Genealogy: A search for the Greatest Treasures-----Our Ancestors!

Two of my own personal experiences with Family History work, and posting it on Ancestry.com.

"The purpose of family history work is to obtain the names and data of our ancestors so that temple ordinances can be performed in their behalf."
(1)
Family History also provides chances for Missionary work, example: From a cousin Margaret Dean. I had never met Margaret, until she wrote me and requested information about her 4th Great Grant Father:
Richard Carlisle & Jane Field .
Margaret wrote in an e-mail : It takes my breath away when I consider the enormous undertaking of Richard and his companions to take ship to an unknown land to start a new life there - a case of casting their bread upon the waters and trusting in God, I imagine. Sad that Jenny didn't see the Promised Land (Utah). My husband and I have spent part of the afternoon huddled over an atlas, tracing the journey of Richard and his family. Salt Lake City is a very long way from Nettleham, England where Richard was christened. This is one of the joys of family history research; you learn so much social history and get to know about people from other countries and their way of life and there beliefs. Jenny is my 4 x great-aunt.

Thank you for your e-mail giving information about the Carlisles. It is difficult to access American records from over here in England, so much of our family history is lost to English people like me. I am fortunate with my Canadian cousins, as I was able to research their English roots for them and they have given me the Canadian side of the family.
I only wanted to know the name of my maternal grandmother whom I never knew and my mother seldom mentioned, and here I am about ten years later writing to you and with a large family tree that goes back in parts to the 1500s! I checked with my genealogy book, we are second or third cousins.
Thank you for your e-mail offering me more information about the Carlisle family, which I look forward to seeing with great interest. Jenny's brother, John, born 1781 in Willingham son of Matthew is my 4th great-grandfather. I received the conversion story of Richard Carlisle & Jane Field, I look forward to hearing from you.
I have been reading some of the interesting information you sent me about Richard Carlisle again, and wonder if you could explain something to me. When Richard proposed to Marie (his second wife) she said she would marry him but "wished to be sealed to her dead husband Thomas Dunsdon." Also "they went to the Endowment House and had their Endowments and their sealing done for their dead friends." What does this mean?

Another question: are members of your Church baptised when infants or as adults, and is this done be complete immersion? I hope you don't mind the questions, I am really interested and like to understand peoples faiths properly. Margaret is not a member of the Church, but has excepted excerpts from “Preach My Gospel”, and “13 Articles of Faith, and she will soon receive a Book of Mormon. I hope that one day Margaret will want to become a member of the Church. She asked me the other day to put her and her husband’s name on the pray rolls of the Temple, which she had heard about from reading.
My address is:
Margaret Dean
29 Birch View
Pickering
North Yorkshire
England
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Merle Brader, another person I met from posting family history on line. Merle wrote me late 2009 and wanted more information her Great Grandfather.
I feel fortunate to have come across a cousin on ancestry.com and would appreciate any family history you would like to share. Marion Hall is my Great, Grandfather, and I only have a photo of him. He passed away when I was just a small child. To think, before I contacted you, all I had was a very bad copy of the picture that is opposite the preface at the front of the book and I had very little history of the family. I can't express how happy I am that you shared this with me. Our family has very little about Marion and his own siblings and his parents, could you please send me any information about them? I received the “Edmond Estep Hall & Eliza Hurst History” book today and it is absolutely wonderful.

To think, before I contacted you, all I had was a very bad copy of the picture that is opposite the preface at the front of the book and I had very little history of the family. I can't express how happy I am that you shared this with me. Could you also let your California cousin know how much this means to me too. I have looked through all of the pictures in the book and read a few of the stories but I haven't had a chance to look at the pictures you sent on CD yet. I won't be able to put it down until I have seen everything.

I would like to bear my testimony about Family History and the joy and satisfaction it brings a person when you can find ancestors who haven’t had their Temple work done, or you can find information about their family, their work and their beliefs. I know that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints is the only true church on the face of the earth, and I know that the Prophet Joseph Smith was a true prophet, as well as our Prophet today, Pres. Thomas S. Monson. I am thankful for my ancestors and for their sacrifices and for traditions, and desire to serve the Lord. I am thankful for our Savior, Jesus Christ and for his atoning sacrifice. I pray that we might all find a joy and satisfaction in doing this great work of find our ancestors, and doing their work. I say this is the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.