BYU Conference on Genealogy and Family History - Day #1

BYU Conference - Day #1

I love this conference.

This year marks the 50 year anniversary of this conference, and I feel so very honored to have been to so many of them. My first one was in 1994 when I had no idea where my life would be leading me. I was a mother of a young family, and was trying to do my best to raise them, and keep on doing my passion - genealogy work.

It was also where Neal A. Maxwell asked those of us in attendance how many had been asked how far back we had gone in our research.

All of us raised our hands.

He then issued the charge that it doesn't matter how far back we've gone. Perhaps we should concentrate on cleaning up what we already have.

I have taken that charge quite seriously.

Elder Bradley Foster was the plenary speaker this morning, and a few of the videos that were shown at RootsTech were also shown here. And, they get me every time. When I think of the billions of people who have lived on this earth wondering if they ever mattered...they matter.

I took an excellent class from Jim Beidler on German research. Then, Kory Meyerink, Jill Woodbury, and a rep from FamilySearch completed the lineup before my presentation on Ohio - the Great Land Experiment. I do believe it was well received.

In the evening, Kerry and I attended a reception to celebrate the 50th anniversary of this conference. He and I sat and talked with Curt Witcher for quite awhile as we ate and listened to some of the most beautiful music emanating from a harpist. We could have left at any time, but we all stayed to listen to the harp.

It's been a wonderful first day. And, I'm thrilled to run into friends that I dearly respect and love.

Steve Young, Curt Witcher, Jim Beidler

Lisa Louise Cooke and Janet Havorka

Michael Hall and Mary Kozy

Michael Strauss and Don Snow

BYU Conference on Genealogy and Family History - Day #2

BYU Conference - Day #2

I loved the comments in the opening session this morning. David E. Rencheralways does such a stellar job in bringing the world of genealogy to the forefront.

Today, I purposely concentrated on attending classes from people I had never heard before. And, not letting them know who I was. Not that I'm important, or anything like that at all...but, sometimes people can get rattled when a seasoned person is sitting in the audience.

Me? I'm grateful; for they're there when I stumble.

But, I was also grateful to sit in on two classes taught by men I have respected for awhile. Curt Witcher taught one of the best classes ever on Native American ancestry. I have a particular interest in this subject, and was madly taking notes. He was one of the first speakers I ever heard when I first started out, and he is still just as relaxed and informative as ever. I wish I could hear it twice.

I also heard a marvelous class on railroad research by Michael Strauss. All I can say is double wow! This presentation was the maiden voyage for him on this topic, and I wish I could hear it twice, also. He is another excellent presenter whose classes are filled with evidence of the massive amount of research he has done.

I am so fortunate to be able to hear such wonderful people. Someone once asked me what I do at conferences when I'm not speaking. Are you kidding me? I'm taking classes! Yes, especially me! From one end of this country to the other, through many venues, I have been taught by the masters of the field.

Kerry spends the mornings and afternoons at the Harold B. Lee Library here on the campus. There are many who do their research at this facility instead of making the trip 40 miles north to Salt Lake City. He has been enjoying his time alone there.

I still have work to do in the evenings, for I have a few preparations to do before going to visit Jordan and Erik, going north to Portland to visit Harmony, and eventually arriving in Arlington, Washington for the Northwest Genealogy Conference.

I have spent the evening catching up with sisters, children, friends from home, and relishing all of the new things I've learned today.

BYU Conference on Genealogy and Family History - Day #3

BYU Conference - Day #3

Just when I think my brain is saturated and I can't learn one more thing...I learn one more thing.

This morning's plenary session was given by Curt Witcher, who has never disappointed me in any class where I've had the opportunity to listen to him. I'm not going to go into detail as to the content of his talk, for it was one you just had to be in attendance to listen to. And, perhaps he will give it in a venue you may be attending.

Let's just say that I walked out of that session a different person than when I walked in. Kerry sat beside me hanging on to his every word. It was that good.

It was on to more classes! I listened to a great talk on Civil War pension files, followed by Michael Strauss giving one of his great talks on World War II. He is one of those "must see" speakers when it comes to talks on anything military.

After lunch, I went straight out of the chute with my Amish/Mennonite presentation. I think I gave some things for people to think about in tracing their German heritage. I finished up the day with a class on Ohio.

But, in between those last two classes, I had a chance to sit and talk with some of the finest people I know. Pat Richley-Erickson, Marie Andersen, Don Snow and I sat and caught up with each others' lives. How I loved talking with them! They have been involved in genealogy longer than many people have been alive, and their dedication to good research is profound.

