Not a Family Knot

I am now one of 'those people'- and very glad to be, I might add! One of those people who really enjoys family history, talks about family history, spends free time on family history, and has a declared hobby of family history.

So- tale of the week:

Once upon a time there lived a father, George Richard who, with his wife, had sons he named Richard and George.

Richard had a son he named George (R.) the same year his brother, George, had a son he also named George (E.).

(Richard also had a son he named Frederick).

Then things became romantically complicated- and thus the knot!

Fast forward to my family history research... I came across three Beadle sisters who all had the same married last name- the records showed that Victoria married Richard' son, Frederick. (not a problem)

However (the knot), ONE AND THE SAME MAN named George, according to the records, had married both Sarah and her sister, Margaret. Then he would have had 22 children altogether- but I know he was NOT a polygamous. This George also had 2 sets of parents. Ummmm.... yeah, obviously there were 2 men named George.

So how to untie the knot if you do not know the background? How do you untie the knot once you realize there are 2 cousins born the same year named George?

It took about 10 hours of searching on familysearch.org and ancestry.com...

I found and traced birth records, marriage records and census records backwards to Grandpa George Richard to show which grandson George belonged to Richard and which belonged to his brother, George. Hooray! One set of parents for each grandson named George.

Then, I found census records to show that both Sarah and Margaret had separate households with separate husbands (although both named George)- sometimes in a different state! So, definitely two different husbands but with the same birth year and the same first and last name. Then, a few census records contained middle initials- hooray! I could finally say that George's son, George E., was married to Sarah Beadle and Richard's son, George R. (Richard), was married to Margaret Beadle!

Knot untied, right? Well, not quite. You see George & Sarah and George & Margaret each had a daughter they named Sarah Jane- the same year! And the records had Sarah Jane as just ONE PERSON with 2 SETS OF PARENTS! Oh boy.... (or I guess, girl).

BIG SIGH HERE...

Only thing that finally untied this knot was the fact that one Sarah Jane was born in Iowa and the other was born in Wisconsin... 

I love finding the sources needed to make the records correct. I love knowing that I am able to make a difference in the eternal scheme of things by putting families back together.

I am very blessed to now be one of these family history people! If you want any help, just ask!

The Blessings of Being a Father

May be a strange title for a post by the most blessed mom on earth, but after being a single mom for many years, I know whereof I speak!

Fathers are one of our greatest blessings! And being the 'father' is also a great blessing! 

I personally have one of the very best fathers ever to live!

Always there when I need him, always loving me no matter what, always ready to offer a hug or whatever else I need-

perfect as a father can be!

In all of the years when I had to be be both mother and father, I had this great example to emulate!

And now, I have a spectacular husband who cares so much for his own children and for mine! He would do anything in his power to help our children come to know the Lord- what more could anyone ever ask for?

I was able to attend church with many in my family today. My nephew, Zac, will be leaving for Indonesia to serve a mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints latter this month. He reminded us in his farewell talk of the great love our Father in Heaven has for each of us. In summarizing a wonderful General Conference talk, Zac said: " Heavenly Father loves each of us- (His) love is there for us whether or not we deserve it." So true!

Our Father in Heaven is the perfect example of what all of us, whether father or mother or child, want someday to be. I am so grateful for the love the fathers in my life have for me, especially for the love of my Father in Heaven.

Ten Commandments of a Happy Marriage

as given at Stake Conference today.

(note: these are based on the Proclamation to the World- from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints)

1) Repent- judge not, that ye be not judged

2) Listen carefully with intent of heart- but especially listen to the Lord

3) live within your means- always including tithes and offerings

4) court each other- do good things together

5) pray together EVERY night

6) meet a need- do something for your spouse every day!

7) speak softly and kindly- always build each other up

8) where possible, brethren, provide for your family

9) do the work of salvation together- temple work, FHE, scriptures, etc.

10) cleave unto each other and none else (except perhaps the Lord)- Nothing is more important than your spouse.

What great advice!!! I am so grateful that my husband already does most, if not all, of these things all of the time! Even when he isn't feeling well....

And I have been very busy filling out my family tree... it is amazing that after all of the years and the many, many people who have worked so hard to account for so many of my family members that there are still so many left to 'find'. I feel so grateful for the Internet and the resources available to look at census, birth, death, and marriage records! 

My family truly can be forever!

Families Are Forever!

I love this truth! And I love that I will be with my amazing husband forever- as we both live the Gospel!

This is a flashback to last year... 

We had driven out to a family cemetery- so many wonderful people to remember.

Lately, I have been trying to learn about family history work. Today, I met with some success on my Grandma Opal's family line- found the surname of a grandmother and some additional great aunt/uncles... but there is still much to be done to make sure I have things correct. I am so grateful for the wonderful people in my ward who are helping me know what steps to take... and I am looking forward to spending some days downtown in the next couple of months finding even more.

I cannot imagine how hard it must be for my ancestors who have to wait to start forever with their family- I am grateful that I can start my forever now!

What Love Really Means...

This topic has been going through my heart and head quite a bit in the past few weeks for a few reasons that I cannot post. But I have spent quite a bit of time thinking about this, thinking about if I just tell people I love them or if I truly show it in all I do-

 Of course, this wall in my home is the perfect answer to what love really means. Our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, loves each and every one of us individually. He truly loves me- and is the example of how to love others.

Then I found a couple of blogs that contain so much of what I want to remember.

The first: Talks about how marriage is not about you. Instead is is about the person you married and the family that you will create/share- and I would add for eternity. I am so grateful to have Luke as my husband and his family for my family- and my family as his. Family and the love they share are both about helping each other, supporting each other, communicating with each other- even on the difficult topics- and trusting each other. This is how you know when there is love in your family.

The second: Such an inspirational example of true love- this couple's challenges do not vanish because of their strong bond, but their love and faith deepen. I realized while watching this video that I am truly blessed to have a husband that truly loves me and supports me. And we are both truly blessed to have the Gospel of Jesus Christ in our lives and at the center of our marriage.

I am grateful to be surrounded by love!

Surrounded by Moms and Loving It!

 Happy Mother's Day, Mom! I love you!

And, yes, I still miss you every day...

But I am so blessed to have the best step-mom ever! And the best MIL ever!

And soon the best daughter who is also a mother!

Happy Mother's Day to you too, Char!

Purple Finger... But Not the Most Challenging

It's funny how something that you think would be terribly awful, can be overshadowed when it happens in life...

This week, my index finger got slammed in my car door... It was a couple of seconds before I even realized the reason my hand wouldn't come down... and IT HURT!!! My wonderful sister allowed me to stop by her home on my way to my home for some first aid and love. 

And Luke was able to give me a priesthood blessing of healing... less than a week later now, the purple is almost gone and I can type with very little discomfort.

Funny enough, my finger was not the most challenging event of the week... even little challenges seemed bigger in some ways in my mind.

I am so grateful that I have a Father in Heaven who knows me and loves me. Hard things are easier know He is there and that He cares.

And I am grateful to have such a loving husband who is willing to listen to me- even when I am down!

He is truly a patient, kind man.

This testimony of a neighbor 5 year old says it best to my heart (speaking of Heavenly Father): "I know that we can pray to Him and that always works!"