Ancestral Wood Slice Ornaments

I was looking through my craft supplies last year and found a bag of unused wood slices. I had seen artists on Instagram paint these gorgeous scenes on similar pieces to create Christmas ornaments, so I thought I’d give it a shot.

My painting skills are nothing special, so I tried to find inspiration that wouldn’t make me toss my paintbrush across the room. My ancestors are from England, Wales, and Denmark and my husband’s are from Scandinavian countries. I decided to focus on Nordic imagery for my ornaments.

I searched for seasonal Nordic folk art and attempted to recreate some of the simpler themes.

I had forgotten about this process until I was asked to be in charge of an ancestral-focused church activity for the girls aged 12-17. I placed a quick order from Amazon for wood slices and acrylic paint markers (less mess!) and prayed they’d arrive in time.

I thought this would make for a perfect holiday activity that could also educate them about their heritage. I asked each where the majority of their ancestors were from, either regionally or country of origin. Based on their answers, I dug into research for common folk art from each.

France

In both painting and needlework, there were many examples of Breton dancers, originating in Brittany, the Celtic region of France.

If you’ve heard the term “tole painting,” it stems from a French process of decorating tin or iron pieces. They’re commonly decorated with floral motifs and strokework.

Germany

This is more regional, but Edelweiss is a national symbol of Romania, Austria, Bulgaria, Slovenia, and Switzerland. It is found in remote mountain areas and, according to folk tradition, giving this flower to a loved one is a promise of dedication.

Traditional Bavarian costumes appear in much of Germany’s folk art with decorative jackets and aprons.

Ireland

The Celtic Tree of Life stemmed from actual trees that communities would leave in the center of town when they settled the land. It would provide shelter, a gathering place, and nourishment for animals, birds, insects, etc.

I used this heart to represent all Celtic Knots, but most have no beginning or end. Because of this, they commonly stand for eternity, whether it be loyalty, faith, friendship, or love.

Italy

Tin-glazed earthenware pottery was created primarily in Faience and Delft. Both it and the majority of Italian folk art uses a white, blue, and yellow color palette.

Russia & Ukraine

Matryoshka (little matron) Dolls, or nesting dolls, are highly recognizable as Russian folk art. When the early nesting dolls were created, all of them were presented with females as their biggest dolls. The main symbols of the matryoshka dolls were of depicting a woman’s fertility and their motherhood.

Petrykivka is a traditional Ukrainian decorative painting style originating in the village of Petrykivka, Ukraine, where it was traditionally used to decorate house walls and everyday household items. The distinctive features of this folk art style are its flower patterns and brush techniques.

Scandinavia

Post-Vikings, peaceful, nature-related motifs overtook Scandinavian folk art. They were full of flower, bird and human motifs, often referred to Scandinavian tales, legends and fables.

The dalecarlian horse, or dala horse, is a carved, painted wooden statue that was primarily used as a toy for children. It’s now become a symbol of Sweden.

Scotland

The Dress Act of 1746 attempted to bring warrior clans under government control by banning the tartan and other aspects of Gaelic culture. When the law was repealed in 1782, it was no longer ordinary Highland dress, but was adopted instead as the symbolic national dress of Scotland.

The Scottish Thistle is the national symbol for Scotland, representing bravery, devotion, durability, strength, and determination.

Wales

The lovespoon is said to have originated in Wales and was given to a young woman by her suitor, showing her father that the young man was able to provide for his future family through woodworking.

Gaudy Welsh pottery came about after World War II from American collectors. It was meant to signify Welsh ancestry. It’s known for its underglaze of cobalt blue, pink lustre, and russet. Many wouldn’t think of fancy pottery as folk art, but it wasn’t mass-produced, so it was made by small, regional companies.

(I didn’t include England in the mix since much of the folk art from there is represented in other countries. Also, there were a lot of farm animals. A. Lot.)

If your ancestral countries weren’t mentioned, do a search for folk art in that region. I learned quite a bit of why particular colors and mediums were used and how much has carried over into modern works of art.

Family Histories Made Simple

I am incredibly blessed to have a binder full of histories of my ancestors. It’s an amazing resource, but one I don’t often take advantage of. Unless I’m curious about a particular family member, the collection typically sits on a shelf, unused and unopened. When I wanted to teach my children about their ancestors, I knew the binder had the answers within it, but wasn’t the approachable medium I needed. It was time to get creative and make my own. I’ll show you the steps I took to make a book full of facts, memories, and photos that my family has come to treasure.

Step 1: Collect Information

I opened a document and typed out the names of those closest to me, working backward. I started with my parents, then their parents, and so on. I included birth and death dates and locations. Next, I researched each ancestor to see how much information I could get from either my binder, or Memories in Family Search. The goal was to find five interesting tidbits on each ancestor’s life.

When I got back a few generations, I couldn’t always find stories, just facts. That’s when I had to utilize vital records to create a story of their life. For help with framing a narrative when you don’t have stories, see my post on Putting the Pieces Together.

I only had census and emigration records to learn about John Gibbs.

Step 2: Collect Photos

Because photos can be difficult to come by, I limited each ancestor to two images. When the photos weren’t at a high enough resolution to print, I kept them small but on a larger background using an app like Rhonna Designs.