Don is one of those men who always sounds like he's smiling when he talks. He's the happiest man! And, he maintains a website with a vast amount of handouts that you can find here:
http://uvtagg.org/classes/dons/dons-classes.html

This evening was spent at the home of one of the organizers of this conference. I have been to his home before when he hosted many of the speakers, as well as locals, who have spent the day or on their feet, or have traveled a distance to be here. It was a warm and inviting evening with all of us just kicking back and relaxing.

A couple of people have asked me about this conference, which is in its 50th year. I believe I heard there are over 600 registered. That is quite manageable. The conference center is perfect, for the rooms are not spaced too far apart and the halls are wide. Because of its location, it is a mostly LDS audience. But, it's not limited to LDS, either by attendees or speakers.

Tomorrow is the last day, and I have two more classes to present. And, I'm one of those kinds of people who stay until the last class of the conference. That's a tough class to teach, for people have been absorbing information all week. But, I hang out until the end, because it's the right thing to do.

Kerry and Peggy with the "Y" behind us.

A reminder to us all.

Pat Erickson, Peggy, Marie Andersen, Don Snow

BYU Conference on Genealogy and Family History - Day #4

BYU Conference - Day #4

It's the final day of the BYU Conference on Genealogy and Family History. And, I'm a wee bit tired. And yes, I woke up with someone singing to me that I needed to arise and get out of bed. And yes, it was Kerry.

The plenary speaker today hit it out of the park. Wow. Todd Hansen is a local celebrity and star of BYU's "Story Trek". He was one of those people that you wanted to just keep on speaking and not stop. Actually, all of the plenary speakers had that effect on me.

Todd told the story of his being bullied while a young boy. This led to extreme shyness that took him years to overcome. Now, he knocks on strangers doors and asks them to tell him their story, for he feels every person has one. The clips from his shows were difficult to see through many moist eyes.

If you are fortunate enough to have BYU TV, then I would suggest tuning in to watch his remarkable show. You can read about him here:https://www.deseretnews.com/…/The-story-behind-Todd-Hansens…

The final day of breakout sessions soon followed, and I did my final two classes, making a total of five for this conference. On the first day, they announced they would no longer be printing paper syllabi as they have for the past fifty years. All come on a flash drive. Actually, it costs the same to print one off at the UPS Store as it does to order one here. I wonder if other conferences will follow suit.

I must say the lunches at this conferences are worth every bite! Utah is king of breads! Each day, they were ordered from a different vendor, and Kerry and I wolfed them down.

However, today was a different day. It was the ICAPGen luncheon, of which I am a member. It was over twenty years ago that I received the credential of AG, and it was one of the most difficult things I have ever done. I thought I was good. But, working toward that credential polished me up in ways I didn't know I needed polishing. Every five years, I recertify...both to the credentialing body, and to my own self.

It was so satisfying to see so many of these good men and women who are credentialed, and those who are on the path toward becoming an AG. They have three time the number of applicants than they did last year.

I stayed until the very last class was over. Don Snow, one of the people I sat and talked to for about an hour, along with Pat Richley-Erickson and Marie Andersen, is about one of the smartest men I know. He is one year older than my oldest sister, and was a former Math Professor at BYU. His wife taught Humanities.

He just amazes me. Oftentimes, we make the mistake of thinking those younger than us possess the brilliant and quick minds. Well, I do. But, in that, I am wrong. Some of the best advice I have received in research and technology have come from those who blazed the trails long before I came along.

After bidding goodbye to the many attendees and presenters that were left, Kerry and I left to go visit a friend who has been in either a rehab center, a nursing home, or the hospital for the past several years. Laura Leigh Moorewas quietly sleeping when we walked in, but it didn't take long for her infectious smile to light up the room. We only stayed a short time, and she only had one request. She wanted to hear what Kerry sings to me to wake me up.

I stood there with head down, wagging it back and forth as he sang to her. I can't get away from it.

Then, we drove to the chapel that Marie Andersen attends each week. For the longest time, she has been wanting me to come and see the organ in their building. Today was the day.

My.gosh.

I have never seen an organ like this! I was thunderstruck when I walked into the chapel and saw the pipes and the ornate carving from a distance. I reverently walked toward it, for an instrument of this magnitude had me standing in awe.

