Mormon Bloggers

I have only recently decided to start using the New Family Search of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I have all of my family history – genealogy in the old PAF files and I was not too excited to start uploading information on the internet and connect what is already there in my family tree. However now that I have started doing it, I can see already some benefit. The first surprise was to find that someone in Argentina had submitted information about one of my ancestors who lived in Italy. Through the New Family Search I found the email address of this person and I wrote to her. It was a great surprise when she sent me a complete family tree of that ancestor, a family tree that goes back to the year 1623. An article on Deseret News suggest the use of blogs to gather even more information by connecting with people over the Internet. According to the article There are thousands of blogs related to genealogy and family history used by Mormons, Catholics, Jews, Baptists,... Read the rest of this entry »

This week’s contest over on the True Miracles with Genealogy website is EXCELLENT! Please click HERE to find out more. The Pallante Center for Italian Research (PCIR) at http://pallantecenter.wordpress.com is giving away $200-worth of research services pertaining to Italian genealogy records to one fortunate winner. Thank you so much, PCIR. This is a unique and wonderful prize. Anne Bradshaw Author, True Miracles with Genealogy: Help from Beyond the Veil at http://truemiracleswithgenealogy.com Epic Genealogy Giveaway Starting Soon!  Read More →

Giving away lots of worthwhile genealogy-related prizes over next few months at http://truemiracleswithgenealogy.com. Check it out! Copies of my book, True Miracles with Genealogy kick things off this week. Simple rules. Eight copies available. Go for it! Anne Bradshaw Author, True Miracles with Genealogy: Help from Beyond the Veil at http://truemiracleswithgenealogy.com Epic Genealogy Giveaway Starting Soon!  Read More →

I recently discovered a great genealogy magazine based in England. Individual issues are available in both electronic and hard copy formats and are a generous read. The title is Your Family History and more information can be found at www.your-familyhistory.com. To quote from the front page of the current issue: Your Family History magazine is different from other genealogy magazines you might have seen in two important respects. Firstly, we’ve assembled a team of leading experts, researchers and historians to show you not only how to discover who your ancestors were, but also guide you into the rich local and social history that brings context to their lives. Nick Barratt, a lead researcher from the BBC’s “Who do you think you are” series, is the Editor-in-chief and is joined by a number of genealogy experts on the editorial team. Your Family History magazine features a range of topics each issue, linking your personal research with local and national... Read the rest of this entry »

Are you interested in family history or genealogy, but aren’t quite sure where or how to start? There are new — and free — family history training videos available online. The Church’s FamilySearch program has partnered with other experts in the field to provide excellent training. There are dozens of courses available, including research courses as well as accreditation, certification, and professional presentations. See a complete list of the online family history courses available and/or access the courses. (What courses sound interesting to you?) We’d love to hear feedback from anyone who has used these courses. Here is more information on what kinds of classes are available (or that will soon be available): Currently, there are classes on family history research in England, Ireland, Germany, Mexico, Australia, Italy, New Zealand, Poland and Russia. Most of the classes are available only in English, but there are three classes available in Spanish.... Read the rest of this entry »

The St. George Family History Expo is approaching fast. Today, I’m posting some extracts (together with the complete agenda below) from the website at Familyhistoryexpos.com. “Learn about researching your family history from our expert speakers.  Try out the latest genealogical tools in our Exhibit Hall. Whether you are a beginner or a professional come learn the tech to trace your roots!” Friday Night Event Registration is $33.00 Featuring M. Bridget Cook, National Bestselling Author   “Handling and Healing the Skeletons in Your Genealogical Closet”   Registration for the Expo as follows: Pre-registration is $65.00. At the Door Registration is $75.00. One Day Registration is $40.00. Attend just a few classes for $12.00 a class (At the door only)                      Each registered attendee will receive a complimentary copy of the CD Syllabus with their... Read the rest of this entry »

Most of you have probably heard of writer’s block: it’s the point where a writer suddenly doesn’t want to write, and would rather use a pen to initiate the gag reflex than write. Well, family historians sometimes get genealogist’s block. So what do you do if this is you? Jenni and I (and Lunch Bucket, Tootles, and Squeaker) attended a family history fair this last week. I also just finished the 12 week family history course in church. I am therefore… an expert. Yeah, whatever. But there was one thing that stuck out to me from both that I think is a good lesson, especially to those who want to do family history work but get terribly confused, frustrated, or just keep hitting brick walls. It’s simply this: find a niche. Find one aspect of doing family history that really excites you. If you love writing the names on pedigree charts, do that, and do it well. If you love researching the places, focus on that. If you love doing the temple work, focus on that.... Read the rest of this entry »

More about this excellent Family History Expo next week. You can also check it out at www.truemiracleswithgenealogy.com.  For now, can’t resist posting this delightful poster.  Enjoy!  Oh, and hope to see you in St. George. It’s warmer down there in February. Right?   Read More →

Hannah Knight Libby is my great, great, great, great great grandmother. Here’s everything I have so far on her life. If you know of any other biographical, genealogical, or historical info about her, I’d LOVE to get it! Mother Hannah Knight Libby Carter (A Memorial prepared in 1941 by a group of her descendants) Biography of Hannah Knight Libby Carter Hannah Knight Libby Carter was born October 9, 1786, at Scarborough on the coast of Maine. She was the daughter of Captain Zebulon Libby and Lydia Andrews. Her father, born about 1757, as a young man served three years in the Revolution and was afterwords a captain in the militia. He married Lydia Andrews, daughter of Deacon Amos and Ann (Seavey) Andrews on 19 of October, 1780. He died 6 December, 1836, and his widow on 9 December, 1838. They had 11 children, Hannah being the fourth child. Her brother, Amos, married, but his wife died a few years later. He then enlisted in the American army for one year and lost his life at the... Read the rest of this entry »

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My mother-in-law has just completed a mission at the Genealogy Library in Salt Lake City. Her service was a great blessing to the patrons of the library, I’m sure, and it was a great blessing to us, as well. For instance, she helped me advance one of my Norwegian lines a few more generations by pointing out to me available online Norwegian church records. She also supplied lots of names for baptisms that my son and daughters could do when they visited the temple, and that my wife and I have been able to do work on, as well. One of the greatest gifts, however, is more than the tabulation and processing of names for ordinance work (though that, too, has been important and rewarding). She took advantage of the vast resources of the new Church History Library to research and compile individual histories for some of her ancestors. She the developed a number of blogs on which she has included the results of her findings. In the process, she sought to find “true” stories,... Read the rest of this entry »

On this Pioneer day, I decided to answer all the personal questions that you are asked when you fill out the profile on Mormon.org.  There are a whole lot more under the FAQ section (about 80) but that will have to wait for another day when I have more time.  I thoroughly enjoyed the process of answering these questions and felt like I was being interviewed, thus the title of this blog post. 01. Please explain the part prayer plays in your life? Having grown up with daily prayer, I can’t imagine a day go by in which I don’t communicate with my Heavenly Father in prayer.  We start the day in prayer as a family asking for the Lord’s blessing upon us as we work.  We end the day in prayer the same way, usually kneeling by the bed, reporting our activities to God and thanking him for his help.  We give thanks for the food we eat at mealtimes and participate in public prayers in our weekly worship service.  It is through prayer and reading scriptures that I feel close to God and directed... Read the rest of this entry »