I used Rhonna Designs to load a smaller photo onto a 4” x 6” image and saved it to my photos.

If I had multiple images to choose from, I tried to find one when they were older and one when they were younger. Below are the ones I chose for my maternal grandmother.

Step 3: Design Your Pages

Once your information and images are collected, it’s time to design them into pages. I used Becky Higgins’ Project Life. Becky has created a simple way to organize your memories and lay them out in a clean, well-designed way. You can use the digital desktop version, but you will need Photoshop Elements. Because I use my phone and tablet so much, I downloaded the app and used that version of Project Life.

Because I was going to include so many pages in this book, I simplified things and used the same layout for each ancestor, changing the color for each gender. When I was ready to input text and images, I made a copy of my layout, renamed it with my ancestor’s name, and uploaded their information.

Step 4: Print Your Book

After I completed a page for every ancestor (all 71 of them!), I decided to compile them into a book using a local (to me) company I’m very familiar with — Chatbooks. Project Life also has an ordering option through their app, I just haven’t used it before.

I used the Rhonna Designs app to design the book cover.

Chatbooks allows me to send my family a link to the completed project so they can order a copy for themselves. So simple!

I hope you take advantage of the histories you have to create something your own family will treasure.

Family History Bingo

My favorite website for family and personal history is definitely Family Search. They offer so many different ways to learn about your ancestry. From facts about the countries of your heritage to seeing which ancestor you most resemble, they provide varied opportunities to connect to your family. To make learning more about your ancestors (and the site) more fun, I created a downloadable Family History bingo sheet.

This sheet is meant to help you get to know your ancestors a little better. Don’t worry if you don’t get a “blackout” or even a “bingo.” It’s not a competition, just a fun way to learn about your family.

If you’re a pro researcher, this may be simple for you. For the rest of us, here are some hints on how to find this info.

1. The Family Search homepage can help you find recommended tasks.

2. To learn where an ancestor was married/sealed, use the “Discover Your Ancestor’s Temple” resource.

3. Your Fan Chart provides dates, locations, and even which of your ancestors have photos.

4. Visiting “All Activities” provides A LOT of research resources.

5. Though most of the information is found through Family Search, you may need to visit Relative Finder, a site provided by BYU, to learn more about who you’re related to. Just sign in with your Family Search account.

6. If you’re wondering if your ancestor needed a mustache cup, you may want to compare him to my 2nd great grandfather on this blog post.

Click on the image below to open a printable pdf in a new window.

Let me know if you use this card to learn more about your relatives. I’d love to hear if you learned something new!

Sharing an Heirloom with the World

My parents had a curio cabinet filled with heirlooms, photos, and mementos. I don’t remember how old I was when I noticed the mug, but I remember thinking it looked like a grownup sippy cup. I asked my mom what it was. Turns out it was a mustache cup that belonged to my 2nd great grandfather.

I had no idea what a mustache cup was. She explained that when men had bushy mustaches, they used these cups to keep them clean and dry while they drank. I understood immediately why they were needed after my mom showed me a picture of my ancestor, Williams Peter Camp, Sr.

Williams Peter Camp Sr.

I wasn’t sure how the cup ended up with our family instead of one of my aunts and uncles, but what I do know is that after my parents pass, only one of my siblings is getting the mustache cup.

When heirlooms are passed down from generation to generation, it happens because a story is associated with them. When the story is gone, the heirloom becomes another item to dust and it ends up being donated or thrown away.

Frankly, I don’t care about getting the mustache cup. What I care to keep is the memory associated with it. If I take a picture of the cup, record what it is and who it belonged to, I can upload that to FamilySearch in the Memories section for Williams Peter Camp Sr. That allows ALL of his descendants to see the cup, read the story, and connect with him.

My responsibility at church involves helping the young women ages 11-18 experience family history. This week, I asked them to bring a personal heirloom—something with meaning that they would pass down to their children. I set up a lightbox and we took pictures of each item. They were then able to upload them to their personal memories on FamilySearch with a description of what it was and why it’s important.

Now they’re empowered to do the same thing for their ancestors’ heirlooms. All these were taken with my phone, so it doesn’t take a fancy camera or special skills. You don’t need a lightbox either. Just get some white posterboard and go by a window with good lighting. (South-facing windows are great.) Make sure your background is simple so the item stands out. You can even photograph things on the posterboard. If the lighting is uneven, use the posterboard to reflect light on the opposite side of the window. You’re now ready for your heirloom photo shoot.

Don’t forget to attach the memory to the photo when uploading it. Without the story, the item is worth far less. With it all uploaded to FamilySearch, all of your ancestors’ descendants can feel more connected to the item and their family.

Including the Good, Bad, and Ugly of Family History

I remember burning all my journals when I was about 14 because I was so embarrassed of what I had written. There was no way I was going to let any of my posterity read them. Well, hindsight is 20/20 and I'm so annoyed with my teenage self for burning those notebooks!

Family history can be similar in a sense that people only want to remember the good things and leave out the bad. It's understandable that you don't want to tarnish someone's good name, but when we choose favorites and ignore some of history, we're eliminating the chance someone else will learn from that ancestor's mistakes.

For instance, I have some men and women in my own family tree that weren't perfect.

