Tag: Family search

My Impact

I often wonder if the efforts I make as a novice genealogist make a difference. I rarely seem to be able to find and attach records to the appropriate people. There are so many options sometimes and it seems like I am just guessing sometimes. Even indexing names sometimes seems like my guess as I try to decipher handwritten records from two hundred years ago. It is easy to feel like my inconsistent and novice efforts to do Family History have little impact for good.

I opened Family Search this morning to do some indexing and found this new (to me) addition to Family Search. A whole page about My Impact. The page shows records I have indexed and records I have attached to persons in Family Search. Another section shows what happened to those names that were indexed and attached.

For example,

George StanleyHanisko

Male1897–1964

You indexed George Stanley Hanisko’s name. His name was taken to the Veracruz Mexico Temple on 26 January 2019.

Many of the names I had indexed were distant relatives of mine or Gil’s, like Gil’s 10th cousin twice removed.

Virginia NorfleetJordan

Female1867–1948

You indexed Virginia Norfleet Jordan’s name. Her name was taken to the Oquirrh Mountain Utah Temple on 9 June 2017.

I find this new feature an answer to prayers. I keep trying to do Family History because I know that I have a responsibility to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ with both the living and the dead. I have a firm testimony that making connections between families is what the Gospel of Jesus Christ is all about. Despite having that desire and the testimony, I have struggled to be consistent in working on Family History daily. Seeing these connections now happening because I took 15 minutes to index some names or research some hints, gives me a lot of encouragement and hope that my every effort is meaningful to someone. I do make a difference.

I am also in awe of my mother Serena Watt. She just turned 85 on Saturday, January 13. She has worsening macular degeneration and struggles to see a computer screen. She is an avid indexer of records. I was visiting her this week and found her in front of the computer checking indexed records for accuracy. She has been doing this more often because she can see the typed names better than trying to discern the handwritten names. What an inspiration to me she is! An example of someone whose abilities are declining but she still makes the effort to serve others.

The screenshot shows how much work she has done over the years. I can’t even imagine what her Impact page shows!

Serena Watt’s Indexing Numbers

Family History Options

Today I did 10 names from the Improve Places Names option in Family Tree.

Screenshot from Family Tree App

Working on this took me about 5 minutes. Some of the place names I reviewed were for ancestors and others were not my ancestors but they are someone’s ancestors.

I also spent some time on Instagram checking our Family Search posts. Again very informative and they take only a minute of so to read.

I also made connections with Kanda in Thailand on Instagram. I sent her the Church’s post on the Bangkok Thailand Temple Open House and encouraged her to go see the newest temple in Bangkok. Kanda and I had a short conversation over Instagram at 6:30 in the morning. A wonderful connection to start my day.

Technology is truly amazing!!

Roots Tech 2022 Opening Day

I watched the Opening Session and then the evening session. WONDERFUL!! Theme this year is Choose Connection.

Talk about connecting..Relatives at Rootstech is an amazing app.

Over 50,000 relatives

The app will sort relatives by location and ancestor.

Technology is truly a blessing

Over 50,000 relatives and my mother whom I know is watching isn’t one of them. I need to call her tomorrow and get her to sign in along with my siblings. I choose connection!!

Day #2

Monday, November 8

Heavenly Father is already blessing me and my family! Yesterday was a very good day. The extra hour of sleep as Daylight Savings ended was an added bonus. Fast and Testimony meeting at church was a great experience made sweeter for having Gil with me. Bro. Earl taught Sunday School and he is someone I consider a master teacher.

During Sunday School discussion of Come Follow Me Sections 125-128, I was able to share some of the insight I have gained from studying about Family History based on verse 18 in section 128.

18 I might have rendered a plainer translation to this, but it is sufficiently plain to suit my purpose as it stands. It is sufficient to know, in this case, that the earth will be smitten with a curse unless there is a welding link of some kind or other between the fathers and the children, upon some subject or other—and behold what is that subject? It is the baptism for the dead. For we without them cannot be made perfect; neither can they without us be made perfect. Neither can they nor we be made perfect without those who have died in the gospel also; for it is necessary in the ushering in of the dispensation of the fulness of times, which dispensation is now beginning to usher in, that a whole and complete and perfect union, and welding together of dispensations, and keys, and powers, and glories should take place, and be revealed from the days of Adam even to the present time.

I haven’t spoken much to Gil about Family History journey but I think he was very touched by the discussion and some videos that Bro. Earl shared from the Come Follow Me lesson. I know that having him by my side yesterday during Sunday School was a direct blessing from the Lord.

Gil and I visited his parents later in the afternoon. We were able to take his mother, Brenda, on a drive up Little Cottonwood Canyon. It was nice to visit with her and be outside. We saw a cloud coming up the canyon and it engulfed us, lowering the temperature a good 10 degrees before we got to the van.

After we got back to Brenda’s house, I was able to show her on her phone how to make an appointment to go to the Draper Temple. We made two appointments for December. Using the Ordinance Ready app in Family Search, we found 6 names to take to the temple for those visits. We also looked at some of her ancestors in Family Search and found a great, great, great, great, great grandfather who lived in Ireland. She hadn’t know she had any family from Ireland. We used the Discovery Search on the Family Search site, so easy to navigate.

I have had a goal for several years to help Gil’s parents write their life histories and to record their stories. I have typed up some of the stories Gil has told me and a couple from Brenda but for some reason, I really struggling use the app to record his memories. I am going to contact the Riverton Family History library today and see if their recording studios are open and available so I can take Gil, senior, and Brenda and start recording their stories.

My parents have been doing Storyworth and I am learning so much from their writing. My sister, Anna, has been spearheading the Storyworth experience and I need to help her by writing a letter to my aunts and uncles asking them to contribute to my parent’s story. That is my goal for tomorrow.

This article from the Family Search Blog talks about the Benefits of Journaling and how journaling is an integral part of doing Family History. I am also learning so much about how to upload and download pictures, link resources to my entries and how a blog works. I certainly have a lot to learn but it is a truly exciting journey.