Tami did a great job on her first lesson as a new teacher for Sunday RS meetings.
I wish I had had a camera to take a picture of her table display! She had a quilt hanging off the board that had been made at a family reunion. It was a photo quilt with pictures of her grandparents. What a treasure! She also had pictures of her mother back five generations of women in a frame. So smart she put the names of each on the back of the picture frame!
Hmmm do you wonder what our lesson was about? You guessed it Temple Work and Family History Chapter 40. What does it mean to be sealed? "What so ever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in Heaven" Matt 16:19; D&C 132:7. As we go through this life we are joined as families for this life. These families are the only relationships you will carry with you from your birth to your death. How does it seem fair that this life would be the end of those relationships? We know because of the restored gospel it is not true that these relationships end. We have opportunities to go to the Temples the House of the Lord and their receive ordinances and to be sealed to husbands and children forever. We discussed the need for us to be faithful so as not to be the ones to break those bonds from generation to generation. How important it is for us to keep our covenants or promises so we can live eternally with our families.
So knowing that our Heavenly Father is a merciful God. We know that he has prepared a plan for those who have not received the knowledge and blessings of the gospel of Jesus Christ or of temples. But it is up to us, those of us still living to search out those members of our families that need our help to gain these blessings.
So how do we do this? What are the basic steps of doing family history work?
1. Identify our ancestors-some ideas for how to do this are to gather information! Even if you have no time right now to compile and make sense of it...just gather! Visit with your Aunts and Uncles, Parents and Grandparents. KEEP e-mails between you. My Dad kept many letters he wrote in the 60's from relatives in his attempts to learn more about his ancestors. I have read and re-read those letters and each time it seems I find new information that had not occurred to me before! At some point all those people will be gone and there is no more asking questions. I heard someone say one time "When someone dies a library burns!" All that wonderful information is gone. Here are some links to places that may also help you in finding information about your family history.
Above is the social security Death Index which will help you find relatives that lived and worked from about 1935 to present.
This site is growing every day. They are loading information as fast as people that are working hard on the indexing work can get it done!
Census records are the GREATEST! If you have a library card you can go to the above site and log into Heritage Quest for free from the comfort of your own home! On census records you will find your families. They entered the whole family, anyone that was living in that home at the time of the census. So sometimes you get lucky and find Aunts and Uncles and Grandma's and Grandpa's. It will also list the ages at the time of the census, so you will glean from this the approximate birth year, they also give what state they were born in. If they immigrated sometimes it gives the immigration date. Also, what each did for a living, if they were literate, if they owned their home or if they rented. In these records these people can come to life before your very eyes, seeing them as more than just names but people who lived and worked loved and cared.
new.familysearch.org is where you can also search for family and collaborate with others who are or have been also looking for your family. You will need to register if you have not already. So you need certain information such as your baptismal date and your membership # maybe even your confirmation date, you can gain this information on your temple recommends or by visiting with the ward clerk.
This has tons of specific information resources, this is a gold mine of resources
This site is run by volunteers who adopt a county and put information pertaining to that county on-line
Random Acts of Genealogical Kindness is a site where people all over volunteer their time to do look ups for you. The site has requirements you have to follow...such as the amount of requests you can ask of people etc...but a great resource...
Sister Probst is our ward FH specialist you may contact her if you need help as well
Family History Center Address and Contact Information and Hours
5915 S 12th St
Tacoma, Pierce, Washington, United States
Phone: 253-564-1103
Hours: M, - 9am to 4pm; T, W & Th - 9am-9pm; F & S - 9am to 5pm
5915 S 12th St
Tacoma, Pierce, Washington, United States
Phone: 253-564-1103
Hours: M, - 9am to 4pm; T, W & Th - 9am-9pm; F & S - 9am to 5pm
2. Find out which ancestors need temple ordinances performed for them.
You will go to https://new.familysearch.org/en/action/unsec/welcome to ready names for the temple.
3. Make certain that the ordinances are performed for them.
Part of the discussion was the importance of allowing your teens the blessing of doing the baptisms for your family as often as possible! There are spiritual moments that happen as we engage in this work, powerful testimony was bore during our meeting of the joy you can feel as members of your family except the gospel.
Tami showed the cutest books that were auctioned off at one of her family reunions. Children's books of Great Grandma and Great Grandpa with pictures and stories to help the children in their families to know their families that have gone on before them.
If you are interested in helping with the progress the church is making in getting information on line so people can search and learn of their families on line free of charge follow the link below to register to help in the indexing program.
Wow and look what else I found...a place on line to take lessons on how to do research...fun
You can see that resources seriously feel endless! Jump in and get the bug...it is a good bug to get! ;o)