If you've read my post on Amelia Evans, you've been introduced to my third-great-grandfather, Williams Washington Camp. He was a cotton plantation owner who owned many slaves. My ancestor was his his sixth wife, and, after five years of marriage, he accused her of murdering their 5-month-old daughter. According to their divorce record, he also beat and whipped her.

Deseret News March 11, 1863

Deseret News March 18, 1863

Though I'm not Williams Washington's biggest fan by a long shot, I am a huge fan of Amelia. I admire her resilience and bravery. At almost nine months pregnant, she divorced her husband in a time when women couldn't even own property. She remarried a few months later to a man with a sense of humor who loved her. Knowing Williams' story helps me be more grateful for Amelia and the choices she made.

Williams Washington Camp, Amelia Evans Camp, and two of their children

Another of my third-great-grandfathers, John Nye Sr, moved his wife and six children to Australia in search of gold. They moved multiple times across miles of terrain to find work. He and his wife, Charlotte, didn't get along well but couldn't afford a divorce. While John and their son, Stephen, were traveling to sell supplies to gold miners, Charlotte took her other five sons and daughter and left. She felt that Stephen was her husband's favorite, so she left him with his father.

Talk about a jaw-dropper on both sides! John, who was constantly striving for wealth he never attained, and Charlotte, who left one of her children behind when leaving her husband. They're an example of what NOT to do in a marriage and that things work out a lot better when a husband and wife are on the same page with their family goals.

John Nye Sr

Charlotte Emline Osborne Nye Eggleston

Not all experiences are poor examples, but could be deemed as embarrassing. One of my favorites is of my third-great-grandmother Hannah Jane Jones. She married Thomas Harper when she was 22 and he was 30. After they had been married 29 years, Thomas took a 17-yr-old second wife. At this point, Hannah was 47 years old. They had six children olderthan this new wife and their youngest was just three.

Hannah put an end to the honeymoon when she became tired of doing the morning chores alone. She "dampened the flame of love" for the newlyweds by dousing the couple with a bucket of cold water while they lingered in bed.

Seriously? This woman was awesome! Not only did she show the new young wife who was boss, but reminded her husband of the same thing. I can't wait to meet her in the next life because I'm pretty sure I get some of my spunk from her.

Hannah Jane Jones Harper

Whether it's an alcoholic or a horse thief, we're all bound to have a few skeletons in our family closet. They may not be adored, but they shouldn't be ignored. If there are things in your own life that your progeny can learn from, record it. It's both the good and the bad that make us human.

Chester Loveland

Chester Loveland, my third-great-grandfather, was born December 30, 1817 in Madison, Ohio. He was the second child of Chauncey Loveland and Nancy Graham. He was raised on a farm and educated as much as a pioneer school could. He was baptized in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Kirkland, Ohio on June 27, 1837.

While attending school, he met Fanny Call. They married February 15, 1838 in Madison when he was 20 and she was 21. In 1840, they moved to Carthage, Illinois where they purchased a farm.

Chester was an intimidating figure at six feet, two inches tall and weighing 240 pounds. He had blue eyes, a high forehead, and brown, curly hair and was no stranger to peril.

On Sunday, June 16, 1844, a gang of determined men headed by a constable of Hancock County, went to Chester's home four miles southeast of Warsaw. As he was a captain in the state militia, they ordered him to call out his company of volunteers to join a posse to go to Nauvoo to arrest the Mormon prophet Joseph Smith along with the city council. Chester refused.

The group returned the next day with an order that they claimed to be from the governor, but Chester was certain it was a forgery. There was no possible means by which orders from the governor could have been obtained, as he was far away. Once again, he refused. The more the constable insisted, the more angry Chester got until he rushed the posse. The riders and their horses quickly left.

The men reported his defiance to Colonel Levi Williams of the Carthage Greys, a division of the militia from a nearby town. Insisting that the uncooperative captain must be "dealt with," Williams appointed a committee of 12 to tar, feather, and lynch Chester. They arrived at his home at around midnight. Chester had heard they were coming and kept watch. When he saw the tar buckets, bags of feathers, rope, and firearms, he blew out his light and placed himself in a position to defend the locked door and window.

The committee went around the house several times, tried the door, rapped on the window, called him by name, and talked together. Finally, their courage failed them and they left, yelling to him that if he were in there, he was to leave the country immediately.

A few days later, on June 27, 1844, this same committee and rest of the posse broke into Carthage Jail where Joseph Smith and his brother, Hyrum, were incarcerated. They killed them both, Chester being witness to the removal of their bodies.

Carthage Jail in Nauvoo, Illinois

Mormons continued to be persecuted in the area and, in 1845, Chester and his family, who were all ill at the time, were driven from their home at midnight. Their home and all their possessions were burned.

Chester wouldn't let mobs take control, even within the legal system. In his own words…

"I was on the jury when some of our brethren who had been falsely accused were brought to trial before eleven mobocratic jurors, and I held that jury thirty-six hours, until they were nearly starved. Two bills were before us - one guilty, the other, not guilty. The eleven signed the guilty verdict and insisted that I should follow suit. I said, 'No, gentlemen, before I will sign that paper, I will die here on this floor, and the red ants may pack me out through that keyhole.' The result was, every man signed the verdict of 'not guilty,' and the innocent went free."

