I've already got a Family Search account and in case you didn't know, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints gave everyone a free Ancestry.com account. That was something I really wanted to get into. Ancestry has so much more information and records than Family Search. Transferring my information from Family Search to Ancestry has been a long and detailed process. I can only transfer over four generations at a time per person. By the time I get back 55 generations, that's million of people I'll have to click "Add four generations" on. This REALLY FRUSTRATED ME. At first! But now it's a good thing. I've been able to look at my ancestors in more detail now. Their names, their family members, when they were born, where they died, and so on. And it's let me know as well where exactly my family history is traced to, and gives me a place to start working.
I'm fascinated by the royalty lines I've got. It's interesting to me when someone is "King" so and so, and then their first born is not given the title of King. Or any of their children. It makes me wonder what happened.
I'm also fascinated by the names. I've got foreign ancestors, of course. They didn't all come from the US of A. They come mostly from Europe! But what interests me are the titles they are given.
Here are my favorites.
The Ice King
The Bold
White Shirt
Dragon Slayer
Hairy Breeches
Godiva (Yeah guys. Godiva.)
The Woodcutter
The Boss
The Broadfoot (for a woman)
Found some Le Stranges. So clearly I'm magical.
Odin (Yeah guys. Odin.)
The aged
The Sharp sighted
The Old
The Magnificent
The Deep-minded
White Leg
The Land Clearer
The Powerful
The Mild
The Long Haired
King of Ancient Saxony
I'm interested by some of their deaths too. Usually under "Death" it's supposed to say the date they died. But some say HOW they died.
Fell from his horse at Disa Hall
Was murdered by his enemy Grundewin
One just said "Dead"
Died in the River
Last night I traced back to Adam and Eve. It was so exhilarating and empowering to trace it back so far, to see every single person on that line from then until now. Today, my wonderful mother in law taught me how to access a person's temple work to see what has been done for them and what hasn't. I found myself nearly in tears finding babies who had passed away when they were so young and weren't sealed to their parents. I feel so privileged to take them, my family, however distant, to the Temple and do their work for them.
I encourage you to look into doing family history! Whatever your faith is, it somehow makes you understand better who you are to see where you came from. It grounds you and lets you see how interrelated everyone is. It helps you see how everyone is a part of something so much greater than themselves.
As you decide, remember that the names which will be so difficult to find are of real people to whom you owe your existence in this world and whom you will meet again in the spirit world. . . . Their hearts are bound to you. Their hope is in your hands. You will have more than your own strength as you choose to labor on to find them.
~ Henry B. Eyring, Hearts Bound Together, Conference April 2005
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