Genealogy is... Interesting

I just got done preparing a four generations pedigree for one of Mike’s home teachees, and it turns out he is related to Annie Abbott "The Little Georgia Magnet"

Go ahead try to tell me that isn’t interesting.

Also.
I mentioned on another post that I’m helping out a neighbor with his genealogy; he already had his four generations, and wants my focus to be tracing his paternal roots to England (since his maternal roots were already established back to Benjamin Franklin).

Which I just completed this week (hooray for me), and I managed to find a book about his great-great-great-great grandparents and descendents, The Shropshires of Cumberland County and have purchased it for him (it was the least I could do- we came home to a mowed lawn on Sunday).

There’s a bit of folklore circulating the genealogy forums about my neighbor’s ancestors. No one really knows when or why the first Shropshires landed on American soil. Some say they were retired pirates who settled in America to rest on their “booties” and eat apple pie. Others suggest they were more Privateer than pirates, since they are recorded as Whigs, who may have had the courage to stand as marked men by signing the Oath of Allegiance back in the 1700s. Pirate or Privateer? Hm. Interesting.


The more research I conduct the more appreciative I become of the human experience.

Mike is my type of guy. He carries around copy of the infamous Beware of Pride talk in his scriptures. I didn’t know this until last year when we were taking a Book of Mormon class and the instructor passed around a copy of the talk and Mike promptly pulled out his own shrunken-down version from his scripture holder.
In the talk President Ezra Taft Benson describes the many facets of pride, he says, “Another face of pride is contention. Arguments, fights, unrighteous dominion, generation gaps, divorces, spouse abuse, riots, and disturbances all fall into this category of pride.”
I remember when we went over this in class I raised my hand promptly, probably too promptly, and inquired, “What’s a generation gap?”
Just in case you didn’t know either, a generation gap is not just the varied experiences of an older and younger generation, it’s more than that. It’s the irreverence for someone of another generation. After we reviewed Beware of Pride I began to see generation gaps everywhere, especially when studying the scriptures. The whole book of Ether: generation gap. Heck, the whole Book of Mormon: generation gap.

What am I trying to say? As we study those of different generations we develop a reverence for them and the lives they have led, and we forget our own. Yes, we can develop pride as we discover royals or novelties in our lineage, but as we realize that their true royality and novelty comes from being a Child of God, our pride escapes us.

So start digging!
Who knows what you’ll find in your family tree! You could be related to a former President of the United States, a survivor, a ring leader, an arsonist, a farmer, a martyr-

there could be epics in those branches

and scandals in ‘em roots!

The question, Paul Harvey, is...

do you want to know the rest of the story?

Until next Thursday…
mind the gap.

Caleb Aerobics

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Don’t forget to check out the blog this Thursday for the second installment of Genealogy is… series,

"Genealogy is... Interesting"

-Angela

Genealogy is... Necessary

It is a pretty common dialogue among members of the Church when discussing family history. A member will say, “Our family history has all been done,” or speak of a shrewd great aunt who is the family record keeper.
By “all done” I can only imagine the person means the minimal four generation temple work has been completed, because I highly doubt they have traced their ancestral line back to Adam and Eve and can explain to me with confidence how we are related.
Regarding Aunt So-And-So, the keeper of the records, there are two stories to this common narrative. The first is that the Aunt will not share the records. I have met people like this and I am flabbergasted, they have a different idea of what ‘preservation’ means, I suppose. The second story is that the member is apathetic, Aunt So-And-So has it done, so why should I bother?
I’ll tell you why you should bother, brother.


An infamous story from the Book of Mormon illustrates my point perfectly. It’s a story we sing about in Primary, a story that we study in Sunday school, and in our homes. It is the retrieval of the brass plates. The value of scriptures is often discussed with this story, but a less-discussed theme is the value of genealogy, for the genealogy of Lehi’s fathers was upon the plates as well. To sum up my thoughts on this story in relation to genealogy, it is important to know where you are coming from to get where you are going- wherever that may be. That’s the simple summary. To read more about this story, here are the references: 1 Nephi 3:3-10, 19-21 and 1 Nephi 5:10-22


It is our duty to seek out our genealogy, no matter the price, despite the completion of temple work. If we seek out our progenitors for only the act of proxy ordinances, we are falling incredibly short of this most glorious practice, and the spiritual lesson it teaches.

I know that genealogy is necessary, not just the ordinances that are completed within the temple. And, that through this work, I have learned far more about the nature of God and the nature of the Atonement than studying any other subject. I know that God knows and remembers each one of His children. Through prayer, I have never fallen short in my searches and I have seen miracles, and I have become a miracle.

Through genealogical research I have developed Christ-like attributes, and have become more perfect. And I thank my ancestors for that.

Until next Thursday…

Please tell Aunt So-And-So

I’m sorry about comparing her to Laban!