Why do people search for their Ancestors?

One of the questions you may ask about Family History is "Why do people do it?"  There are so many reasons why.  Some people want to find out if they are related to any famous people, some people want to connect to those who came before them, some people are interested in where their family lines originated from.  For me I started because someone told me as a member of my church I should do it.  Then I kept doing it because it was challenging.  It also helped me to understand families and all their crazy problems.  I do not come from a very stable family.  Mines one of those ripped apart and patched together type.  When I started I only had my parents and grandparents information.  I didn't think I'd get much further than that.  My mom was always being teased and told she was Irish.  It was fun when I finally found information about her family to be able to tell her she was not Irish, but Scottish.  There is healing in Family history.  My mom found out the reason why she never met her grandparents.  It wasn't that they didn't love her, but that they had died before she was born. 
One thing you should know is that most families have some secret, a black sheep, a problem that they wish to hide.  The Book I'm currently reading says it best " What I'm about to tell you is our family's big secret.  Every family's got one, you can be sure of that.  Some are just bigger than others..." Pg. 20 " The Forgotten Garden." By Kate Morton.  Another quote I like is " ....The things we take for granted are important. You know, family, blood, the past... They're the things that make us who we are...."  It is fun to uncover the secret in the closet.  But what I love most about researching family history is finding the "Love Stories." 
I'm  a big romantic at heart.  I love to read at least one romance novel a month.  I'm not reading them for the explicit scenes which I skip over.  I love to read about people falling in love, when they realize it, and that wonderful first kiss.  I also like the books that take place in the times of kings, queens, dukes and such.  It's a bit silly but still it's my escape from the world.

So here is the first of many love stories I've found along the way as I've researched my family tree.  Well this one is actually from my Husbands family tree.  But I love it.  It's love, and going against parents wishes and a skeleton in the closet all at once.  But who can deny a young couple when they are in love?

Here is Lewis Bowlby....He fell in love with Minnie Dineen...  English Presbyterian falls for Irish Catholic Lass.... Oh the troubles will abound...

Here is their story:
Just as John and Margaret Dineen where pillars of the Catholic Church, Peter Bowlby was a pillar of the Presbyterian church.  Their respective children, Minnie and Lewis were very much in love but could not reach an agreement as to what faith any children they might have would be brought up in.  So they ended their relationship.  They didn't "See" each other for over a year but did manage to keep tabs on each other through mutual friends.  They were both thoroughly miserable without each other.  So finally Lewis in order to be with Minnie went to her and her parents proposing marriage and promising that their children would be raised as Catholics.  And so Minnie and Lewis where married in a catholic wedding ceremony and all of their children were raised as Catholics.  Much to the dismay and consternation of Lewis' father peter as well as the rest of the Bowlby family.

After they were married awhile Lewis promised Minnie that he would convert to Catholicism, but only after his father had passed away.  Lewis was working in the rail yard of the central rail road of New Jersey in Jersey city when he was critically injured in an accident at the yards.  Realizing how serious his injuries were he asked that a priest be called to the scene.  When the Priest arrived he baptized Lewis shortly before he died.  And so Lewis Bowlby died a Catholic.  Unfortunately Peter Bowlby was still alive and this was almost too much for him, not only had his son died but he had died a Catholic!  He never really got over it and remained bitter up to the time of his death at age 96.

For years Minnie Bowlby had asked the nuns at St. Joseph's grammar school in Bound Brook (where the Bowlby Children attended school) to have the children pray for a special intention. (Namely that her husband would convert to Catholicism)  Only the principal of the school knew what the intention was.  The day after Lewis died Aunt Minnie was sent by her mother to school to tell the principal what had happened and explain that was why some of the Bowlby children would be missing school for awhile.  Aunt Minnie made sure to tell the principal that her father had died a Catholic.  So  the Principal went from classroom to classroom telling the children to pray for the soul of Lewis Bowlby and to offer a prayer of thanks also because their special intention had been answered.

I hope you enjoyed this love story.  I find it funny when my husband talks about his family being "Catholic" Or "Cult"   As the Bowlby's really were not Catholic until Lewis fell in love.
G.G.

