Tis the Set of the Sail -- or -- One Ship Sails East

This poem has everything to do with being able to do genealogy.

Ella Wheeler Wilcox 1916

But to every mind there openeth,
A way, and way, and away,
A high soul climbs the highway,
And the low soul gropes the low,
And in between on the misty flats,
The rest drift to and fro.

But to every man there openeth,
A high way and a low,
And every mind decideth,
The way his soul shall go.

One ship sails East,
And another West,
By the self-same winds that blow,
'Tis the set of the sails
And not the gales,
That tells the way we go.

Like the winds of the sea
Are the waves of time,
As we journey along through life,
'Tis the set of the soul,
That determines the goal,
And not the calm or the strife.

Looking For Who Were The Mormon Pioneers: Maybe Your Ancestor?

This is the link to the home page of the Mormon Pioneer Overland Trail site.

http://history.lds.org/overlandtravels/

It   has several interesting things besides a  search engine. My favorite is the trail notes. Maybe the journal of my ancestor isn't on the site but usually that of someone who traveled in the company is. It is very interesting.

Did Someone Steal Your Pioneer Heritage?

In preparing for an evening to discuss the ancestors of our son Jason's family I found that they had at least 40 ancestors that crossed the plains as Mormon Pioneers.

Over 70,000 immigrants crossed the plains, beginning in March 1846. After much persecution and the assassination of Joseph Smith the Prophet and his brother Hyrum it was clear the faith could not remain in Nauvoo, Illinois. For some the trek was brutal. Many died on the way. This video shows one of the worst that was suffered. It's short and it's sobering. It would be good if you viewed this next.


 Todays post is one that has been festering in me for over a decade. It was brought front and center as on the last few Thursdays I have been writing a story about an ancestor. So far they were all pioneers that crossed the plains.

The story title began many years ago when someone I know well shared her loss of her Mormon Heritage,as she put it. Her life had been full of turmoil and abuse by active Mormon Parents. The discord created was huge. At lunch she confided with me and a few others that she could never belong to a church that these people stood for. She said that it was beyond her ability to stay in such a Church. She said she felt cheated out of her Mormon Heritage. "They stole her Mormon Heritage".

I know, there are a lot of ways one could respond to this statement, I just listened, and remembered, and to this day am struck by it's impact. She has a child who has lost his too now. She has sisters who feel the same way, and they have children, and it goes on and on.

A few years back my sister connected me with some Bingham cousins. We met over lunch and it was joyful and delightful. It was obvious that I was the only practicing Mormon, or member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints at this lunch. I finally couldn't stand it without bring up the question to my newly found cousins; "your grandfather was a stalwart Mormon Pioneer, and your family has abandoned that - what happened I hope I can ask? Without hesitation they said that their family was wealthy, liked to drink, and smoke and they decided they didn't need the church anymore. They gave up their heritage, rather than feeling it was stolen. To all that family I say, it too was stolen.

My mother shared stories with me about her mother and grandmother. All was not easy for either. Through multiple reasons I have concluded that Grandmother Nancy Porter has seen about 90% of her posterity lose their pioneer heritage, at least having membership in the Church that they were persecuted over, that gospel they travel by foot for months to be able to live and practice. Events caused 90% of her posterity to lose their heritage.

My relationship with my parents was difficult. I sometime found myself asking, why me.

Again, 70,000 pioneers came to Utah over their religion. Are you a descendant also? If you are estranged from their religion, what caused you to have it stolen? Was it your choice? Was it the actions of another?

I wish I had a solution to help you find it, and get back. I know how fortunate I am to have it. I am certain life goes on beyond this life. It gives me hope. I am certain that we have a loving Heavenly Father.

I expect part of the Saviors healing atonement will be to heal wounds so many have had to bare. Perhaps we can experience the fruits of the video below:

Friday is For Fun: And This May Be The Funniest Ever!

It's Your Day Thursday: Henry Mower

Henry Mower is the father of Susanna Mower who married Simeon Cragun.