In the fall of 1845, his family moved to Nauvoo, Illinois and Chester was appointed Captain of the Nauvoo Legion. He had several hair-breadth escapes. In one instance a lead ball, designed to take his life, came so close it grazed the side of his face, scorching it sufficiently to cause the skin to peel off.

Rosannah Elvira Winters

On January 15, 1846, he entered into plural marriage. He was sealed to Rosannah Elvira Winters (my ancestor) in the Nauvoo Temple when she was 20 and he was 28. The following spring, he went west with the Saints and took up a farm at Council Bluffs, Iowa, which he cultivated until 1849, when he was employed by the U.S. government to assist in building Fort Kearny on the Platte River.

In June of 1850, Chester was appointed a captain of 10 of 540 people and 104 wagons in Captain Warren Foote's company journeying to the Salt Lake Valley. On this trip, he buried his fifth child with Fanny, Levi Cyril, who died of cholera. After a three-month trek across the plains, they arrived in Salt Lake City. He settled in Bountiful, where he built a log cabin to shelter his family through the winter.

To obtain food for his wives and children, he burned charcoal on the Weber River, which he sold and delivered to local blacksmiths. In 1853, he was appointed lieutenant colonel by Governor Brigham Young, with instructions to organize a regiment in the northern part of the territory. He was later commissioned colonel by Governor Cummings, a position which he held until his death.

On January 21, 1854, he married his third wife, Celia Simmons, when he was 36 and she was 18. The next year, he went to Carson Valley (then a part of Utah, but now Nevada) to assist in locating a colony of Latter-day Saints. During one of the explorations at Walker's Lake, they were overcome with thirst so intense that it seemed they couldn't continue. A group of Indians saved their lives by giving them fresh water. They presented the Indians with new suits for their act of kindness.

Carson Valley

He moved his family the next spring to Carson Valley. The Carson Stake was organized September 28, 1855 with Chester as president of the high council and shortly after, the stake president, replacing Orson Hyde. Because of contention with California miners, he advised his congregation not to work in Gold Canyon, allowing the Californians undisputed claim to the area. The saints were instructed to live their religion and to mind their own business.

He and his associates organized the county into four school districts to promote education. In December 1856, they built a schoolhouse in Franktown, where Chester's family lived. Some 25 students attended classes there.

In the early morning of September 5, 1857, Chester answered a knock at his door. Peter W. Conover, Oliver B. Huntington, and Samuel Dalton were on his doorstep. At Brigham Young's urging, they had made the trip in 18 days, almost dying of thirst and starvation. They brought the message that the United States Army was invading Utah and the Salt Lake Valley needed manpower and weapons of defense. He asked the community of the western territory to return immediately with all the guns and bullets they could buy.

Chester had intended to travel to Salt Lake in October for the general conference of the LDS Church. He had $5000 in tithing money to deliver to church headquarters. Instead, he turned over the money to Conover and told him to use it to buy powder, lead, and caps. He gathered the branches together and collected $12,000 in gold, which he gave to Bob Walker to purchase guns and ammunition in San Francisco.

The members of the LDS Church in Carson Valley sold their property, packed their wagons, and were ready to leave for Salt Lake City in two weeks. Chester captained the company of 450 people and 200 wagons. They left September 26, 1857 and all arrived by November 3, spending roughly five weeks on the trail. During the trip, six babies were born and three children died.

During the defensive operations in Echo Canyon, Chester acted as commissary against the arrival of Johnston's Army. The following spring, he and his family went south with other church members to Provo, but returned the same year to Bountiful.

Albert Sidney Johnston

In 1860, he moved to Call's Fort, a community just a few miles north of Brigham City started by Anson Call, Chester's brother-in-law. Chester purchased his farm from Anson and, while living there, kept a hotel for transient miners and emigrants. For some time, his only neighbor was his son, Sheriff C.C. Loveland and his family. The next year, on December 16, 1861, Chester married Elizabeth White when he was 44 and she was 48.

In 1865, he moved south to Brigham City where he was elected as the first mayor. He held that position for four years. Afterward, he was assessor and county collector for several years. The following year, he married Rosetta Adeline Snow, daughter of Lorenzo Snow, November 17, 1866. She was 20 and he was 48.

Two years later, he was appointed captain of a company to go to the boundary of the Union Pacific Railroad on the Platte River for a company of Latter-day Saints on their way to Utah. On the Sweetwater River, they were attacked by Indians, who stole their teams. They were able to recover their animals after a struggle where four of the Indians were killed. The company arrived to Salt Lake Valley safely under Chester's management.

The following year, he married Louisa Faulkner on September 5, 1868 when she was 20 and he was 50. With his six wives, he had a total of 32 children, 27 of which lived beyond their first birthday. Though he acquired considerable wealth in his life, he was too generous to become rich. He was a friend to the poor and no one ever left his home hungry. Chester Loveland passed away on March 5, 1886 in Calls Fort, Utah at the age of 68.

Free Family History Art Prints

On occasion, I get in a family history funk. Whether I'm differentiating between two records or just can't find a source, it can get frustrating. When I feel like giving up, I need some outside inspiration to continue plugging along. Here are 10 free art prints I created to download and print. Display these to help motivate you in your family history journey.