The lady who let us into the building turned it on, and left so I could have some fun. I was almost scared to touch it, but I finally sat down and played "Hallelujah". There were few stops on it, but the sound took my breath away.Laura Prescott, this was the organ played by Doug Bush. There are youtube videos and even CD's of him playing it.

Here is how a tracker organ works by wind:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tracker_action

Now, we will visit with some family tomorrow, and begin our trek to visit more family.

BYU Conference on Genealogy and Family History, you did it again!

Michael Hall, Curt Witcher, David Rencher.  Kerry is behind them.

With Debbie Shurtz Gurtler

With Diana Elder

Through Fifty Years of Genealogy

What a wonderful walk 

down memory lane!

I am very fortunate to be both attending and presenting at the BYU Conference on Genealogy and Family History, which is celebrating 50 years on this campus.

BYU assembled a wonderful display of genealogy through the past 50 years.  Located near the Vendor Hall, it was frequently filled with people exclaiming, "Oh, I remember those!"

So, let me show you some of this wonderful display...

The Entrance

This old card catalog brought a flood of memories to my mind.  I have spent hours hunched over drawers, where the items I was looking for were usually on the bottom.

We were each given a card like the one above.

If we completed three activities, we were awarded a BYU brownie - the best in the world.

The above two cards are given to each patron. 

They outline the services that are available from BYU.

 Now, this is where I literally got a lump in my throat.  I used to spend hours and hours copying information from pedigree charts and family group sheets that my parents had painstakingly recorded.  Those copies would be sent to Salt Lake City, or given to relatives who may have asked for them.

 My dad was so excited when he could finally afford a wide-carriage typewriter!  He only typed with his two index fingers, but he was as fast as me!

 Kerry had to try his hand at the old standard typewriter.  When I helped my parents fill out their information, part of the pedigree chart had to be folded under.

 Paper!  We used lots and lots of paper!  Actually, I still do.  I miss those old Research Outlines that were sold for twenty-five cents at Family History Centers.  And, I still have them for ever state.

 Oh, the reference books.  I actually own every single one of the books on this chart.  Some of them were printed when my parents were first beginning their research in the late 1940's and early 1950's.

 I still have my overhead projector and my slides.  When I first began speaking back in the 1980's, I actually lugged it around with me, along with 3-ring notebooks filled with my overhead "slides" that were in sheet protectors.

I learned early on that they needed to be housed in a notebook in sheet protectors after dropping a stack of them.  They went sliding like they were on ice.

 Displays are often found on charts in living rooms as people proudly display their heritage.

 Oh, my aching right arm!  I, along with hundreds of thousands of other genealogists, can remember the cranking of the microfilm reels.  They even had readers for left-handed people.

When patrons in the Family History Center would ask for advice for their first visit to the Family History Library in Salt Lake City, I told them to bring along a bottle of Tylenol for their back and arms and shoulders.

Before the advent of Family History Centers, all microfilm had to be viewed in Salt Lake City.  None could be sent anywhere.

 With the advent of computers, processing became faster.  I used to own a computer similar to the one above.

Just look at that screen!

 Studies have shown that children do better in life when the feel a connection with their past.  I have never seen such a time when so many children have been involved!

I was raised going to cemeteries and courthouses, and I'm grateful to see the younger generation getting on board.

 Family history now takes center stage in people's homes.  Or rather, it can take center stage.  There are many tools and apps available at our fingertips to sharpen our knowledge and skills.

The home base for genealogy and family history is now our own home.  The days for travel to the actual place where our ancestors lived have lessened.  Research and processing and recording can be done in a quiet corner of our home as we recall the stories associated with our ancestors.

This display was such a delight to walk through.  It brought back memories and "aha" moments as I realized I have used every one of these tools to get to where we are today.

What about you?

Do these spur some memories in your life?

Against the wishes of her husband

My mother, Ida Stevens Clemens, along with my three sisters Fern, Jean and Betty, joined The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in 1948.

It was in a day when women didn't always go against the wishes of their husbands, especially in West Virginia.

But, mom did.

When two missionaries from the Church knocked on her door, she listened to their brief message and invited them in.  Having not been raised in a particular religion, she was intrigued by what they had to say.  She writes in her journal:

"So now I have grown older now and have started to go too church by my self and  with neighbors to the church nowon as the Jesus only church.  And there where I met my husband to be I was 16 year old when I met him we all went to church at the same place he was baptized at one time in the Jesus only church before we were married."

