Wedding Wednesday - Lauritzen/Terry Marriage

What a strikingly beautiful couple!

Peter Lauritzen and Mary Loanna Terry on their wedding day.

22 May 1901

Married in the Manti Temple, Sanpete County, Utah

This young bride and groom would eventually welcome twelve children into their family, with my father-in-law, Orson William Lauritzen being the tenth child.

At some point, it becomes just the two of us again.

Peter and Mary Loanna Terry Lauritzen

And one day, we become single again.

Peter Lauritzen, approximately a year before he died in 1962.

There is no credential war

First let me say that I appreciate the comments that have been made, both publicly and privately, concerning my post of late last evening.  It has been lively and enlightening, to say the least.

But, I do want to make one thing abundantly clear, that there was absolutely no intention of pitting the two credentialing programs against each other.  None whatsoever.  I don't work that way.  I am a builder and a lifter, not one who tears down.

A few have made the comment that I must not make an assumption of an entire organization based on the actions of one or a few.  Ummm...I'm a Mormon.  I have dealt with this all of my life.  How many times have the actions of a polygamous community been confused with The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and its teachings?  Or a political candidate representing all Mormons?  (That was certainly a hotbed!  I felt like I was constantly putting out fires during the election.)  Or the mainstream news organizations consistently tagging "Mormon" bank robber, or "Mormon" thief, or "Mormon" whatever...instead of just dropping the "Mormon" off completely.

I believe that for me and what I do, maintaining my AG and all of the requirements that go along with it are fine for me.  And, not for one moment am I basing one as being superior over the other.
Both bring us as genealogists to a higher level of polishing our skills and helping us to learn things we didn't know we didn't know.

So, to all of my genealogy friends, rest assured that there is no problem.  As a matter of fact, the individual that made the remarks still has my respect, for their skills are sorely needed in the professional genealogy world.  I will not publicly name the individual to maintain the respect that has been so earned.

Again, I don't work that way.

Why I Will Not Seek Certification

I have decided not to become a Certified Genealogist.

Now don't get me wrong.  I AM a professional, having been accredited through ICAPGen for nearly fifteen years.

But, that is where it ends.

For several years prior to taking the test for accreditation, I thoroughly researched the difference between becoming certified through BCG (Board for Certification of Genealogists), and even going on to pursue that of being a CGL (Certified Genealogical Lecturer).

There wasn't a lot out there to help me at the time I was seeking the credentials that would identify me as a professional.  Accredited Genealogists (AG) seemed to be more of a western thing, for the testing was done by the LDS Church at the Family History Library.  Certified Genealogists (CG) seemed to be more well known, but I didn't know if I could pass the testing process.

Actually I didn't know if I could pass either of the testing processes.

I decided to become an AG for the Southern States.

It was one of the hardest things I have ever done.  I thought I was fairly good, but this process refined me and polished me.  I submitted my paperwork and received word that it had been accepted.  The next step would be to make an appointment at the Family History Library.  This would not be a problem since we travel to Utah frequently to visit family.

At the time I tested, the Southern States included everything from Virginia to Texas.  That was a bit of a problem for me, for I didn't really know much about Texas, or Louisiana, or the other states associated with the deep south.

But, I had to learn.

On a Wednesday in October, I dropped my oldest son off at the Missionary Training Center to leave for a two-year mission, drove to Salt Lake City with tears in my eyes, and began my testing that evening.

Little did I know how difficult the next three days would be.  At the end of each day, I had to wait to find out if my test results came back at 90% or above.  If they did, I would be invited back for the next day for more testing.

This went on until the final day, which included a minimum of four hours of an oral examination in a room with eight individuals from the Family History Library.  Oh, my!  I was grilled.  I sweated bullets.  I twisted in my seat.

But, I passed.

During the last thirty minutes, I was asked to leave the room while they discussed me.  I gladly left!  Soon, I was invited back in.  A question was asked of me:  If I were to be granted this Accreditation, what would I do with it?

I answered without pausing.  I simply stated that I would take what I learn and teach it to others for the rest of my life.

They concurred that I had indeed passed the necessary requirements, and they felt good about the work I had done.

And, it's enough for me.

I have renewed my credentials every five years, as required.  I have had to show that I am keeping up with current trends, both as a genealogist and as a speaker.  I keep a spreadsheet showing the classes I have taught, as well as the many opportunities I have had for learning.  I have almost as much to submit for renewal as I did at the beginning.  I was the last person to be tested by the Church before the testing facility evolved into what is now known as ICAPGen (The International Commission for the Accreditation of Professional Genealogists).

Now, why do I even bring this up?

This past weekend was the annual OGS Conference (Ohio Genealogical Society), of which I am a frequent presenter.  I love this event, for it's right here in my home state.  People come from all over the country to attend.

A few conversations rolled around to my becoming "double credentialed".  In other words, to add being a CG and CGL to my postnomial AG might be a good idea to consider.  I was encouraged, for having been a professional for most of my life, it would not be hard to complete the process.  However, I left the conference feeling this is not to be.

