remember me...

Last night a few of us were gathered in the chapel to learn from Earl C. Tingey.  The theme for the evening was "I've had many glimpses of heaven."  He spoke of temple work in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.  He has been a temple president of the Washington DC temple and is currently a sealer, sealing couples in a marriage ceremony for time & eternity.

He spoke of a woman he knew in Africa many years ago.  She wanted to gather her family history in the hopes of sealing her family forever.  At that time (and maybe still now) in Africa there were no offices for vital records.  No birth, marriage or death certificates on file.  The woman traveled to the village where her parents were born to talk to the tribal chief.  The tribal chief recited to the woman orally her history.  She wrote as he gave her the names of her grandparents, great-grandparents and so on.  After this meeting she was greeted by a woman she had never met.  The woman knew her and when she heard of her arrival in the village she brought her a book.  The book had been written by an ancestor of the visitor.  In it she wrote the history of their family.  At the top of the first page this ancestor had written "remember me."

"Remember me."  Elder Tingey related that the average individual is forgotten after 3 generations.  In 150 to 200 years that average individual is completely forgotten.  REMEMBER ME.  I thought about four generations back on my mother's side.  Henrietta "Nettie" Tucker.

• She died at an early age, July 13 1894---a mother of two daughters.
• She had a sister named "Lizzie" that was cherished.
• She married Wilson Wade Durand in Newark, New Jersey.

What I want to know...

• How/why did she die?
• She was born to Seymour and Margaret Dodd Tucker...but what was the date?
• Where was she raised?
• Did she have other siblings?

As I reflected on the thoughts shared last night...I remembered a book.  Nettie Tucker's autograph book.  As I turned through the pages I looked for clues, enjoyed the penmanship, and wondered...what was she like...

her faint signature

drawn by a Durand...the family she married into

Notice the names and pictures that fill this tree...who are they?

I love the note from her sister "Lizzie."

One of my favorite entries (not photographed) states:

"To Nettie,

In future years, when time has

dimmed this page,

and youth's bright visions flitted from thy sight,

When friends you loved are changed by care or age,

And things that please thee now,

give no delight.

When thou shalt smile and think

how soon the dreams of youth did vanish

and how bright they were

Then Nettie, if these lines ere read should be

give one kind thought to him whose name you see."

A. T. Manning

dated: April 6, 1977

he can "take it" and grin

"he can 'take it' and grin"

It was a Thursday night.  There were a million things to be done around our house.  Our two oldest girls were out playing with friends.  It would have been an ideal night for Danny and I to go out to dinner---we can go anywhere relaxed with only one child accompanying us.  For some reason...the Family History Library in downtown Salt Lake City was calling to me.  I had never been there (that I remember).  I am working earnestly to get the information/proof needed to complete my DAR application.  It hasn't been as easy as I expected it to be.

I whipped up a few sandwiches from home and we ate in the car on our way.  There were several cheerful missionaries to great us as we walked in the front doors.  They directed us to one missionary that I found so helpful and delightful.  As we began to discuss my purpose for being there we learned that we both come from Gray family in Vermont.  Could we be related!?  She oriented me on the computer and left me to search.

As I searched...Sophie was restlessly playing on my lap.  Another thoughtful missionary came up to her and asked if she wanted to play a game.  Before we knew it Sophie was on a computer next to me set up with pbskids.com.  Danny was a runner...he grabbed anything we sent to print and was my tech support if I was stuck on the computer.

ancestry.com is open and available on all of their computers.  If you aren't subscribed to them at home you can access their database at the library.  I found so much information!  I even found my great-uncle's yearbook pages (click to enlarge)...with his signature!  I never met Lorrin Smylie Brice, Jr.  What a delightful treasure!  I could have played there for hours...but our girls were returning home soon and we needed to be there.  I can't wait to return.