FamilySearch has made a wonderful pioneer discovery experience available for the public just in time for Utah's Pioneer Day. According to the press release, about 1.5 million descendants of pioneers have been identified through millions of worldwide contributions to the FamilySearch Family Tree. Read more at the FamilySearch Newsroom, here: FamilySearch Pioneer Discovery Experience Online. I was impressed to see that twenty of my relatives were listed in my discovery experience. To see yours, go to FamilySearch.org/Pioneer. My 3rd great grandmother, Sarah Jane Miller, pictured above, came to Utah from Swineshead, Lincolnshire, England. She was 15 years old when she left...
Have you ever wondered what is at your state archives? Tucked away in a corner, could you find a clue to your ancestor's life? Every state has a physical location that hosts a treasure trove of artifacts, documents, books, and more. The National Archives provides a list of state archives and don't despair if you don't live near the one where you need to research. Many of them are digitizing their collections and making them available on their websites. Some of the state archives will respond to research questions and for others you might have to hire an onsite researcher. I needed experience...
In celebration of Utah's Pioneer Day on July 24, I've been studying my Mormon pioneer ancestors and sharing their stories on Instagram tagged with #MyPioneerAncestor. It has been a fascinating study. For some, their travels were extremely difficult and required many sacrifices. For others, it was a joyous journey and they became so skilled that they traveled the route again and again to help other emigrants. I began by checking out the FamilySearch Pioneer campaign, FamilySearch.org/Pioneers. It scans your family tree against the Mormon Pioneer Overland Travel database (created by the Church History Library) and creates a list of your ancestors who came to Utah from 1847-1868. (In May...
Are you planning an epic family reunion this summer? Do you have photos in boxes or on your phone from a past reunion? In just a few hours, you can create a beautiful book worthy of any coffee table. Two years ago, my mother broached the subject of a family reunion being planned at Martin's Cove in Wyoming. The reunion would be for the descendants of Charles Cannon Creer, her grandfather. His mother, Sarah Jane and grandmother, Ann, had been in the first Mormon handcart company to come through Martin's Cove in 1856. My mother really wanted to go, but...
How well do you know the women in your recent family’s history? Have you wondered how they weathered the changes of the 20th century? Do you know of their contributions to community? As part of Women’s History Month, I went in search of my 20th century ancestor to determine her involvement in public service. My reward was discovering facets of my grandmother’s life that just needed to be contextualized to give them meaning. Researching 20th century ancestors is rewarding. Unlike the previous centuries where we’re thrilled to find a handful of documents, our 20th century ancestors have a plethora of...
Two years ago, I made a book about my Grandpa Elder’s ancestors to give to my family for Christmas. I was inspired by William R. Walker’s talk in the April 2014 General Conference about learning stories of faith of our ancestors. I knew some of the conversion stories of my Mormon pioneer forefathers, but not all. I determined to find and compile all the stories and records about my LDS ancestors’ faith. One repository that I was especially eager to use was the LDS Church History Library, where all kinds of LDS records are kept, including most of the patriarchal...
As part of the Family Locket Book Club, we'll be featuring a children's book each month. Please share your comments on the books in our Goodreads group or in the comments section! The criteria for the children's books we share will be: books that are about someone's ancestors books that give ideas for writing family history stories for children books that teach about genealogy and family history books that inspire young people to learn more about history, especially as it pertains to their own family *This post contains affiliate links. If you click the link and make a purchase, we...
Do you have a quilt in your closet with no clue who made it or why? Or maybe you have a stack of clothes from a loved one that you'd like to make into a quilt? Either way, a quilt can be a lasting way of preserving memories. I have a rich heritage of quilting in my family. Four generations of women snipped and sewed to create colorful and practical quilts that are a piece of our family's history. Starting with my great grandmother's, here are four different quilts and the lessons I've learned from each one. Quilt #1...
Do you have pioneer ancestors who joined the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (Mormons) in the 1800's and came west to join the saints in Zion? The LDS church began emphasizing family history about 1890, so you may think that those branches of your family tree are complete and accurate. Just looking at your fan chart on FamilySearch's Family Tree, it might seem that there are no more family members to discover. In reality, our pioneer lines may be reasonably accurate up to a point, but the dates, places, and relationships are often based on family knowledge and...
Do you know of a diary or journal of a pioneer ancestor that used to be in the family and no one knows what happened to it? Would you like to hold the original and see your ancestor's actual handwriting? If you suspect you might have an ancestor who left a diary or journal you can follow the same steps I did to locate, view, and share it. My ancestor, William Henry Kelsey, joined the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints in 1843 in England. During the 1850's he traveled the area as a missionary. He kept a detailed journal...
