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15: Johnny on a Corner in Vietnam
While my dad was attending a church conference in Saigon during the Vietnam war, there standing on the corner was my cousin Johnny Johnson (on left), also serving in the war. Just as I was entering my teenage years, my dad—who had built a career in the Army—was deployed to Vietnam during the height of… Continue reading
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14: Horseback Across The Valley of the Sun
William Reed Jamison – Mission to Mexico. He spent much of his time in the Phoenix Valley of Arizona. [Image by ChatGPT] When I was growing up, I spent a couple of summers working on my Grandpa Jamison’s mink farm in Franklin, Idaho. During that time, I got to know him quite well. One thing… Continue reading
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13: ‘Doctor Woman’ – A Midwife at Sea
Christianna Gregory Reed, a midwife and child caretaker sailed with her family on the ship Brooklyn from New York to California in 1846. [Image by ChatGPT] February 4,1846, 238 pioneers from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints boarded the Brooklyn for an extraordinary journey. Their mission? To sail 24,000 miles, a journey that… Continue reading
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12: Around Our Neighborhood and Across The Plains
Around Our Neighborhood Years ago, when I was living in Mesa, Arizona, a neighbor mentioned that they had seen Elder Boyd K. Packer taking walks in our neighborhood. Being a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and a General Authority of our church, his… Continue reading
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11: His Mother’s Maiden Name was Hansen
[Image contributed to FamilySearch.org – 25 June 2017] An unexpected visit from a young 20 year old In about 1974-1975 while living in San Clemente, California, I was asked by my Elders Quorum President in the San Clemente Ward of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to visit Lewis Thomas. The president told… Continue reading
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10: Unexpected Trailer Breakdown in Sandy, Utah: Former Bishop’s Kind Rescue
[Image by freekkorremans from Pixabay] A kind, former bishop came to our rescue in Sandy, Utah while traveling from Arizona to Wyoming. It was a hot summer day during our two-week family camping trip from Mesa, Arizona to Jackson Hole, Wyoming in the mid-1980’s. We were excited for the trip that lay ahead, which included… Continue reading
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9: Fear not…for thy prayer is heard
[Zacharias in the Temple. Image courtesy Bizzell Bible Collection, University of Oklahoma Libraries] When I played Zacharias, father of John the Baptist in Savior of the World, I discovered that the Angel Gabriel (Jeff Bean) who played opposite me was related to my grandchildren. Playing Zacharias was at a very challenging time of my life.… Continue reading
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8: Meetup at Big Horn Basin
[Big Horn Basin Colonization Company, 1904 (from Keepapitchinin, the Mormon History blog)1 ] How does Buffalo Bill Cody connect to my family history? Our family’s connection to the legendary Buffalo Bill Cody has been a topic of intrigue, especially on my son-in-law Eric’s side of the family. While we haven’t yet confirmed the family lore… Continue reading
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7: May I See Your Passport?
In 2008, amidst the turbulent onset of the Global Economic Crisis, I was hired as a contractor by Intermountain Healthcare to do Product Management. Despite the uncertainty of the times, I was reassured that my contractor status was only temporary and that I’d be offered a permanent position within a month. With the knowledge that… Continue reading
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6: Grandfathers and the Mink Creek Chapel
“Hey dad…when did the Hansens immigrate to Mink Creek? Did they help build any chapels there?” This story begins a few years ago when our son Chad asked me these questions. The reason he asked is that the CEO of his company was heading to a family reunion in Mink Creek, Idaho to tell the… Continue reading
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5: My Best Friend in Soda Springs was my cousin?
“That sounds like our family’s story!” A few years ago I taught a Sunday School class when I was serving as a Family History Consultant in our ward. I chose to give a lesson about family mantras or themes that are passed down through the generations. As an example I told a brief story about… Continue reading
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4: Where there is Heart Room there is House Room – Even in a Dugout
“I think we’re related!” Our daughter Heidi while attending Utah State hears a familiar family story from her professor Our children had all heard bits and pieces of the story about our Christensen ancestors who in the late 1800s lived in a dugout in the small community of Mink Creek, Idaho. Eventually the Christensens moved… Continue reading
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3: Putting Families Back Together – Across the Centuries
[Marc & Jamie Hansen are Garr & Bringhurst descendants, respectively] Family Connection at LifeLine For Youth. LifeLine For Youth became a haven for our family and a foundation for our son and daughter-in-law. LifeLine For Youth in North Salt Lake was both a lifeline and a workplace for many of our family members over the… Continue reading
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2: Bishops at a Funeral in Franklin, Idaho
A Surprising Home Teaching Visit. While visiting the Gilleland family, home teachers Kirk Parkinson and myself discover we all have ancestors from Franklin, Idaho. Mark and Nina Gilleland are a special couple who lived up the street from us when we lived in Layton, Utah from 2000 until about 2018. At the time of this… Continue reading
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1: Introduction
October 4th-6th, 1847, the Jedidiah Grant-Willard Snow Overland Pioneer company of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints arrives in the Salt Lake Valley completing roughly a 1000-mile trek from the Elkhorn River, west of Winter Quarters, Nebraska. Among the families are Fielding Garr, a widower with eight children and a grand-daughter, a couple… Continue reading