To download the 8x10 prints, click on the image and it will open in a new window. Right-click to download to your computer and you can print at home or at a printer service.

We are who we are because they were who they were.

Strong roots produce beautiful leaves.

A family tree can wither if nobody tends its roots.

Our family. Like branches on a tree, we all grow in different directions, but our roots remain as one.

Trees without roots fall over.

Family. A link to our past and a bridge to our future.

"Family is essential because we all yearn to feel like we belong to something greater than ourselves." – Laura Ramirez

"If you look deeply into the palm of your hands, you will see your parents and all generations of your ancestors. All of them are alive in this moment. Each is present in your body. You are the continuation of each of these people." – Thich Nhat Hanh

Respect your ancestors for you are the result of a thousand loves.

Facts get recorded, stories get remembered.

A few other quotes that I loved that I may turn into prints in the future are…

Generations pass like leaves fall from our family tree. Each season, new life blossoms and grows, benefiting from the strength and experience of those who went before.

How will our children know who they are if they do not know where they came from?

To our children, we give two things, one is roots, the other is wings.

"Stories have to be told or they die, and when they die, we can't remember who we are or why we're here." – Sue Monk Kidd

"Nothing has really happened until it has been recorded." – Virginia Woolf

Putting the Pieces Together

In an ideal world, each of our ancestors would have written their own personal histories complete with photos. Unfortunately, most of the information we have are christening records, census data, and death certificates. Is it possible to piece together someone's life with facts and figures?

When I was creating a book of my direct ancestors, I tried to get a full five generations. When researching the lives of 62 people back to 1796, there aren't a lot of recorded stories. What I did have were vital records, great for genealogy, so-so for family history. But when that's all you have, you pull a Tim Gunn and make it work!

STEP 1: JUST THE FACTS

Take my ancestor John Fry, for example. I have the bare-bones facts to create a life sketch. He was born May 10, 1815 in Sacombe, Hertfordshire, England to John Fry and Martha Mountford Fry. He married Sarah Hulls April 2, 1839 in Bengeo, Hertfordshire, England. He died November 2, 1879 in Iowa Township, Iowa. If I want to put an entire life sketch together, I'll need more than that.

STEP 2: CHECK FOR SOURCES

John has a few sources linked on FamilySearch—a passenger list, christening, a mention in a daughter's christening, a mention in marriage entries, and three census records. Now it's time to delve into each source and see what details I can find.

STEP 3: GLEAN THE INFO

1. June 4, 1815, he was christened in Sacomb, Hertford, England.

2. When he married Sarah, he was a blacksmith and she a servant.

3. 1841, he lived in Hereford with his wife Sarah and daughter Ann.

4. August 21, 1842, his daughter Eliza was christened in Bengeo by the same vicar that married he and Sarah, John Byde. They lived on Port Hill.

5. 1861, he lived in Watton-at-Stone with his daughter Eliza, son William, and daughter Alice in a cottage attached to a marine store dealer shop. John was a marine store dealer, Eliza was a dressmaker, and William was a bricklayer laborer.

6. 1861, he sailed to New York City with his wife Sarah, daughter Alice, and sons James and John on the ship Underwriter. His occupation was laborer.

7. 1870, he lived in Jefferson Township, Harrison County, Iowa with his wife Sarah and sons James and John. He was a farmer, Sarah kept house, James was a day laborer, and John worked on the farm.

8. October 22, 1885, his son James married Amanda Mcgavren Johnson in St. John, Iowa.

STEP 4: SEARCH THE WEB

In order to frame his life, I turn to the internet for more details. I look up the various christening locations to see if I can determine what churches they took place in. I search all the towns listed to see what they were like at the time he lived there. I search "marine store shop" to see what he actually did for a living. I also look up the ship "Underwriter" to see if there are any interesting facts about it. Here's what I learned…

John was likely christened at St. Catherine's, the only church in Sacombe. It is largely 14th Century, but was restored in 1855-56. It was used as a location for the movie Enigma about the codebreakers of Bletchley Park in WWII.

The Church of St. Catherine in Sacombe, Hertfordshire, England

Since John and Sarah were married in 1839, the ceremony had to have been at St. Leonard's Church. It's the oldest building in Hertford, dating back to 1120.

Marriage record of John Fry and Sarah Hulls

St. Leonard's Church

Marine Store Dealers began selling components of old ships to mariners. As a whole…they were junk dealers. They bought and sold used cordage, bunting, rags, timber, metal, and other waste materials. It created a barter economy trading crockery, hardware, fur, wool, etc. It's likely John dealt in the latter as Watton-at-Stone was miles from the sea.

After the Underwriter brought John and his family to New York City, it was purchased by the Union Navy for use in the Civil War. It was outfitted as a gunboat to block southern ports. In 1864, it was captured by a Confederate boat crew. There wasn't steam up for it to run, so they burned it.

Artist's rendition of the attack on the USS Underwriter

While living in Harrison County, Iowa, John and Sarah were baptized members of The Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on April 30, 1871. His death date comes from their church records.

STEP 5: PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER

Even though I don't have a written history of John Fry, I've been able to assemble a life sketch that can help frame the places he lived and work he did. Through research, I gained a connection to my ancestor that wasn't there before.

