Learning about ancestors really makes your family's story come alive. The first step is learning their names. Sometimes names were misspelled. Sometimes names were changed. Sometimes people would only go by a nickname. Once you know names you can start to look for dates like birth dates, marriage dates, death dates and dates of other important events. Then you can look for places lived.
There are several sites where you can pay to research your family history, but there are also ways to research without cost. Family Search is one place that you can search for your family members without cost. My late husband didn't have a whole of family information when he died, but I put in the information that he had and have found two or three generations back on some of his family lines because other people have been researched his lines.
Using the information you find you can create family history charts.
The more you learn about your family they more you learn about yourself. Take time to do a little research on your family tree and learn a lot more about your family's story.
Saturday, July 20, 2013
Monday, May 27, 2013
Military Service
What was your family's attitude towards military service?
Today is Memorial Day. In our town there is a big celebration for Armed Forces Day on the third Saturday of May. The decorations of red, white and blue are kept up until Memorial Day. Many people in our town have served in the military and many others have worked at the Ammunition Depot close to our town. Honoring those who serve our country is a big deal in our town. We have had young men die while serving in the military and also loose their limbs or be severely injured while serving. Some families have a proud tradition of serving in the military. Others are totally opposed to anything to do with war. What were your family's attitude about military service? Did anyone in your family serve in the military? Did that service make the family more patriotic or less patriotic? Did someone die while serving in the military? Did a friend of the family die while serving in the military?
I have ancestors who fought in the Revolutionary War, who were involved in the Bear Flag Revolt in California, and who served in the Mormon Battalion. My dad received a draft notice during World War II, but during his physical his arm became paralyzed. He was rejected for service. Fortunately the paralysis was only temporary though I'm not sure how long it lasted. My dad lost his best friend in World War II. My father-in-law fought in World War II and received a Purple Heart. He didn't want to talk about what happened during the war. Military service does affect a family. Record how it has affected your family in your story.
The above image was made from a photo of the big flag in our town and embellishments are from
a kit called "Election Day" designed by Digi Cyber Scraps at 
. A free download of Gift Card Envelopes is available also for a limited time.
Today is Memorial Day. In our town there is a big celebration for Armed Forces Day on the third Saturday of May. The decorations of red, white and blue are kept up until Memorial Day. Many people in our town have served in the military and many others have worked at the Ammunition Depot close to our town. Honoring those who serve our country is a big deal in our town. We have had young men die while serving in the military and also loose their limbs or be severely injured while serving. Some families have a proud tradition of serving in the military. Others are totally opposed to anything to do with war. What were your family's attitude about military service? Did anyone in your family serve in the military? Did that service make the family more patriotic or less patriotic? Did someone die while serving in the military? Did a friend of the family die while serving in the military?
I have ancestors who fought in the Revolutionary War, who were involved in the Bear Flag Revolt in California, and who served in the Mormon Battalion. My dad received a draft notice during World War II, but during his physical his arm became paralyzed. He was rejected for service. Fortunately the paralysis was only temporary though I'm not sure how long it lasted. My dad lost his best friend in World War II. My father-in-law fought in World War II and received a Purple Heart. He didn't want to talk about what happened during the war. Military service does affect a family. Record how it has affected your family in your story.
. A free download of Gift Card Envelopes is available also for a limited time.
Monday, May 13, 2013
What is your favorite flower?
May is a month filled with beautiful flowers. What flowers do you remember from your life? Were there flowers growing around your home when you were young? Do you have flowers growing in your yard now? What kinds of flowers do you grow? Why do you grow those flowers? Do you like cut flowers? If someone gives you flowers, what kind of flowers do you like to receive? Were there any special times when someone gave you flowers?
When I was young I remember gladiolas growing wild along the fence. One year we planted an area in front of our house with all kinds of flowers. Sunflowers grew wild along the edges of fields, along the road and along ditch banks. The flower I thought was beautiful was the sego lilly. The sego lily is the state flower in Utah because it provided food for the early settlers in Utah. One year there were sego lilies growing on our farm. That is when I decided the sego lily was my favorite flower.
Flowers cheer us up. They make us feel better. Giving flowers to someone can say, "I appreciate you" or "I love you." Record your experiences with flowers in your life story and add more color to your story.
Cut Out Sunflowers Dry Erase Whiteboards by storykeeper
View other Sunflowers Dry Erase Boards at Zazzle.com
May is a month filled with beautiful flowers. What flowers do you remember from your life? Were there flowers growing around your home when you were young? Do you have flowers growing in your yard now? What kinds of flowers do you grow? Why do you grow those flowers? Do you like cut flowers? If someone gives you flowers, what kind of flowers do you like to receive? Were there any special times when someone gave you flowers?
