Family History Research Brings Rewards!

As members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latterday Saints we (my wife and I) believe in the eternal nature of family relationships. As well as trying to keep our immediate family (all seven children, their spouses and our twenty three grandchildren) together as a team in this life we  also want to include in our "team" our ancestors. We believe in life after death and that "families can be together, forever".  This belief involves trying to search out and identify our forbears.  Family history research (or to give it it's posh name, genealogy) not only helps you build a family tree (and the posh name for that is pedigree chart) it also can get you in touch with lost or distant living relatives.  

 

My wife Rosalind is our genealogist and she has some amazing and interesting things happen through doing genealogy.  Our family tree is on the web and a lady in Ohio researching for her great grandfather found his name on our family tree. She then contacted Rosalind and together they confirmed it was the same person. Rosalind then sent her a written family history.  The lady in Ohio then traced one of the people mentioned.  Margaret is still living and is 95 years old and is still at the same address.  She is Rosalind's mothers cousin and we have a photo of them together in Ireland when they were young.   To cut a long story short, whilst baby sitting grandchildren near Seattle, we got a few days leave of absence and met up with Margaret and her family at a place called Maple Ridge near Vancouver, British Columbia.  These distant relatives were most friendly and hospitable and we had a delightful couple of days in their company all thanks to doing family history research!

Rosalind with Margaret her mother's cousin and the carer

 Ann, Margaret's daughter and her husband Jim, our delightful hosts

 Jim's latest toy (Ann and Jim are snowbirds)!

 Inside the motor home (RV) with the sides extended. Just amazing!

Yours truly in the driving seat (dreaming)!

 

So as a result of doing family history research we had a wonderful time in BC with some delightful distant relatives.  You should try it, you never know where it will take you!