Niels Peter Hendrickson

This is Niels Peter Hendrickson, my Great-Great-Grandfather on my mother's side. He was born February 7, 1877 at Glenwood, Utah to Hendrick Pederson Hendrickson and Mary Christine Madsen Hendrickson. He was the second of seven children.

Pete as a teenager

Pete's father passed away when he was 12 so he and his siblings had to step up and support the family. His job was to herd the sheep, which he did for many years. He didn't have the opportunity to attend school as most of his time was spent away with the sheep.

Dressed for herding sheep

On April 2, 1899, he married Emma Pearl Bell and they moved into a two-room wood home across the street from her parents. The next year he bought a three-room log house. When he wasn't tending the sheep, he was working on his yard and garden. Each summer, he grew almost enough food to feed his growing family.

Niels Peter and Emma Pearl

Pete was fond of the arts and purchased one of the first Edison phonographs with its large horn. In what little spare time they had, Pete and Pearl participated in the community's Dramatic Club, presenting plays in Glenwood and the surrounding towns.

With a bigger family and increased responsibilities, he sold his sheep and bought a farm in Venice. At the same time, he and Pearl purchased a two-room red adobe house on Main Street in Glenwood. As soon as he could get material, he built two more rooms and a bath onto the home.

He was a hard worker and cultivated crops during the long summer months. After the fall harvest, he would haul wood, work on the road, and do odd jobs to supplement his income. In the spring, he would shear sheep. He did all he could to make sure his eight children were fed, clothed, and educated.

Pete was a devoted husband and cared for the children whenever Pearl needed to be gone for church or other duties. After his mother-in-law was widowed, they moved in and cared for her for five years until her death.

Never one to retire, he was Town Marshall for eight years and a school custodian for 11. Whenever his grandchildren would visit, he would retire to his garden, but in the evening he would come with a cob of popcorn to pop for the family.

Pete passed away December 22, 1953 in Glenwood at 76 years old. He left behind his wife, Pearl, and their eight children—Dwain Carlyle, LaVerda, Verona, Lee H, Daryel N, Maurine, Gail P, and Kenneth P.

The Gift of Indexing

The major events in our ancestors lives have likely been recorded on paper. From birth and marriage certificates, to ship manifests and military records, there is a wealth of information out there. Thanks to technology, history is no longer just available on paper in isolated locations. FamilySearch has taken photographs of these priceless documents and volunteers throughout the world transcribe the information to make it searchable. This is called "indexing."

Over one billion records are now searchable since the volunteer effort began in 2006. I have benefited immensely from not only volunteering as an indexer, but from the records that others have transcribed. An example of this is with my ancestor, Robert Hutchinson.

When visiting my parents last month, I was able to go through my grandmother's photo album and digitize the pictures. After I got home, I was trying to organize them in chronological order the best I could. When I got to one labeled "Robert Hutchinson," I had to refer to FamilySearch. I learned that he is my great-great-uncle and was just seven years older than my grandmother. He was born in 1901 and died in 1918. Since he was wearing what looked like a military uniform, I wondered if he had died in WWI.

The only sources available on FamilySearch were three images of his headstone and three mentions in family members' obituaries. I clicked on one of the headstone sources and saw that it was in Rockland, Idaho. Engraved were his birth and death dates, along with "BURIED AT SEA."

At this point, I was intrigued. He died October 13, 1918 and the war ended that November 11. How sad that he died one month before the conflict was over.

I wanted to know more details, so I searched Ancestry's website, but came up empty-handed. Ironically, when I used Google to search, two results came up on Ancestry. The first was a departure manifest for the ship "Caronia," leaving New York City, September 30, 1918.

From that manifest, I learned he was a Corporal in the in the Army Motor Transport Corps, trained to repair Army vehicles. I wish I knew how old he was when he enlisted since he shipped out at 17 and was already promoted beyond Private.

The other result was the return manifest for the ship arriving November 7, 1918. I was confused on why he would be on a return manifest when he was buried at sea when I scrolled to the top of the document. On it was stamped the word "DECEASED" in red ink. He, along with 73 other soldiers, died on that ship.

I still didn't know how they died, but I had the ship's name so I did a Google search for that and the year. One of the results was a book on Amazon that contained letters from a soldier that was also that ship. In the product description, it ended with, "Twelve days after the last letter [September 29, 1918], he dies of the Spanish flu aboard the HMT Caronia en route to England and is buried at sea."

The Spanish flu, an H1N1 virus, was the deadliest pandemic in history. It killed between 50-100 million people, one of whom was my great-great-uncle, Robert Hutchinson. It was insanely contagious and, once infected, the sick died quickly. It's no wonder the sailors were buried at sea and the ship returned so quickly.

I am able to share Robert's story with my family, and with you, all because the ship manifests were indexed and searchable.

Look to the Past and Embrace Your Future

Last Mother's Day, I saw a tweet from a friend that expressed what a difficult day it was for her. I wasn't sure why since she is a devoted mother to children who love her. It was only when I saw the post she linked to that I understood. She may be a fantastic example of motherhood, but her own mother was not.

My heart ached for this friend and others like her who did not receive the acceptance and love they so desperately needed from their parents. They were judged and belittled by adults who never viewed them as "enough." From the people that should have loved them unconditionally.