A Year of Family History

As I prepare for 2012, I have thought a lot about this blog and where I want to take it in the next year. I feel I've had little focus since I've left the original losing my job subject.  That seems so far away now.  If you have read from the beginning you know I started this blog when I lost my precious job as a library assistant.  Then I kept you up to date on the struggles I went through as both my husband and I went through unemployment and new jobs.  I have to say I fared better than my husband.  His job loss led us to the move to the west, which you have been reading about this past year.  And I apologize as I have not been to focused in this blog writing.  I often go off in strange directions.  So as I have been pondering my life and my path for 2012, I have finally found a focus for the coming year.  I'm going to share all things that have to do with Family History.

I may not have ever mentioned this before but I am a Family Historian.  In fact it is one of my greatest passions in life.  I spend hours a week researching my family history.  I have a great talent for this, I find about 10 new names in my family line each time I go on to my family history sites.  I have collected some great stories about my ancestors.  And so this year I feel compelled to share their stories.  I will also look for books that are written about family histories with skeletons in their closets, and I hope to put my own book together.  I will tell you I am no great writer so bear with me on this.  But this book and it's characters continue to bug me.  So I need to sit down and type their story.

I will also share with you my love of Temple worship.  I have been reading some awesome books about worshiping in the Temple.  I find my self a babe in the woods.  I'm at the just dipping my toes in the waters of the river of worship.  I want this year to learn how to swim in this river.  I hope to go to the Temple at least twice a week.  I hope to find the questions to ask, so I may learn the answers that help move us in this world.  A Latter Day Saints biggest job in this dispensation is to do Temple work.  I want to be there and do this.  Over the Christmas season, I have felt a longing for a place that I could not understand.  Then I realized, I long to go home.  Not to an earthly home, but to my Heavenly Home.  I long to be in that peaceful world.  But I know it is not my time.  The closest I can get to that home is to go to the Temple.  And so I hope to go often.  I hope you will enjoy my new focus this year.
My first novel is "The Forgotten Garden."  By Kate Morton.  Funny thing many of the novels I've read lately focus on England and Scotland.  Could it be my ancestors calling to me.  Showing me what their world was like?  I look forward to this new book.  I got it as a Christmas gift.  The funny thing is it fits just perfect with my focus. 
Happy New Year to you all!
G.G.

Christmas City Lights, When in Salt Lake In December you must go see them..

I must admit that all the while I lived in New Jersey, I never once went to New York city to see it decorated in lights for Christmas.  New York City was just a very big and scary place for me.  But here in Utah, I feel so much more at ease, and begged my husband to take us to the city to see the lights.
Finally it all worked out and here are some photo's we took.  I find it amazing how many lights they get wrapped around the trees.

Be advised that there will be tons of people out looking at the lights with you.  My husband thought the best way to be spotted was by raising their arms up.  It just happened that at this point no one else was in the way.

With my camera I learned when taking photo's with people use the flash.  I didn't in this photo.  When taking photo's without people, don't use the flash.  So that is why this photo is a little blurry. But look at all the lights.  It hurt your eyes there were so many!

The Temple just looks so beautiful!  It took the saints 40 years to build this.

My son took this photo!

My daughter took this photo. I'm frozen by this time. You actually had to wait in line to get a photo in this spot.  We took a second one to get the whole temple in.

The best part was as we entered the Temple area out side the gates a man was playing the bagpipes all dressed in the Scottish Kilts!  I just thought that was so cool.  It brought me to tears.  We also had hot coco and cookies.  We didn't like the cookies though, they had candy canes crushed into them.  It just didn't go well.

See the man with no coat on.  He must be super man!  It was freezing out. We left after about an hour.  My husband could have stayed longer but the rest of us were frozen!

There is so much to see. Luminaries, nativities from different countries, ton's of trees all covered with lights.  There are horse and carriage rides, hot coco and cookies, movies, the live nativity.  It was wonderful.  So if you are ever in Utah in December you need to go!