Though the two credentialing parties have different focuses, they are every bit as stringent.  Methodology is used in both cases, with the exception that AG's must test in a specific area.  (Since my initial testing, the Southern States have been divided.  I am now accredited in the Mid-South.)

www.icapgen.org

One of the last people I talked to before leaving informed me that becoming a CG involved such rigorous testing that I would literally be astounded.  Apparently, becoming an AG was a piece of cake compared to becoming a CG.  I believe I had just been insulted.  And, it takes a lot to insult me.  All of the respect I had for this individual suddenly diminished, for it was obvious they had no respect for the process of becoming an AG.

So, I will maintain my status as an Accredited Genealogist and will not seek for more.  Some people have no postnomials at all, and are every bit the professional that I am - and even more!  I will continue to lift up and build the confidence of my colleagues.

And, I will take what I learn and teach it to others - for the rest of my life.

It all went up in smoke...well, almost all

It was just about 18 months after my mom died in 1984 that my dad went on a research trip to Kentucky.  My parents were wonderful genealogists, and had acquired many first-hand accounts from people that were born in the mid-1800's.

When dad returned, the only thing left standing on his property was the front door and the front wall of his house.  Lightning had struck the house and burned it to the ground.

Mom and Dad in front of their cabin in Bath, Ohio

The local fire department had been there and did what they could, but most everything was gone.

Shortly afterward, I went through the remains with dad to see if anything could be salvaged.  Behind the front door were wooden bookshelves that housed all of the research that he and mom had done.  It should have burned.  But, it didn't.  

There were some smoke stains and some water damage, but nearly everything was salvageable.

Little Peggy at Kingwood Center.  You can see some of the smoke damage on the edges

There was also a tall chest of drawers with the bottom four drawers burned.  We pried open the top three, and there was all of his underwear.  He said with his genealogy and his underwear and K-Mart, he would be just fine.

Nearly five years later, I received a letter out of the blue from a man in California.  He had corresponded with my mother up until her death.  He had found my name on the old "Family Registry" on microfiche at the Family History Center and wanted to know who I was.  We connected.

The one bit of genealogy that was pretty much unusable from the fire was the Cline genealogy.  But, this man had it all, for he and mom had what each other had.  His information made ours complete.

It was not by happenstance.  Never.

Women's History Month - #13

March 13 — Moment of Strength: share a story where a female ancestor showed courage or strength in a difficult situation.

Again, my mother is at the top of my list on this one!

My parents were raising their three little girls in the coal camps of West Virginia when Dad was drafted into the Navy.  He was the only one in the coal camps to be drafted.

This left my mom and my three older sisters to fend for themselves while Dad was away at Pearl Harbor.  Fern, Jean and Betty would have been around the ages of 7, 5 and 2 years old.

They were poor to begin with, and even poorer after Dad left.  Mom managed to keep everyone fed, mostly with beans.  Occasionally, the local butcher would see Mom coming and put back a nice piece of meat for her, assuring her that it wasn't horsemeat.

During this time, Mom also became very sick.  Her father heard about it and came over from Kentucky to help care for her.  When it became apparent that she was   indeed, very, very sick, he made arrangements to have her taken to Columbus, Ohio and he brought the girls back home to Kentucky.  Mom had a very serious goiter that was wrapping itself around her throat, threatening to strangle her.  She lost a tremendous amount of weight, and it took a long time to recover.  

For the remainder of her life, her neck bore a large scar that went from one side to the other where they had to operate to save her life.

Women's History Month - #12

March 12 — Working girl: Did your mother or grandmother work outside the home? What did she do? Describe her occupation.

Mom stayed home.

Her mom stayed home.

For a time period, she did work at cleaning houses.  She named me after one of the women whose home she cleaned - Peggy Sternbaum. 

She also worked for awhile in the cafeteria of my grade school.  I was always secretly excited when I would see her working, for it was a part-time job.  She worked when she was called in.  It always bothered her to see the amount of food wasted.

Image from Google, not my mother

Mom was always at home when I was at home.  She was there to get me off to school in the mornings, and was there when I returned afterward.  She kept the home running, just like her own mother had done.

Women's History Month - #11

March 11 — Did you have any female ancestors who died young or from tragic or unexpected circumstances? Describe and how did this affect the family?

Dad always talked about his little sister, Betty, who died when she was 3 1/2 years old.  

Betty was born when Dad was two years old.  She was the sixth child out of eleven that would come to that family.

One day, older sister Mary was rocking little Betty by a pot bellied stove that had a pot of beans cooking and bubbling away on the top of it.  As she rocked Betty, she would "push off" with her foot against the stove.  Each time she pushed, the pot of beans would move a little closer to the edge.

It eventually moved too close to the edge and fell right on to baby Betty and Mary.  It mostly covered Betty, scalding her severely.

It took Betty three, agonizing days to die from the burns.  What a terrible death!  And, the terrible feelings that Mary must have had running through her 11 year old mind.  The helplessness of her parents hearing her cries must have haunted them throughout their lives.

One of my sisters is named Betty in honor of this sweet little aunt that died so many years ago.