When I was young I remember gladiolas growing wild along the fence. One year we planted an area in front of our house with all kinds of flowers. Sunflowers grew wild along the edges of fields, along the road and along ditch banks. The flower I thought was beautiful was the sego lilly. The sego lily is the state flower in Utah because it provided food for the early settlers in Utah. One year there were sego lilies growing on our farm. That is when I decided the sego lily was my favorite flower.
Flowers cheer us up. They make us feel better. Giving flowers to someone can say, "I appreciate you" or "I love you." Record your experiences with flowers in your life story and add more color to your story.
Cut Out Sunflowers Dry Erase Whiteboards by storykeeper
View other Sunflowers Dry Erase Boards at Zazzle.com
Friday, April 5, 2013
Grace Compared to Piano Lessons
Mormon Porn (Sex) Addict: Happy Easter: In light of the commemoration of Christ's sacrifice I have decided to add this wonderful talk that I was shown on my mission and is a gr...
Reading the blog post linked to here, I was very impressed with the explanation of grace. It is from a talk given by Brad Wilcox called "His Grace is Sufficient". The comparison of grace to piano lessons makes so much sense to me. Christ paid the debt for what we have done. He doesn't ask us to pay the debt, but he does ask us to keep the commandments and to love others. He doesn't expect us to be perfect, but he does expect that we will repent when we do something wrong and we will keep on trying. Just as a parent who pays for piano lessons for a child doesn't expect the child to pay for the piano lessons, yet the parent does expect the child to learn and to improve and to practice. A parent doesn't expect their child to be a virtuoso after one piano lesson, but the parent does expect the child to keep practicing and learning and improving.
I liked this quote from the talk: "Think of your friends and family members who have chosen to live without faith and without repentance. They don’t want to change. They are not trying to abandon sin and become comfortable with God. Rather, they are trying to abandon God and become comfortable with sin."
I thought I would share the link here since his explanation is so much better than mine.
I just found the video of this talk so if you prefer the video here is the link. http://youtu.be/yLXr9it_pbY
What talks have you listened, or what articles have you read, or what movies have you seen, or what music have you listened to that has changed the way you see things? What would you like to share with your family? Write about what you enjoyed and why you enjoyed it and include it in your story.
Reading the blog post linked to here, I was very impressed with the explanation of grace. It is from a talk given by Brad Wilcox called "His Grace is Sufficient". The comparison of grace to piano lessons makes so much sense to me. Christ paid the debt for what we have done. He doesn't ask us to pay the debt, but he does ask us to keep the commandments and to love others. He doesn't expect us to be perfect, but he does expect that we will repent when we do something wrong and we will keep on trying. Just as a parent who pays for piano lessons for a child doesn't expect the child to pay for the piano lessons, yet the parent does expect the child to learn and to improve and to practice. A parent doesn't expect their child to be a virtuoso after one piano lesson, but the parent does expect the child to keep practicing and learning and improving.
I liked this quote from the talk: "Think of your friends and family members who have chosen to live without faith and without repentance. They don’t want to change. They are not trying to abandon sin and become comfortable with God. Rather, they are trying to abandon God and become comfortable with sin."
I thought I would share the link here since his explanation is so much better than mine.
I just found the video of this talk so if you prefer the video here is the link. http://youtu.be/yLXr9it_pbY
What talks have you listened, or what articles have you read, or what movies have you seen, or what music have you listened to that has changed the way you see things? What would you like to share with your family? Write about what you enjoyed and why you enjoyed it and include it in your story.
Monday, March 11, 2013
Books That Have Influenced You
What books have influenced you?
What books have had the most influence on you? The things you read do influence your life. Writing about what books you have found interesting and what you have learned from them can add a lot to your life story. Much of what we believe comes from what we read. There was a time in the United States when everyone that went to school read and learned from the Bible. The stories from the Bible did influence people. There are many other books that influence us. Sometimes we read just for entertainment and to relax. Sometimes we read to learn and become informed. What you have read has helped shape your life. Record about what you have read and learned from in your life story. Write about what books you found most enjoyable to read and why you enjoyed them.
I enjoyed books like "Horton Hears a Who" and "Horton Hatches an Egg" by Dr. Suess. From fourth through sixth grade we had almost an hours wait after school let out until the bus came to give us a ride home. There was a library a couple of blocks from the school so we would go there and check out books to read. When I think back on it many of the books I checked out were biographies or autobiographies. I think I read every biography in the library on the presidents of the United States. History and true stories has always interested me. What kinds of things have you read that have influenced you? Write about what you like to read in your life story.
One of the books that has most influenced my life is The Book of Mormon. I have learned many things as I have read it that help me decide how to live my life. It is something that I have tried to share with my family. I feel I should write about what I have learned from it in my life story. If you would like to have a copy of The Book of Mormon to read yourself you can request a copy here.
Write about what you have learned from the books you read and add to your life story.
