Thank you for whispering!
We have a sign up at the Stake Library and encourages people - just like at a real Library - to whisper - but here it is for a different reason. Many times, when you are searching for Ancestors and providing you say a prayer first, when it comes down to one or two candidates for your relative, you can write down all the facts and then pray for the sure knowledge. Those relatives want to be found. They went through such hardships and did not have the luxuries that we enjoy today. They do not wish to be forgotten. Every time you learn more about your Heritage, I'm sure they smile because if they could tell you their story, they most certainly would do so!
Elder Richard D Scott wrote for his talk on Family History,
"This work is a spiritual work, a monumental effort of cooperation on both sides of the veil, where help is given in both directions. Anywhere you are in the world, with prayer, faith, determination, diligence, and some sacrifice, you can make a powerful contribution. Begin now. I promise you that the Lord will help you find a way. And it will make you feel wonderful." 1.
From Kim Crenshaw Sorenson:
"A few years ago, I found myself frequently in fervent prayer, pleading for blessings for myself and my family,
blessings I knew we needed. I knew the blessings I sought were
righteous desires, yet they did not come. Each time I prayed, the only
impressions that came were urging me to do family history and temple
work for my ancestors. The great irony was that one of the things I was
seeking so fervently was more time. I felt overwhelmed with my life. I
was the mother of four young children, I worked at least six hours a day
on a home business, I had a demanding Church calling, and my husband
traveled a lot on business and served in a student ward bishopric. Now
the Lord was asking me to dedicate time and energy I didn’t think I had
to family history work! It had never even crossed my mind that I should
be doing my family history. I had felt that it was “not my season,” that
it was something I would do later in life. But in kind persistence, the
answer to every prayer was the same—to seek my ancestors and do their
temple work. While family history work might not be expected of everyone
in my circumstances, I felt sure the Lord wanted me to become involved
in it." 2.
This is a great Video
on the
Power of Prayer and Genealogy
How do Dead Ends happen in Genealogy?
The other night a friend came to our Library. He had been trying to find information on his Grandmother's family for the longest time. We said a prayer and within just short of an hour, we had so much information on her, her siblings, her mother and father. It was so exciting and there were a few reasons why he had come to a dead end.
Her headstone said Lola Saunders
That was her name when she died. Her married name....to a second husband.
Her first married name was Lola Walker.
Not even that should go in the blank for last name.
If you do not know the last maiden name you should leave it blank - just Lola
By adding spouses, that denotes what her married name was, but she MUST be listed by her MAIDEN NAME
You know what you know.
but...How do you know it is true?
...make a list of just what you have documentation for.
This is NOT what Great Aunt Agnes told you.
You have a headstone with a birthdate and death date.
You know where she was buried.
Where did she die?
You know her first name.
Your know her first married name - so you know her Husband's name.
1) Look for a marriage license between Seth R Walker and Lola
2) Look for Census data for Seth Walker with a wife named Lola
3) An older woman was living with Seth and the children at some point - the census said she was the mother in law.
4) We looked for a marriage certificate and found that Seth R Walker married Lola Mudd
5) N O W we can put a last name to Lola.
From there, the floodgates opened. Look for subtle things in your tree that need to be trimmed and spruced up and your path to your ancestors will be so much more clear.
Here's the acid test. Do you have the strength to delete everything
that you do not have strong documentation for? Only then will you be
able to grow your tree with strong dependable roots.
Here's how people go wrong - President Dieter Uctdorf said it best, if a pilot leaves an airport and is off by 2 degrees, they will be off course by 500 miles. Watch this video
this is the actual link
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MpmRFTSlA1o
HOW DO YOU GET OFF COURSE
IN
FAMILY HISTORY?
If you GUESS or use VERBAL clues this is what happens.
You will pull in data from the wrong people.
You may have data from the right people
It gets all mixed up
then the Database starts sending you clues for more than one family
- Only use Census data, carefully jotting down the ages of the children and names.
- Use a Census Matrix like this to make sure you are measuring data for data of same families and not settling for a probable.
- Then document and save birth certificate, death certificates looking for information on the parents.
- Social Security data, Marriage Licenses, Divorce decrees/
DO I REALLY NEED THIS?
Someone asked me how I organize my data.Everyone has a different way of organizing - I just thought I would show you how I keep things straight.
If you would like to use my Matrix that my husband and I created, we would love to share it with you Directions on how to use the Template
Download the Template from my One Drive link at the bottom
Save it as your family Name
Add a Tab for Each leg of your family
In each Page copy the template and paste it into the page by selecting
the area (blank square) between Row 1 and Column A
This will highlight the cntire template - then click Control + C to copy it
Go to the next blank page with a family leg named as the tab
Go to the same corner between Row 1 and Column A and click on
that blank square.
Now Paste it in there by holding down Control and then hold down V to Paste
Do this for Each leg of your Family Tree
Now Start Adding your names and Birth YEARS to the columns, the formulas will
tell you how old they were at each census.
Next to Each Census Date in ROW 9 you can mouse over to tell you what you can expect to find for that Census.
WHAT IF THE CELL SAYS THE CENSUS DATE?
The formulas are year of birth driven. This means if you don't put a year of birth in to the C column, it will say the name of the census and that is all
So this is how I document why they won't be on the 1940 census
It shows the last one they were listed on and then
what happened and how
I color code my family so that it shows migration and there is a link from
the family as a child to the family as an adult
my children are listed below thisthe family as a child to the family as an adult
then their families are listed below that with each child linked with a color in both families.
These dates are really far into the future - the people below have not been marked
deceased so it shows how old they would be in 2020, 2030 and 2040 which is only important for the next generation. These can be erased after you make a copy of the template
You never know where someone is going to start in this template. You can hide columns, you can erase formulas if needed. If you feel you erased one in error, for example,
perhaps you erased one below that 211. go to the 211 and copy and paste straight down to the next cell.
If you see NEGATIVE numbers, the sheet will tell you that this person will not be born for 158 years from the 1820 census. Once you establish
These are called absolute references so the formula is only good in that column for another cell in the same column. You wouldn't copy a cell from column b to column D - Only from Column D to D
H ere is a Link to my Template on One Drive
Down load it and input your family names and the years they were born.
See if you have the right census data already. If you do, make an X next to
your family member's name.
https://1drv.ms/x/s!AjS2RGb0p-4PgUUEdG2gKlVmv8mp
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1. https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2012/10/the-joy-of-redeeming-the-dead?lang=eng
2. https://www.lds.org/ensign/2006/08/blessings-for-my-ancestors-blessings-for-me?lang=eng