He was raised in Clearfield, Pennsylvania and received the best schooling at that time. He marriee Mary Amick when he was only seventeen. Ten children were born to them, Susanna was the 6th child, 4th daughter. She lived to be 70 years old.

From early childhood Henry seemed religiously inclined and joined the Methodist Church. He studied for the ministry and became a Methodist preacher. However, he felt something was lacking with his religion.

This was the case in so many studied people in the early 1800's. They knew the Bible well and concluded that the Church as described in the Bible was not found in the Churches of the day. Such was the case with Sanford Porter, my mothers 2nd great grandfather. Both Henry and Sanford, and many others were introduced to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints by early Mormon missionaries. Henry had left the Methodists and was laboring as a Campbellite preacher. The missionary that met Henry, William Bowerly (or Boweley) came to see him and asked if he might use his pulpit and preach to his congregation.

Henry agreed, with much curiosity. They listened to the sermon and wondered what Henry would say at the close. Imagine what they thought when Henry, their Pastor, arose and bore a testimony to the truthfulness of what they had heard.

Henry invited the Elders to his home and from that day on were converted to the Church. He resigned as a minister and was baptized. Many of his congregation walked the 21 miles to see the baptism. His family, except one daughter, joined the Church, and they moved to Illinois to be near the main body of the Church.

We know that Henry visited his old area as he and Sanford Porters son Nathan Tanner Porter (a great Uncle on my mothers side) found my 2nd great grandfather Elisha Cragun and his family and taught them the gospel.

Another similarity to other ancestor of ours and many others is the tragic number of deaths in Winter Quarters. The members of the Church were submitted to terrible persecution and were pushed West. In 1846 in Council Bluffs - Winter Quarters Mary died, as did Elisha Cragun in 1847, actually as did 600 Mormon Pioneers.

from the record of a descendant Paul Brown we read: His beloved wife, Mary, had endured so many hardships of the pioneer life, it seemed she could stand no more. She became very ill. All that loving hands could do was done for her, but she rapidly grew worse and passed away at the age of forty-eight, leaving her husband her ten children to mourn her loss.

Henry missed his companion very much. She had been a great source of inspiration and comfort to him in all the trying scenes they had passed through. They had been mobbed and persecuted so much for the gospel’s sake that nearly all their earthly possessions were gone. But our Heavenly Father did not forsake him. He sent another beautiful young lady into his life, Lucretia Hupper from Port Clyde, Knox County, Maine. She had accepted the gospel against the wishes of her parents, and she had left her home, a lonely girl, to cast her lot with the Saints. She was longing for loved ones who would be dear to her. These two met and it was love at first sight. They needed each other, but there were many things to be considered by Lucretia. Henry was much older than she was, having a daughter of her own age, and all his huge family of children she would have to mother, and his poor financial condition. She had been working and was quite well fixed.

What should she do? Her heart told her. She loved Henry and they were married February 5, 1847. She thus became the stepmother of a lovely group of stepchildren. They came into her life when she need them most and she loved them very dearly as her own. At the time of her marriage her husband’s earthly possessions consisted of a small log room, a bedstead, a chest, three three legged stools, a rude table, and some bedding. Lucretia had plenty of clothing and cut much of it up to make clothing for the children.

At Kanesville, Iowa, her first child was born -- a little girl who died within the year.
Later a baby boy was born to them and they named him Orson Hyde Mower. Their home was happy with the consolation after their loss. They later had other children in Utah