Thinking of You've Got Mail..." I lead a small life...

I've been thinking that I need to watch "You've Got Mail"  again.  I love the whole movie it resonates with me on so many levels. Lately I've been thinking of this one quote " I lead a small life- well, valuable, but small- and sometimes I wonder, do I do it because I like it, or because i haven't been brave?"
I have always felt I live a small life.  I love things being simple.  I don't look to deeply at the world.  Yet lately I've been thinking, and pondering about life and the meaning of things.  And I've realized that in the coming year that I'm going to begin a whole new way of life.  I'm going to begin a very spiritual walk, where I look and question those things that are before me.  I've been having my eyes opened lately to the meaning of things symbolic.  But to understand I must study, and question.  So 2012 will be my study and question those things I see year.  I'm hoping the spirit will answer my questions and show me what I'm to learn.  I know this may seems cryptic.  But to me it all makes sense.  I've realized that the most important part of my life is about to open up.  My destiny is about to be fulfilled.  A dream I had as a child is opening in a grand way.
When I was young I told my mother that God had a work for me to do.  I'm there now, I've figured out my work and I'm excited to be moving forward.  It's nice to finally have the pieces fall into place.
Our family is still living in the barren world of who ville.  We do have a tree with lights on it, but still no Christmas decorations.  But you know.  The spirit of Christmas is here.  There is love, and there is room for Him.  Our hearts are open to receive our Savior and King.  How thankful I am to be a servant to our Lord Jesus Christ.  May you all have a blessed Christmas. 
Tonight we go to the city to see the lights.  I can't wait.  Our other news is my daughter started Karate.  I think this will be a good thing for her.  I'm very interested in all that they teach.
G.G.

Playing Santa: My year to pay it forward.

Here is one of our many Christmas photo's taken this year.  My scanner has pretty much died so it does not look that great.  Have no fear, a new scanner is on the way.  But I don't have the time to open it and read all the instructions yet. 
Today I just want to say that I'm paying it forward!  Have you heard that phrase?  Well last year was tough, Christmas was going to be small and rough.  Then Santa's came in all forms.  They bestowed our struggling family with little gifts that made the difference.  The Kids felt that Christmas was wonderful. This year we are in a better position.  And so my family is playing Santa.  We are making stockings up for some friends who are finding life to be a bit rough.  I feel Christmas is more special because we are able to give and show love to others.  So if you are having a good year, and you know someone who is in need.  Be a Santa for them.  Help make their Christmas I little more brighter letting someone else know they are loved.
For a good Christmas song check out Amy Grant's "I Need a Silent Night."  I found this song last year and just love to listen to it.
GG.

All I want for Christmas is........

There are some interesting songs about all I want for Christmas.  My favorite this year is Kenny Cheseneys "All I want for Christmas is a real good tan."  But in thinking of what I want for Christmas I would say "All I WANT FOR CHRISTMAS IS MY HOUSE TO SELL."  At least I have learned this week that people are looking at my little house in New Jersey.  I find the things people worry about to be a bit silly.  But I guess a house is a big purchase and so they are entitled to want things to be the way they want them.  Yet I find for the price I'm asking and the condition my house is in, that people would be a little bit more interested.  Most houses in the range we are selling in are the type you have to gut and totally remodel.  Ours is in almost perfect shape.  Oh well.  I don't really believe I will get this Christmas wish. 
My other wish is for my children to have a White Christmas.  My daughter lucky girl got taken by a friend to down town Salt lake and got to see all the Christmas lights.  I hope we get to go next week. 
Our Christmas decorating this year is much like the Who's from "How the Grinch Stole Christmas"  after the Grinch took everything.  And yet in this thinking I know that "Christmas comes despite it all."  It is not the decorations, gifts or flashiness.  It is something so much more.  It is God's love for us, his perfect gift."  I'm thankful for this perspective.  Sorry I haven't written in awhile.  I've been working 40 hours a week. I'm hoping that we get our moving bills paid down so we can visit the east this summer.  If the house would sell, it would happen a lot faster.
G.G.