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My Late Great Ancestors
Sophia posted this interesting FF:
"I moved across country for a college teaching job last September, and my mother came to visit for the first time last week. We had a fantastic genealogical adventure tracing the family roots of her father's grandfather, who moved away from this state sometime between 1887 and 1891.
We drove a few hours to their county armed with some names and cemeteries, and wondered if we could locate anyone. It turned out there is an awesome local history room in the public library, with a very skilled librarian library, and with her map and a pile of copied records we struck gold! We found, cleared, deciphered and took pictures of old weathered stones marking members of several family branches in four tiny country cemeteries--the one above is my fourth great grandma. Of particular RevGal interest, we spoke with a friendly and helpful pastor at the United Methodist Church (window above) on the site of the Presybterian church my fifth great-grandpa helped found in 1814!"
1. Do you have any interest in geneaology?
We drove a few hours to their county armed with some names and cemeteries, and wondered if we could locate anyone. It turned out there is an awesome local history room in the public library, with a very skilled librarian library, and with her map and a pile of copied records we struck gold! We found, cleared, deciphered and took pictures of old weathered stones marking members of several family branches in four tiny country cemeteries--the one above is my fourth great grandma. Of particular RevGal interest, we spoke with a friendly and helpful pastor at the United Methodist Church (window above) on the site of the Presybterian church my fifth great-grandpa helped found in 1814!"
1. Do you have any interest in geneaology?
I do have some interest in knowing about my predecessors and have thought about getting my chromosones tested. There is a popular geneaology siterun by--run by Mormons-but I have been loath to search there as I heard that they believe in conversion, without permission and even after death! (Correct me if I'm wrong about this.)
2. Which countries did your ancestors come from?
Italy and Croatia/Austria.
3. Who is the farthest back ancestor whose name you know?
3. Who is the farthest back ancestor whose name you know?
Only my grandparents.
I may be related to Hans Asperger-the little professor, the person who first noticed the syndrome known as Aspergers Syndrome. I mean to look this up after I retire-which is not anytime soon.
4. Any favorite saints or sinners in the group?
I may be related to Hans Asperger-the little professor, the person who first noticed the syndrome known as Aspergers Syndrome. I mean to look this up after I retire-which is not anytime soon.
4. Any favorite saints or sinners in the group?
Only my grandparents, aunts and uncles and you and find both there.
5. What would you want your descendants to remember about you?
5. What would you want your descendants to remember about you?
That I did the best I could.
9 comments:
My understanding is that Mormons will normally be baptized on behalf of their own ancestors--hence their interest in locating them--but not other peoples. There was a scandal about Jews, perhaps from the Shoah, at one point though.
I love your "memory about you." What more could anyone want?
I think there are so many stories in my family that the chromosome testing would be fascinating too. A friend of mine did it and found out a LOT. Different Native American ancestry for one...
And you are right about the Mormons--I've read a lot about it and had discussions with them on ravelry.com.
I heard that the Moromons had a proxy salvation for Lottie Moon.
For those who do not know, Lottie was a dedicated missionary in the Southern Baptist Church(in China) and she lived in very poor conditions and died on a boat off the coast. She loved the people dearly.
Anyhow, they thought that what she did was so great, they would get her "saved."
I grew up in the SBC and they do an offering every year in her name for internationsl missions.
The Moromons do have proxy baptisms for people to be saved.
Lottie Moon was a wel lknown southern baptist missionary to China(long time ago) and they do an offering for internaitonal misisons in her name each year.
The Mormons thoguht she was so great for all she did and "worthy" of salvation, so they got her "saved" and had a stand in baptism.
I grew up in the SBC and do not agree with lots of their beliefs, but none of them would agree with this one.
Lottie was dedicated missionary and worked very hard in China( she died there), but she did not need the Moromons to save her.
Interesting stuff on Hans too.
i'd be skeptical too of the mormons... geesh.
and no doubt you are doing the best you can!
I like your answers! We're a lot alike in what we know about our relatives.
Very cool about Hans!
And I like your answer to #5. Yep, what more can we ask?
pretty cool that you might be related to Hans!
i don't know much about the chromosome testing but sounds very interesting...i imagine it must be very pricey as well.
great play!
I was born into and raised in the Mormon church. On the day of baptism, at the age of 9, I witnessed baptisms of one family member for another long dead family member. I think, as Sophia says, that the practice is intended for family members....the idea being that we are "sealed" as a family in heaven - in other words our family structure remains in the afterlife (which I imagine for some would be a frightening prospect) - but only if all the family members are baptized Mormon. Of course baptism is not into a denomination but into the Christian faith - so their theology is off in more ways than one.
That said, I do think that you are safe using their geneology site without fear of a baptism by proxy.
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