Over a period of time, they returned and taught a series of "discussions", which eventually led to her commitment to be baptized with her girls.  She gave up smoking her Camel unfiltered cigarettes.  It was during this time that she and my sisters had many dreams that brought comfort to them as they made this decision.  They recorded those dreams, and I have transcribed them.  But, they are much too personal to let others read them.

They were baptized in the Guyandotte River in Logan, West Virginia.  Sister Betty nearly floated away, but they grabbed her by the hair of her head.

Dad was not pleased.

The missionaries had become a bit pushy with him, and he wasn't real sure he liked it.  So, like many others in this area of the country, they began to look northward.  Dad had three stipulations for any area he would bring his family to:
1.  A better job for him.
2.  Better education for his three girls.
3.  No Mormon church in the area!

On New Year's Day, 1950, they made it as far as Portsmouth, Ohio in a raging blizzard.  Dad had an aunt living there, and they waited out the blizzard.

Mansfield, Ohio would become their home.  All three of dad's conditions were met.

But, just four months later, Mormon missionaries were assigned to the Mansfield area.  They tracted out my mom and sisters, and a small branch was formed.

Dad was befriended by others in this small LDS community.  He was a heavy smoker.  But, slowly he was beginning to realize that he needed this religion in his life.  One day, while helping to put a roof on a church member's home and smoking away, a man teasingly asked him, "Clem, when are you going to give up those cigarettes?"

He looked at him and said, "The one you see me smoking here is the last one you'll ever see me smoke."  He threw the butt over the edge and never smoked again.

Dad worked second shift, and Mom would have a pot of coffee waiting on him when he got home at about 11:30 pm.  He would drink the whole thing.  Mom told him that it was going to kill him, for she could feel the pounding of his heart through the mattress.

Dad was baptized in 1951, and was a faithful member all of his life.  He was baptized in the YMCA swimming pool.  The following week, they asked them not to meet there again, for the lint from their baptismal suits was clogging up the drains.

The church members complied, and the following week a gas line blew up the building.

I came along in 1955, and dad baptized me when I turned 8 years old.

Mom's decision to go against the wishes of her husband was not a popular one.  When dad joined, it was even less popular, for many in his family disowned him.  But, her initial decision affected thousands, for thus began her quest for her family's history.  Dad would soon join her in that quest.

And, their love of genealogy passed right on down to me.

The Meanest Man Who Ever Lived

I have accepted the challenge given by Amy Johnson Crow:  http://www.nostorytoosmall.com/posts/challenge-52-ancestors-in-52-weeks/

She has challenged us to write about 52 ancestors this year, and I have jumped at the opportunity.

My father's grandfather, Ambrose Clemens, was known as the one of the meanest men who ever lived.  That was the reputation that followed him long after he died. 

His talent was well-known.  If someone told him they wanted a room built on to their house, or even a new house built, he would ask them how big they wanted it, how many rooms, etc.  Then, he would calculate it in his head.  He would secure the materials and get to work.

When he was finished, there would barely be a splinter left over.

People in Carter County, Kentucky still talk about how he was so talented as a builder.  He probably would have been a wonderful engineer.

They also still talk about how mean he was.

Since I never met him, I wanted to try to figure out why he was so surly.  I have no pictures.  I heard he looked like Albert Einstein.

I began to look through my genealogy files for any clues relating to Ambrose's meanness.  This is the only thing I could really find:

1.  His father, Francis, had to farm out his children because of the family's poverty, just as his own father, Benjamin had done to him.

2.  His father, Francis, had married three times.  Ambrose was the next-to-the last child in quite a large family.  He just may have been another mouth to feed.

3.  His grandfather, Benjamin, had been taken to court for cruelty to his wife, adultery, and beating his children.

4.  Ambrose married Mary Ann Brown, and soon after his own children started coming in close succession.  The first three were born in 1885, 1886, and 1887.  Five years passed before the fourth and final baby was born.  They were:
     Etta Bee - born 1885
     Richard Lee - born 1886 (my grandfather)
     Ollie Orie - born 1887
     Minnie Dorie - born 1892

Notice the 5-year gap between the last two children.

5.  Ollie Orie died in Sep 1893, and just two months later, mother Mary Ann died.

Ambrose was now a single father with three very young children. 

Ambrose continues to be found on censuses as a boarder, but never owning his own home or land.  The children were farmed out to others, as he had been, and as his own father had been.

Life was not real good to Ambrose, but he went on.  The children that lived turned out real fine, and they were kind.  I enjoyed going to Aunt Etta Bee's and Aunt Minnie's.  When my family moved from West Virginia to Ohio, they were stranded for several days in Portsmouth, Ohio.  Aunt Minnie took them in without a thought and fed them well. 