Henry was a trusted friend of the prophet Joseph Smith, and oh, how Henry loved him!
Henry was away from home on another mission at the time of the martyrdom. And although they knew nothing of the terrible tragedy at the time, a terrible feeling of gloom came over them which they could not cast off, and when the word came to them of the sad news, they were almost heartbroken to lose both their prophet and their patriarch.
Henry and family of Lucretia Hupper and baby Orson Hyde Mower left for the Utah Valley in 1851, he was 52. The journey took a little over 5 months. A short diary of John Loveless about the journey tells much of what it was like: The night before crossing the [Missouri] river we experienced the most severe hail-storm I had ever witnessed; the suffering from cold and exposure tongue or pen cannot describe. But what can not the Saints of God endure while in the discharge of their duties.
On the 24th. I was taken sick with inflamation of the lungs and was near unto death; the brethren, notwithstanding they had administered to me thought that my labors were over and while collected a number of them in a body around my tent conversed about my being consumed by the wolves. I heard them and made up my mind that I would be buried six feet deep in order to cheat the ravenous wolves of their prey. I called to Brother Norton to make known to him my wishes, but could not make him hear. My wife came in and I told her what I wanted. She began crying and said that she could not get along without me and that I must not die. I studied a moment and then told her that I would not. I immediately began to recover and four days later was driving my team. How plain was the power and mercy of God manifested unto me.
On arriving near the Elk Horn River we found a perfect sea of water. This year, 1851, almost the entire country was flooded with water; consequently, we had to go around the Elk Horn River and explore an entirely new route, traveling North so far that we got into the Bluffs and hills of deep sand, Sage Brush, Greasewood.
But our most serious difficulties were in encountering enormous herds of wild Buffalo. It seemed sometimes as if the whole face of the country was, covered with them. We had to send men ahead to disperse them in order that we might drive through with our teams. We succeeded in doing so without serious accident and after traveling as near as we could judge about three hundred miles, we again struck the road about one hundred eighty miles from where we had left it about two months after having done so, we continued our journey for Great Salt Lake City, blessed in every undertaking and good spirit prevailing all of the time. All enjoyed good health, met with no losses of consequence and on the fifteenth day of September, 1851, we arrived in Salt Lake City.

Henry had a long, useful, prosperous, and happy life, and it was said of him at his funeral, “He had thousands of friends and no enemies.”

Henry Mower has many descendants. I am proud to be one of them. I am grateful for the sacrifice Henry and others made to bring me the Mormon Heritage I bare.

New Cool Features in Family Tree

Yes folks, more is better.

This is terrific. The blue icon; research suggestions. When you see this click it. It is a big help in what is really important on family tree, being accurate and getting complete information.

Note the great  suggestions on Mary Sims







The Data Problems could point out one of several possibilities such as the child being born when the mother was 5.

You can uncheck portraits and spouses to make the descendancy less busy, easier to follow.

You find these in the descendancy view.

So Where Can A Genealogy Newbie Get Help?

There are many ways to get help:

If you are a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, each Ward is supposed to have at least three family history consultants. Start there.

If you are not a member, ask a member is one way. I am sure they can help, even if they haven't yet caught the spirit of the work, they can find someone to help you..

For all people:

Another is to visit one of the about 4000 family history centers. They aren't all open every day but their schedules are posted, as well as their addresses. click here and you go to this page; they are everywhere. They are staffed with volunteers of all faiths.

In the get help section are several sources of help from research to family tree: https://familysearch.org/ask/ The get help section is also found from the front page of familysearch.org; the top black arrow in the top photo.

One of the expert church service missionaries in the Salt Lake City Family History Library,

Leland Moon, has spent numerous hours developing short videos on how to use family tree. They are the best. The link to them is always at the top of my blog: here it is:

https://familysearch.org/learningcenter/lesson/family-tree-curriculum/818

Have fun in the search engine: the left arrow in that photo.

Some like to start with the family booklet; you can order one from the link in the bottom right arrow link. (top photo)

You can always find topical on line classes. This site posts the schedule for many. I love to learn this way: http://blog.geneawebinars.com/p/calendar.html

Read blogs about the topic.

My favorite is to attend conferences or seminars.

So You Want To Get Involved In Genealogy, What Should You Do First?

For you old pros, family history consultants, or genealogy enthusiasts, how would you answer this question? "What should a new person to genealogy do first?"

#1 to do: This is new to my suggested starting point: GET INTO FAMILY TREE - IT'S FREE!

