Famlies last throughout time

This last week I was able to spend some time with my family. I love my family especially my kids but today I am going to blog about extended families. I think once we leave the nest and start families of our own our siblings and parents become our extended families unless we live with them. Last weekend was the Philpot Family Reunion, and after that we were able to go visit my mom’s house and visit her. How lucky I am to have a great extended family.

During the reunion I was able to sit and listen to stories of my great grandparents, great-great grandparents, and great-great-great grandparents things I didn’t know before or had forgotten. I found out that one of them worked for Brigham Young and that they came out west on a train not on the wagon or handcart trails. (I do have those also) I found out where they settled in Utah and what their jobs were. I found out more about why my maiden name was chosen, this has always been a mystery to me.
I then went to the DUP (Daughters of the Utah Pioneers) museum where I was able to pull some family histories. This was really cool because you could find some firsthand knowledge of someone that was really there. I also found out what company they came out west with and what boat they were on. This information came with journal entries of passengers. This is important to me, mainly because I love history and if it is information on someone you know you are already invested in finding out more.

I also decided I wanted to find out more on my mother’s side of the family. Now both of my maternal grandparents loved genealogy so this was much easier to find the group sheets and names but not so much about the stories. You see sometimes just doing the paperwork doesn’t help with the stories and that was what I wanted to find. So, I had to dig further. I did find out where the land was located for my earliest ancestors that reached the Salt Lake Valley was located. I even was able to purchase a map to have real proof. I bought a book dedicated to that side of the family and their stories that includes some journaling. How cool is that?

As I was coming across these discoveries for me, I thought about the great, great-great, or great-great-great children I will someday have. I hope my posterity is great and they will want at some point in their lives want to know about me. What is the story I am leaving behind? Are they going to know that yes there is pain in this world but also great happiness? Will they know that I loved the Savior Jesus Christ more than anything and I knew I am a Child of God? Will they wonder why I did the things I do? I do not know, they might not even wonder any of these things or even care about my story. The one thing I know is that I have left things for them to read about and will now start to document my parent’s lives so that when they are gone, I will have those stories for their grandchildren and other generations to come. They might think history is just that and it should stay in the past. Yes, I agree something should stay in the past but, there is a whole new world when you know your back story.

Finding out things about the generations that came before you is part of your story. The reason I grew up in Utah and grew up as a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, is because of my ancestors. Some of these people walked thousands of miles to find a place where homes would be built for the last time and not destroyed again. Some came from Sweden and traveled by boat for months and then got on trains to be closer to those who believed the same as they did. Some left their extended families to go out west so that their children would not be affected by decisions they had made in the past. This does not mean I haven’t found on my own that what my ancestors believed isn’t what I believe; it just means that is where it started from. I know my pioneer heritage is a big part of who I am. I also know that there are going to be things I will be the pioneer in.

I am the first college educated child of my parents. Yes, my twin sisters got their education first but, I mean my mom and dad. I was the first one to break any bones, starting at the age of 18 months. I was the only child that lived with both my maternal and paternal grandparents. I am the first child to raise three wonderful children as a single mom. This is part of the legacy I will carry to my children and down generations. So the next time you go to a family reunion listen, take notes, and record what happened, you might end up being the documenter of your family.

I love my family more than anything, and I am so glad I was able to find out more of where I came from. This is one of the great blessings of this age we live in. Computers have made this so much easier. Don’t forget the paperwork is important because to do research you need the dates, but I think the stories are the most important part. If there is anything I learned is to write your story down, that is the best place to start.