he would start laughing so hard he could barely get the words out. I think we asked for this story mostly just to see him laugh. Second in my series, The Adventures of Cowboy Bob, enjoy this step...
Do you have a great family story, one that passes Bruce Feiler’s campfire test with the emotion, the passion, and the pain to endure? Reading and writing about Half Broke Horses by Jeannette Walls inspired me to try my hand at writing my dad’s stories. Growing up during the depression in Oklahoma, Texas, Colorado, and California he had plenty of adventures. My dad found the humor in every story and usually told them with tears running down...
If you read just one book this year, read The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics by Daniel James Brown. Since we’ll be cheering on our favorite athletes in Brazil this month, this is the perfect book to get into the Olympic spirit. This post contains affiliate links. If you click the link and make a purchase, we receive a small commission but it doesn’t...
Utah’s Pioneer Day is tomorrow! If you’re wondering how to find the Mormon pioneers in your family tree, you’ve come to the right place. I recently made a list of all fifty-one of my ancestors who were early settlers of Utah – otherwise known as Mormon pioneers. Here are the steps I took to find them all: If you are using FamilySearch.org: 1. Build your family tree in FamilySearch.org. If you are just starting your...