It can make family history research daunting if you're not sure what you'll uncover beyond your own hurt-filled past.

As I was pondering my friend's situation, I saw an episode of Generations Project on BYUtv. Twins, Pj and Heidi, were abused by their father after their mother passed away. The fear of what they might uncover on their father's line was almost too much for Pj to handle. Luckily, she had a sensitive genealogist to help guide her through how incredibly happy, smart, and humorous her ancestors actually were.

We are more than our circumstances. We are more than our immediate family. If you didn't have the greatest example of a parent, look for that example further down the line. Connecting with our ancestors and knowing their talents, abilities, and personalities can provide our hearts with personal heroes. You'll find love and acceptance in your family tree.

[The artwork above was made using the Rhonna Designs app and is available to download. Just click on the image and it will open up in a new window.]

Amelia Evans Camp Davis

Meet Amelia Evans, my 3rd Great-Grandmother on my father's side. She was born April 8, 1838 in Gwespyr, a village on the north coast of Wales to Peter Evans and Anne Blydden Evans. Her family moved to Lancaster, England where they met missionaries for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and were baptized into the faith.

Amelia Evans

Though her entire family wanted to emigrate to the United States to join members of the Church, they were victims of the economic depression and couldn't afford to travel together. Amelia, being the oldest, left her family and sailed from Liverpool on the ship "Thornton" on May 3, 1856. The rest of her family was unable to make the trip until five years after Amelia arrived in New York.

She traveled by train to Iowa City and joined the over 400 members of the ill-fated Willie Handcart Company. They left late in the season with inadequate food and supplies. Throughout their treacherous journey, Amelia was known for her kindness and given the nickname "Charity."

At Rocky Ridge, the company encountered a severe snowstorm that halted their progress. When Amelia and another woman saw that one of the men in the group was missing, they walked back many miles to find him. When they did, they put him in his handcart and pushed him through the snow back to camp. That same night, 13 emigrants died making the 16-mile trek up the Ridge.

Willie Handcart plaque at Rocky Ridge

A rescue group came from Salt Lake with provisions, saving their lives. The Willie Handcart Company didn't reach the Salt Lake Valley until November 9, 1856, six months after leaving England. Sixty-seven died on the journey, but Amelia survived.

Three months after arriving in Salt Lake, she became the sixth wife of Williams Washington Camp. She was 18 and he was 56. Within six years of marriage, she gave birth to five children—Amelia Ann, Williams Peter, Charlotte, Laura Jane and Mary Magdalene. Williams Peter was the only one that lived to adulthood. After Charlotte's death, they adopted a baby girl named Deseret.

Williams Washington Camp, Amelia Evans Camp, and two of their children

When Amelia was 25, she was arrested for manslaughter. Williams accused her of the murder of their daughter, Laura Jane, who had died at 5 months old. She was arraigned Monday, March 16, 1863. Aurelius Miner appeared for the prosecution and James Ferguson was appointed the defense in the case of the people of Utah v. Amelia Camp. After being in custody for a week, the jury returned a not-guilty verdict.

She returned home to her husband and stayed with him until September of 1864 when, at 8 1/2-months pregnant, she filed for divorce. According to the divorce record, Amelia was happy the first year of their marriage, but the following five years were miserable. She stated that Williams often "beat her with his fists, struck her with horse whips and inflicted wounds and bruises upon her body, head, face, and arms of the most brutal character and otherwise treated her in an unfeeling manner, and that she was living in circumstances where she was in constant fear and danger for her life."

December 16, 1864, Amelia married William Davis in a ceremony conducted by Brigham Young when she was 26 and he 25. Together, they raised Williams Peter and Deseret and had 10 children together—William Henry, Martha Ellen, Robert, Albert Franklin, John Edward, Rhoda, David L, Arthur Edward, Phoebe and Thomas Morgan. John died at Birth and David died at a year old.

In 1876, they moved to Samaria, Idaho, where William built a rock house. Amelia's children remember her as an excellent cook and seamstress. Her youngest child was just five years old when she died October 8, 1886. She was 48 years old.

Family History — Where to Begin

So you've heard family history is important, but aren't sure where to begin. Whether you have an aunt that's traced your lineage back to Noah's ark or you don't even know your grandparents' names, we're here with tips to start you off right.

When you're just beginning your family's history, you're inundated with names and dates. It can be intimidating to wade through internet search results for family or through books of remembrance with oversized pages full of old photos and handwritten information.

The best tip I've found for knowing where to start is with you. Begin with the end in mind. Create a family tree with you as the trunk and work your way up. Keep it simple with names, dates, and locations. Do this for yourself, your parents, grandparents, and great-grandparents.

I designed a basic family tree for you to print and fill out. Just click the image below to download the FREE pdf.

After you have the foundation of your family, start gathering photos and documents for those currently on your tree. Use scanners or phone apps to digitize them. Ask those still living for their personal histories or those of your ancestors. Determine how you're going to organize and store the information. (For a post of my favorite family history apps, CLICK HERE.)

If you decide to use web applications to preserve your family's histories, there are no guarantees a company will maintain that service. (Anyone remember Google Reader?) The only website I put my trust in to remain free and online is FamilySearch. It's owned by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, but you don't have to be a member to have an account.