What books have had the most influence on you? The things you read do influence your life. Writing about what books you have found interesting and what you have learned from them can add a lot to your life story. Much of what we believe comes from what we read. There was a time in the United States when everyone that went to school read and learned from the Bible. The stories from the Bible did influence people. There are many other books that influence us. Sometimes we read just for entertainment and to relax. Sometimes we read to learn and become informed. What you have read has helped shape your life. Record about what you have read and learned from in your life story. Write about what books you found most enjoyable to read and why you enjoyed them.
I enjoyed books like "Horton Hears a Who" and "Horton Hatches an Egg" by Dr. Suess. From fourth through sixth grade we had almost an hours wait after school let out until the bus came to give us a ride home. There was a library a couple of blocks from the school so we would go there and check out books to read. When I think back on it many of the books I checked out were biographies or autobiographies. I think I read every biography in the library on the presidents of the United States. History and true stories has always interested me. What kinds of things have you read that have influenced you? Write about what you like to read in your life story.
One of the books that has most influenced my life is The Book of Mormon. I have learned many things as I have read it that help me decide how to live my life. It is something that I have tried to share with my family. I feel I should write about what I have learned from it in my life story. If you would like to have a copy of The Book of Mormon to read yourself you can request a copy here.
Write about what you have learned from the books you read and add to your life story.
Wednesday, February 20, 2013
Recordkeeping
Do you have old records?
Have you kept your old tax returns, utility bills, pay stubs, insurance records or other records? Some of your history is recorded there. Before you toss the older records go through them and record the addresses, the dates, the places worked and other information that may add to your story. Inflation has made a lot of changes in the amount we are paid and the amount we pay for things. You don't want to keep every bill you've ever paid, but a few bills kept might add to your story. When I first started work, I was earning a little less than $3.00 an hour. The cost of a first class postage stamp was 10 cents. The cost of a first class stamp now in 2013 is 46 cents. The cost of gasoline was under 40 cents a gallon. It costs about $4.00 a gallon now.
If you are fortunate enough to have parents or grandparents records you can add a lot to their stories. You can add where they lived and when, where they worked and how much they were paid, what they spent their money on and what it cost them. Most people don't have a lot of records from their parents or grandparents, so count yourself very lucky if you do have records.
Use your old records to add to your story.
Have you kept your old tax returns, utility bills, pay stubs, insurance records or other records? Some of your history is recorded there. Before you toss the older records go through them and record the addresses, the dates, the places worked and other information that may add to your story. Inflation has made a lot of changes in the amount we are paid and the amount we pay for things. You don't want to keep every bill you've ever paid, but a few bills kept might add to your story. When I first started work, I was earning a little less than $3.00 an hour. The cost of a first class postage stamp was 10 cents. The cost of a first class stamp now in 2013 is 46 cents. The cost of gasoline was under 40 cents a gallon. It costs about $4.00 a gallon now.
If you are fortunate enough to have parents or grandparents records you can add a lot to their stories. You can add where they lived and when, where they worked and how much they were paid, what they spent their money on and what it cost them. Most people don't have a lot of records from their parents or grandparents, so count yourself very lucky if you do have records.
Use your old records to add to your story.
Saturday, February 2, 2013
Letters written to family members can be an important part of your family's story. Do you have letters that your parents wrote to each other? Were they separated because of school or serving in the military or for other reasons? Did they write letter to each other? Those letters can add a lot to their story. People used to write letters more often. Telephone calls cost a lot more in the past. People would limit the time they talked on the phone because of the cost. They would write letters because it didn't cost much to send a letter. The letter could be kept and reread. If your parents or grandparents kept letters they had written to each other, you have a valuable part of of their story.
Have you kept letters that were written to you? They can add a lot to your story. When you go through papers either your own or other family members, watch for personal letters. A lot of family history may be recorded in those letters.
You may want to take excerpts from the letters and include them in your story. You may want to include the whole letter. You might want to kept the letter separate. One way would be to put the letters in sheet protectors in a binder or a scrapbook. If the letter is written on both sides of the page you could see both sides by putting the letter in a sheet protector. However you preserve your letters, they can be an important addition to your family's story.
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The above image was created with embellishments from the Attic Treasures designer pak created by Scrap Wow. Check out this scrapbooking software at the link below. Copy and paste this code STMMMS62320 to save $10 when you make your purchase.
Have you kept letters that were written to you? They can add a lot to your story. When you go through papers either your own or other family members, watch for personal letters. A lot of family history may be recorded in those letters.
You may want to take excerpts from the letters and include them in your story. You may want to include the whole letter. You might want to kept the letter separate. One way would be to put the letters in sheet protectors in a binder or a scrapbook. If the letter is written on both sides of the page you could see both sides by putting the letter in a sheet protector. However you preserve your letters, they can be an important addition to your family's story.
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