Moving near the center was inspirational for me. Looking for a home is not an easy process for anyone. Upon entering my current home, there was a black hairless cat sitting on the kitchen counter. Not a good start. At the same time, I had an impression this was the house. Not quite the match.
A short time later, the FamilySearch Center opened. I was curious as I had gone to other stake family history classes over time and they all seemed overwhelming and too much effort. Also, I have many family members who do the research. One of those back to Nauvoo families, or personal family wagon trains joining the church and coming west or joining in Scotland or Denmark requiring overseas transportation. My father’s sister and her husband served several missions in different countries and Nauvoo. They volunteered to work in the records department where she was able to find original sources. This aunt also volunteered at the FamilySearch Library downtown and Daughters of Utah Pioneers. She has written histories of many of these ancestors. My mother’s side also has written histories of her ancestors. I felt very fortunate and grateful for this and assumed that everything was already done.
The center opened and, out of curiosity, I wanted to know what one would look like. I went up. I had gone to stake family history classes over time and they seemed to be a lot of effort. There was a kind, wonderful woman there, Annette. Not certain why I asked her about volunteering, however, I indicated I knew nothing about family history and was not a computer expert. She indicated they were not obstacles to volunteer.
My parents had moved to California and back to Utah. After my father died, I had boxes of pictures, letters, books, etc. My brothers were not interested in them. The best plan was to just relocate them to the garage or basement or throw them away. I remember my father telling me stories of how his parents died and his sibling put boxes of books, papers, etc. on the curb for the garbage and he rescued them. He lived in the same town. When my mother’s last sibling died, the same occurred. Quite the preservation of family history.
The FamilySearch Center has been a wonderful experience to preserve what I inherited or have collected. The FamilySearch site was a source for connecting with a distant relative who allowed books to be borrowed and meeting relatives who generously shared what they had.
The book scanner has been wonderful to scan rare family books. The batch scanner scanned boxes of pictures as well as letters from WWII or great grandparents’ letters to my grandfather on a mission. The batch scanner will scan two sides. Other scanners are also available.
Another great source is a phone with the FamilySearch app. Easy to find a picture or document and attach it to an ancestor. Pictures of an old family bible with the names and DOBs in it. Physical objects. Teacups brought from Denmark that my mother had on a shelf growing up, Grandmother’s watch she used as a nurse and gave to my father in WWII when he was a sextant, needing to guide the ship. Doilies that used to be tatted or crocheted. Framing these and giving them as gifts and pictures. My three nephews were given large duplicate doilies framed for Christmas. What an awful boy present, but they were all spontaneously delighted. Trunks from Grandfathers’ mission or candlesticks my uncle made from bullet casings. The list goes on. I preserved them in a picture, using discretion on what to put on FamilySearch vs. share with family.
Recently, the Granite FamilySearch Center has acquired additional equipment to aid in preservation. Stay tuned for more information!
-Carolyn Heninger, Consultant, Granite FamilySearch Center