Genealogy is kind of fun now!

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HighMaintenance
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Genealogy is kind of fun now!

Post by HighMaintenance » Thu Nov 16, 2017 7:28 pm

Since my Dad passed away earlier this year my sister has been adding a lot of photos she found in the 'rents house to Family Search. So I finally gave in and joined up mainly because I want access to all these photos.

I connected to my husband (NeverMo) and his parents which populated a huge tree, as well as my ex husband (another huge tree). Out of curiosity, I clicked the "Show My Relationship" on my ex and we're 14th cousins. Which really wasn't THAT big of a surprise since, well, it's Utah. The big surprise came when I found out that my current husband is my 11th cousin! :shock:

Anyway, the fun part came in to play when I started digging into a relative of my ex that had supposedly disappeared in the 1920s. With some help from someone on the genealogy subreddit, we found her! Well, where she is buried, what name she was using,and her death certificate. As soon as I have some time next week, I'm going to sit down and write up all the research we did to get to our conclusions.

I think geneology is much more fascinating when it's not the chore that the church makes it.
Somewhere on a toilet wall I read the words 'You form a line to formalize the former lies.' And I finally saw the truth - Slipknot

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Give It Time
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Re: Genealogy is kind of fun now!

Post by Give It Time » Thu Nov 16, 2017 7:39 pm

I agree.

It's actual people and lives and stories. Not just BMD (Birth, Marriage, Death) records and taking names to the temple that have had their ordinances done six times.
At 70 years-old, my older self would tell my younger self to use the words, "f*ck off" much more frequently. --Helen Mirren

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HighMaintenance
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Re: Genealogy is kind of fun now!

Post by HighMaintenance » Thu Nov 16, 2017 7:54 pm

Give It Time wrote:
Thu Nov 16, 2017 7:39 pm
I agree.

It's actual people and lives and stories. Not just BMD (Birth, Marriage, Death) records and taking names to the temple that have had their ordinances done six times.
Exactly! I really feel like I've spent the last couple of months living in '20s, '30's, and '40's Los Angeles. Most of the addresses she lived at are still "there", though a few places are now freeways. The woman that was the informant on her death certificate was almost killed by her husband at one point, but her father took the bullets instead.

This relative was married to a man that ended up in San Quentin in the '30s for burglary (seems she divorced him at that point) and then in Folsom the 40s for the same reason. All the little pieces fitting together are just so damn interesting.

I really can't wait to show the research to the other relatives that have been researching her. I hope they agree with my findings.
Somewhere on a toilet wall I read the words 'You form a line to formalize the former lies.' And I finally saw the truth - Slipknot

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Give It Time
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Re: Genealogy is kind of fun now!

Post by Give It Time » Thu Nov 16, 2017 9:24 pm

A week or two ago, I launched a little thread about family history and I mentioned how fun and interesting these stories can make holidays. You're ancestress sounds like she was involved with bootleggers. That's my guess, anyway. I hope you write up her story for us. Another thing I like about family history is there are a few people in my family with whom I have tension, but one neutral--even positive--topic is family history.

Here's the thread, because I spell out some of the reasons family history is actually more meaningful to me now.

viewtopic.php?f=5&t=2301

I've had a few other thoughts along these lines. Ancestry used to have a show called Who Do You Think You Are? I have a European brother-in-law who tells me that that show is popular in Europe. Much more popular than it is here. I'm not gathering data, but I get the impression family history is more popular in Europe. If it is, I think it might be for reasons I spell out in my post. Family History realistically and truthfully answers questions about where we came from and who we are. The stories of our ancestors provide a rich canon of stories from which we can draw inspiration and insight. Since those people were highly fallible, where we believe they were wrong, we can make other choices without feeling we need to go against divinely mandated scripture. Just a lot of good things about family history that I didn't realize were there until the blinders fell off.
At 70 years-old, my older self would tell my younger self to use the words, "f*ck off" much more frequently. --Helen Mirren

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FiveFingerMnemonic
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Re: Genealogy is kind of fun now!

Post by FiveFingerMnemonic » Fri Nov 17, 2017 8:58 am

This is so true. I had very little interest in geneology before and now I find all the stories fascinating, even to the point I have done some pretty serious DNA testing to find out more. I could probably take a family history consultant calling without much angst. I just would be more interested in the actual people and stories than making temple name cards.

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wtfluff
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Re: Genealogy is kind of fun now!

Post by wtfluff » Fri Nov 17, 2017 12:46 pm

I caught the genealogy bug for a little while after my enlightenment to the truth about LDS-Inc.

Then I learned about my G-G-Grandfather marrying 16-year-old girls when he was 50 years old.