I recommend saving your information to an external hard drive or archival-quality CDs. USB sticks tend to be error-prone and regular CDs deteriorate over time. Spread copies throughout your family in case something happens to your own.

Now that you've got the basics for the first three generations of your family tree, keep going! Find even more ancestors and tell their stories. Piece together their lives from the documents you discover. Get to know them beyond names and dates.

When I was a child, I didn't look forward to growing up and copying down all the information from my parents' books of remembrance. Luckily technology evolved and has revamped the way I see my ancestors and record their information.

Favorite Apps for Family History

Technology has taken over and, as far as family history goes, it's definitely for the better! It's never been easier to research and record our ancestors lives as well as our own. I'm sharing the 12 apps I use most for family history.

You'll discover apps for photo digitization, editing, and organization. I'm also including my go-to research apps for finding images and histories. Recording your own story is just as important as the past, so there are apps for that too. Finally, you're going to want to preserve all these memories in physical form and, yes, there's an app for that.

PHOTOS

PHOTOMYNE

Photomyne is the easiest way I have found to digitize physical photos. It actually turns your phone into a portable scanner. When you use the app to take a photo, the technology detects the borders and crops accordingly, auto-rotates when sideways, color corrects, and saves it into a digital album.

PHOTOSHOP express

This is my go-to app for repairing old photos. When you have a picture with dust, creases, or other imperfections, the Spot Heal tool in Photoshop Express can help. It also has common editing capabilities like exposure, contrast, saturation, and more. Just be cautious when editing old photos. It's easy to want to perfect a picture, but it can remove the historic character when you go overboard.

GOOGLE PHOTOS

I use this app to organize all my digitized pictures. Once a photo has been edited, I transfer it to an album in Google Photos. Mine are organized by family. Within each album, I sort my photos in chronological order the best I can.

Each photo has an "Info" section where I include as much information as I have about the photo—who or what is in it, when it was taken, the location, and any applicable memories that give it more context. If you want to share individual photos or entire albums, there is a "share" option of messaging a link so others can access them as well.

RESEARCH

FAMILY TREE

This app from FamilySearch isn't just for tracking your family tree. When you select an ancestor, there's a tab for "Memories." There you may find photos of the individual, their headstone, newspaper articles, funeral programs, books they're mentioned in, even audio recordings. Because any relative anywhere on their line can upload information, you may discover new things each time you log in.

ANCESTRY

Use this app to access billions of historical photos and records. My favorite part of the Ancestry app is the "Hints" feature. Once you have your family tree in place, Ancestry will search new records for you that they think are a match for your ancestors. You can review photos, records, and stories to verify they match your relative, then attach them to their record in your family tree.

FIND A GRAVE

Want to know where a loved one is buried or, even better, see a photo of their headstone? Use Find A Grave to search more than 100 million graves in over 50 million cemeteries around the world. I don't just use this to find gravesites. On occasion users will post memories or biographies of the deceased.

GOOGLE

I know that Google isn't an app, but this search engine is probably your best source of finding family information. When I use the apps above to no avail, I'll do the same searches in Google. The trick is to refine your search. Put the name you're looking for in quotation marks so it will search the complete name instead of searching each word separately. For example, '"Mariah Jaynes" 1824' or '"Robert Hutchinson" Rockland Idaho' will give you more specific links than if you just enter their name.

RECORDING

STORYCORPS

This is, by far, the best app I've found for recording interviews. StoryCorps mission is to preserve and share stories, so they've created an app to make the experience as simple as possible. The app explains the interview process and provides questions and prompts to carry you through the conversation. All the recording is done in the app and can be downloaded to your phone as a .wav file, shared with family and friends online, or even uploaded to the American Folklife Center at the United States Library of Congress.

DAY ONE JOURNAL

This app makes keeping a journal easy with a simple interface. Day One automatically organizes each entry on a calendar, with options to look back at any time to see your memories. You can also have multiple journals, for example a "gratitude" journal or a "funny things my kids said" journal. Plus, tagging each post makes it simple to search through previous journals for people, locations, even moods. It even records metadata while you're typing such as location, time and date, temperature and weather, and if you have music playing on your phone. When you've captured your memories, Day One allows you to preserve them with its book printing services.

PAPERBLANKS

If you're stumped on what to write in your own journal, use Paperblanks Journal Prompts. They have various categories, but my favorite for personal histories are Personal/Introspective and Just for Fun. You can even save your favorite prompts. Mine is currently, "A time when I felt really strong was…"

PRESERVING

PROJECT LIFE

This is digital scrapbooking at its simplest. With built-in templates and pre-designed artwork, you can assemble pages of memories in minutes. Pull photos directly from your camera roll, add journaling notes, and you're done. Project Life allows you to export, share, and print complete pages or order them as individual pages or photo books.

CHATBOOKS

Chatbooks is the easiest way to get your photos off your phone and printed into books. You can have your everyday memories printed in 60-page volumes that are automatically created each time you add 60 photos to Instagram, Facebook, or your Camera Roll Favorites. You can also create and order custom photo books that are perfect for vacations or family histories. CLICK HERE to sign up and get your first book free!

These are my favorite apps for family history. Did I miss any? Share your favorites in the comments!