I still serve in Church Headquarters, this time part time as a Church Service Missionary, answering peoples calls and emails for help on FamilySearch Family Tree. I am also a local Ward Family History Consultant.

I see three types of beginners: 1- some with no computer skills, even some who care but just struggle with the computer. They have convinced me they just won't get it so to speak. To you I say, your story, the stories you know will have so much meaning to your descendants. My advice to you is find someone who cares enough to help you get those stories, and hopefully photos too, on Family Tree.

Below you see that there are 27 memories in 

Family Tree about my 2nd Great Grandfather Henry Mower.

Some of these memories are photos and there are stories

Anything you can do to provide this gift about you or those you know is just that, a gift, to posterity. In our Ward we are beginning to offer this type of help to the many seniors who are a library of history. After all, when an old man dies, a library burns. 

2- There are those that can learn. A neighbor occasionally calls upon me for help. She is a shining example of desire. When I go to her home she has a list, all with questions she is stuck on. Most of the time I am gone in less than an hour. I love helping her. She spends several hours a day adding facts and memories to Family Tree. By the way, she is 94. She proves that to some age is not limiting. So if you can learn, call upon someone to teach you. 

The first thing I would suggest you learn is Family Tree. Family Tree is not just for Mormons. The last statistic I saw was that 1/3 of the activity in family tree was from the public accounts.

3- The third group I see are those that can teach others. To you I ask you assist the first two groups. The opportunity is everywhere. 

When I first caught the bug to get into this work I committed two hours a week. At first I was sloppy. Now I care about accuracy and sources. I don't make changes or additions to family tree without being sure I am correct. The finding records process gets easier every day as millions of new records go online from the thousands of websites around the world. 

My first tip, is to decide which of these three you are in.

My second tip, is to get a login to family tree and see if you have a pedigree that shows up. If not, get help connecting you to deceased ancestors. That is my next article. For those ready to rock go to http://familysearch.org and create a login or login if you have done this.

See if your tree is connected to anyone but you. It will not show any live persons, including you to the public. Therefore, if you parents are live you have to add them. Again, no one but you will see them or their information. You have to follow this process of living people until you connect to a deceased ancestor.

My first suggestion is that you fill out your tree, it's actually the tree for all of us once you connect to deceased people. See if you have ancestors already connected. Start exploring. At the top of this blog is a link to the training videos. They are excellent. Go as far as you can. More tomorrow. 

For video training on family tree go here: https://familysearch.org/learningcenter/lesson/family-tree-curriculum/818 and click view this lesson.

One of My Favorite Concerts At The Conference Center.

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It's really hard to not love living here.  This is over an hour long. Enjoy a little or all of it.

Genealogy For Beginners Has Changed In The Last Two Years

Learning about the lives of our ancestors is a most interesting journey into history. This 1914 photo of the Boston Market could have some of your ancestors in it. It doesn't take much more than discovering something like that guy on the right being a grandfather to capture your heart. And this might explain why family history is now the most popular hobby in America.

Just what is there to learn about our ancestors anyway? Where many didn't leave us their journals, and many of their descendants failed to publish their stories, learning about what it was like when and where they lived can tell us much about their lives.

I began publishing this blog in January 2012. At the time I was serving full time in the Church Headquarters Family History Mission training new missionaries. Most of the focus of training was on basic research and the FamilySearch Family Tree.

The two most often types of feedback I receive are the updates to family tree and the column on the right about becoming a pretty good genealogist in a short time. The concept is possible, thanks to technology and the guidance of the experienced, but in the last two years these changes are causing me to rethink what I would teach new interested people to do now, versus back two years ago.

Coming to this point was accelerated in my mind by the popularity of this post of about a month ago which quickly shot up to the number 10 most read article of the about 600 I have published: "10 Tips For Genealogy Newbies" - click here to read it now.

As a result I am going to rethink and revise the popular links regarding becoming a pretty good genealogist and add 2014 to the title. The old still has value but I think the newer will be better for beginners.