And... That killed my genealogy bug. I really don't want to know any more. :|
Faith does not give you the answers, it just stops you asking the questions. -Frater Ravus

IDKSAF -RubinHighlander

You can surrender without a prayer...

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HighMaintenance
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Re: Genealogy is kind of fun now!

Post by HighMaintenance » Fri Nov 17, 2017 8:36 pm

Give It Time wrote:
Thu Nov 16, 2017 9:24 pm
A week or two ago, I launched a little thread about family history and I mentioned how fun and interesting these stories can make holidays. You're ancestress sounds like she was involved with bootleggers. That's my guess, anyway. I hope you write up her story for us. Another thing I like about family history is there are a few people in my family with whom I have tension, but one neutral--even positive--topic is family history.

Here's the thread, because I spell out some of the reasons family history is actually more meaningful to me now.

viewtopic.php?f=5&t=2301

I've had a few other thoughts along these lines. Ancestry used to have a show called Who Do You Think You Are? I have a European brother-in-law who tells me that that show is popular in Europe. Much more popular than it is here. I'm not gathering data, but I get the impression family history is more popular in Europe. If it is, I think it might be for reasons I spell out in my post. Family History realistically and truthfully answers questions about where we came from and who we are. The stories of our ancestors provide a rich canon of stories from which we can draw inspiration and insight. Since those people were highly fallible, where we believe they were wrong, we can make other choices without feeling we need to go against divinely mandated scripture. Just a lot of good things about family history that I didn't realize were there until the blinders fell off.
Oh jeez, I totally missed that! I would have posted on that one!

I read a short memoir of my 2nd great grandfather where he related how he was quite disgusted when they got to Utah. In Sweden, as Lutherens they had been very strict about not working on the Sabbath, but people in Utah were not as observant as they had been. He also said he was not happy with the living conditions - they'd given up a nice house and quite agreeable lifestyle to move to not much more than a shack and if they'd had the money, they would have taken the next train and ship back home! It was actually quite refreshing to read a non-faith promoting story!
Somewhere on a toilet wall I read the words 'You form a line to formalize the former lies.' And I finally saw the truth - Slipknot

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HighMaintenance
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Re: Genealogy is kind of fun now!

Post by HighMaintenance » Fri Nov 17, 2017 8:44 pm

FiveFingerMnemonic wrote:
Fri Nov 17, 2017 8:58 am
This is so true. I had very little interest in geneology before and now I find all the stories fascinating, even to the point I have done some pretty serious DNA testing to find out more. I could probably take a family history consultant calling without much angst. I just would be more interested in the actual people and stories than making temple name cards.
My daughter ordered DNA tests for her and me. It was so cool to see the different results. She had a very slight amount of sub-Saharan African on hers. I dug into her father's family tree and found a 4th great great grandfather that was born in Denmark,but became a mariner and eventually a plantation owner in St.Croix. His wife's emancipation papers are attached to her profile. That little tidbit would have excluded my ex and all his ancestors in that tree from being priesthood holders until 1978!
Somewhere on a toilet wall I read the words 'You form a line to formalize the former lies.' And I finally saw the truth - Slipknot

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HighMaintenance
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Re: Genealogy is kind of fun now!

Post by HighMaintenance » Fri Nov 17, 2017 8:55 pm

wtfluff wrote:
Fri Nov 17, 2017 12:46 pm
I caught the genealogy bug for a little while after my enlightenment to the truth about LDS-Inc.

Then I learned about my G-G-Grandfather marrying 16-year-old girls when he was 50 years old.

And... That killed my genealogy bug. I really don't want to know any more. :|
Yeah, that would put me off,too. I haven't dug THAT deep! I know that one great grandfather wanted to be a polygamist, but great grandma absolutely refused. She did not want to move to Mexico!

After she passed away, he married his brothers widow, who happened to be one of the Romney's. She proceeded to kick pretty much all of my grandmas siblings (including grandma) out of the house, except for the two who were not quite teens. She was quite the piece of work, according to the youngest great-uncle.
Somewhere on a toilet wall I read the words 'You form a line to formalize the former lies.' And I finally saw the truth - Slipknot

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HighMaintenance
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Re: Genealogy is kind of fun now!

Post by HighMaintenance » Wed Jan 10, 2018 7:13 pm

Just a random update to get a frustration off my chest.

I talked to my exMIL about this great aunt that I think I've found. She was excited and amazed at the work that went in to tracking down the info, and then immediately went on to TBM mode and started yakking about having all the temple work done. Argh

I mean, I don't believe that doing temple work is going to affect anything whatsoever, but it annoys me to think that someone is going to seal this great aunt to the only husband that is legally recorded and was a total scumbag!
Somewhere on a toilet wall I read the words 'You form a line to formalize the former lies.' And I finally saw the truth - Slipknot

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