Why Do This?

Three years ago, before Family Search Family Tree (FSFT) became what it is now, and at Elder Ballard’s invitation to “Share the Gospel Using the Internet” (BYU-H, 12/15/07), I posted http://firstconvertsinmyancestry.blogspot.com/2010_08_01_archive.html to share stories and invite interaction, then stopped when I learned of FSFT’s future.  Now that FSFT https://familysearch.org/ has become the resource we need to post stories and photos and interact with one another for the purpose of getting temple ordinance work done, we need to use it for all its worth and clean it up and help others do as well. 

This collection, just a small beginning to part of our family’s contribution to the Book of Life, is dedicated to stimulating interest in FSFT and its much more productive use.  I anticipate putting this collection online to facilitate input and interaction with others on specifics, but with the goal of contributing much more to FSFT.  

This collection is loosely organized around the chronological history in this dispensation of the families of the first converts to the Church in our ancestry:

1.      The early Church history period, roughly 1820-1840, then

2.      The Nauvoo and Exodus period, roughly 1840-1850, followed by

3.      The period after Saints arrived in the West to the 20^th Century, 1850-1900. 

We also have a separate file beyond this collection that picks up with the first half of the 20^th century, with more detailed accounts of our grandparents and parents, and continues with our life journey starting roughly in the second half of the 20^th century to the present.  Since our missions, our journal is organized year to year, and still has much to be added from handwritten letters and journal entries, with the help of voice recognition software. 

This collection incorporates stories and photos for each of 15 extended families in Scott’s lines and 7 extended families in Lorraine’s lines.  Over time, these will be developed into more comprehensive histories to the present.

Much data herein, including ordinance work, need to be updated.  The current focus is on getting raw content assembled and somewhat organized, fact checking where feasible, with more systematic fact checking iterations to follow, including ongoing analysis and editing as more information comes to light.  We are thankful for continuing revelation.