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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. (Above image by ChatGPT) Just as I was entering my teenage years, my dad—who had built a career in the Army—was deployed to Vietnam 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. 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 that always stood 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. 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 would take them 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
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 me that no one in the ward had Continue reading
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10: Unexpected Trailer Breakdown in Sandy, Utah: Former Bishop’s Kind Rescue
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 driving for 6-8 hours each Continue reading
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9: Fear not…for thy prayer is heard
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. (Above image Zacharias in the Temple. Image courtesy Bizzell Bible Collection, University of Oklahoma Libraries) Playing Zacharias was at a very challenging time of Continue reading
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8: Meetup at Big Horn Basin
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 suggesting a relation, my research uncovered a link between Buffalo Bill and my 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