Sometimes we have to look at the whole picture of our ancestors.  It's more than just a bunch of names and dates.  It's "family history".

This has been reposted, as I have accepted the challenge given by Amy Johnson Crow:  http://www.nostorytoosmall.com/posts/challenge-52-ancestors-in-52-weeks/

Family History Comes Forward, Too...

Family history is all about family.  It doesn't matter if they lived a century ago, or if they are living right here and right now.

Admittedly, we may get along with our ancestors a little better than we get along with those we have relationships with now, but it does include everyone - whether they are living or whether they are deceased.

I have been terribly swamped as I continue to refine presentations, work on my accreditation, and do research.  But occasionally, I must step back and make sure that the ones who are living and and dear to my heart know just how I feel.

Friday evening, after Kerry and I worked at the Columbus Temple, we received a text from son Erik wanting to know if we wanted to meet for dinner.  Of course!  We went to a local restaurant, Wendell's Pub, and had such a delightful evening together.

Erik and Mr. Kerry

Kerry and Peggy.  We are smitten - with the prime rib!  And, with each other, too...

Even though son Jordan and his little family live about two hours away, we don't get to see them as much as we would certainly like to.  Melissa always makes us feel welcome, and the three little grandboys - well, it doesn't get much better than that!

Jordan and Melissa, with JJ, Jayden and Justin

Miss Harmony is on the road all the time now.  Occasionally, she gets to stop in Ohio, and when she does, we try to make an effort to see her.

My little family at Easter. 

And of course, we can't forget the little people who live in the north country!



Each time we have an interaction with our little family, we are creating more family history.  Kerry and I certainly hope our memories that follow us will be good and positive ones. 

It's what family is all about...













History and Geography in the Lives of Our Ancestors

Harriett Beecher Stowe wrote:  “Every individual is part and parcel of a great picture of the society in which he lives and acts, and his life cannot be painted without reproducing the picture of the world he lived in.”

Family history is so much more than just the names and dates on a pedigree chart or in a genealogy program on our computers.  I believe that "genealogy" involves basic vital information and goes straight back.  "Family History" encompasses the histories of those families.

For each ancestral family, 
Years ago, Curt Witcher spoke at a conference I was attending.  As usualy, his talk was inspiring and made me want to go right home and get started researching better.  The title of this particular presentation was, "Doing the History Eliminates the Mystery".

So true.

In the classes I teach, I try to emphasize just how important this can be.  Let me share some pointers:

1.  Learn all you can about the area your ancestors lived in and study this material.  Look at the time period, their nationality, the neighborhood.

• County histories and “heritage books” may be particularly helpful, though the data may be incorrect.  Use the information as a springboard to take you to the original records containing primary sources.
• The family may have followed general trends that pertained to the area.
  Obtain atlases and topographical maps to study the geography, and claim those maps as yours!  They may help you to determine why your ancestor traveled nearly 20 miles to go to a courthouse in a neighboring county, as opposed to 5 miles to the one in his own county.  Perhaps there was rough terrain and mountains that you can't see on an ordinary map.
• How did the family arrive?  Were there watercourses?  Did they run a ferry on the river?  Could they have had a mill?  Did they come through mountains?  Did poor weather affect the crops and the economy, effecting a move?
• Collect materials about libraries, archives and courthouses in the area, as well as their location and hours of operation.  www.usgenweb.com

2.  Check out the neighborhood and collateral relatives.
It might be wise to bypass indexes and go directly to the records themselves.  

•  You are the one that knows your family and different spelling variations.
   Families did not live in alphabetical order.
   Study the family in the proximity of its neighbors.
   Whole communities were known to migrate.
   They witnessed each other’s deeds and wills, and attended          church together.
  Tax records and deeds often showed neighbors.
   Land was described by whose property it bordered

3.  Join a society in the ancestor’s geographic area.

• If they have a website, visit it frequently.
  Many societies collect pedigree charts, family group records, or ancestor file cards from its members.
  Most societies publish a newsletter and accept free queries from members.

4.  Join a local society and be active.

• Local societies offer learning opportunities and workshops.

5.  Consult with an expert in the geographic area where your ancestor lived, and/or hire a professional researcher.

Above all, avoid presentism!  This is when we place today's morals, values, manners, speech, routines, hygiene, etc. upon people who lived in another time and place. 

•Step outside the normal routine of collecting documents.

•Explore the area’s history.