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...
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 his face from laughing so hard. I want to preserve those stories for his posterity, so each month I'll be sharing a fictionalized account of one of...
With summer about over are you ready for another great book? Half Broke Horses by best-selling author Jeannette Walls reminds us of the power of family stories. In this "true life novel" Jeannette gives us anecdotes in her grandmother's voice that prove real life is often crazier than fiction. This post contains affiliate links. If you click the link and make a purchase, we receive a small commission but it doesn’t change the price of the item. Thank you for your support! The book opens with the arresting account of ten year old Lily Casey saving the lives of younger...
Do you have family heirlooms hiding away in a trunk or cupboard? Do you know the stories behind each keepsake and have you recorded those stories? One small artifact might be an important key to understanding an ancestor's life. Here are some simple steps you can take now to preserve the memories behind each heirloom. I am the daughter of a keeper of heirlooms. My mother has kept jewelry, clothes, dishes, books, pillows, quilts, and more. When she moved from her home of fifty years, she went through her cedar chest with my sister and me. As we divvied up...
Granddaddy's Turn: A Journey to the Ballot Box is a poignant, true story about a boy named Michael who went with his granddaddy to vote in the civil-rights era segregated south. It's the kind of family story that gets told and retold because it is filled with joy, excitement, pain, and inspiration. This post contains affiliate links. If you click the link and make a purchase, we receive a small commission but it doesn’t change the price of the item. Michael lives on the farm with his grandparents, where he learns lessons about work and patience from doing chores and fishing...
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 change the price of the item. Step back in time and discover the sport of rowing. Set in the northwest, mainly in Seattle, this book...
When is the last time you looked at your family tree chart and thought about the dash? The dash as in: Edward Raymond Kelsey 1886-1972 or Rachel Cox 1827-1870. The dash represents everything between birth and death. You might know a lot about your ancestor's life or you might know a little. Your family tree chart doesn't know or care how much you know, all it provides is the dash. It's up to us as family historians to discover the rest of the story. I mentioned this concept of "the dash" in my family history class a few weeks ago and a...
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...
by Ana Maria Cannon Stories That Bind Us One of my fondest childhood memories is sitting outside at night on the front porch, listening to my father tell jungle stories. Dad worked as a geologist, drilling for oil and water in countries around the world. As a young geologist right out of college, he landed his first job in the Amazon jungle. It was there that his daily experiences evolved into some of the most thrilling jungle stories. He told of the dangers of jungle life, such as wrestling a giant boa constrictor. He even owned a 20-foot...
Do you need to inject some life into your next family reunion? You might want to try adding an "Amazing Race" element. In today's guest post, Ann Jeppson, shares ideas that you could adapt for your next family adventure. - Diana by Ann Jeppson My father’s family has lived in Lehi, Utah for four generations, so we have a lot of family history that is connected to the town. We wanted the younger generations to feel a connection to that heritage. Making a race out of the “learning experience” seemed like a fun way to do it. We called it "AMAZING...
