April 18th 2013
Relief Society Activity
Yep, thats right....there were a few who thought family history would be boring.....but no!!!
Turns out.....Family History is so fascinating!!
We had such a great time!
These were the great displays from the RS committee.
Some people signed up to bring a favorite family desert to share.
Terry talked to us a little bit about Family History and the Family Search online.
Danice A. told us about her father and showed us an incredible book she compiled after the death of her father. It is filled with all the details, pictures and information from his service in World War II that she was able to research and find!
It was such an interesting story you will have to ask her to tell you if you missed it!!
Sharon G. Headed up a game of guessing who's story about someone in their family history
belonged to who.
We couldn't believe all the crazy things in people's history!!!
(They are all listed at the bottom of this post)
We then moved on to sampling lots of family favorite deserts!
Natisha shows us how that's done.... you balance your plate on top of your cup, then take a bite!
Now that's talent!!
We don't know who brought all of the deserts so if you did and yours hasn't got your name on it, let us know and what the recipe is.
(We will post recipes later in separate posts)
Mary L's Peanut Butter Bars
Karen P. brought better than "you know what" dessert!
Um, can we say yuuummmy! Guess she's right Teehee!
Michelle T's fathers yummy "Tea Ring"
made with apples, walnuts and cinnamon & sugar.
Becky S. brought an all time family favorite....
The Callahan Burnt Cake
*Instructions:
1. Make cake from box
2. Place in oven (forget to set timer)
3. Change diapers, Switch laundry
4. Take forgotten lunch to School
5. Return home and Smell... Something
6. Rush to Store on way to activity and by cookies
LOL - BEST DESERT EVER!!!!
Sydney G's Chocolate chip cake with coconut frosting
Heidi S's Fruit Pizza
Jenny N made yummy dipped strawberries!
Natisha T. brought cute individual cheescakes
We had a cute little taste tester show us the best way to taste all the deserts..... just get a fork and dig in!!
* Theres always a favorite part of Relief Society activities..... Eating and visiting.
Here are some of the things we learned about each other.......
1. (Lindsay B.) My
ancestor escaped from a concentration camp three times
2. (Linda A.) During
the great depression my grandmother’s family home burnt to the ground so they
moved into the chicken coop.
3. (Leila J.) My
great-grandmother came across the plains with the Willie Handcart Company and
lived long enough to also fly in an airplane.
4. (Leslie M.) My
ancestors were part of the United Order in Orderville. Another was also Joseph Smith’s body guard.
5. (Terry S.) My
paternal grandmother, born in 1899, had 12 children and ended up spending six
months in the State Mental Institution in Provo, UT.
6. (Linda W.) One of
my ancestors was coming across the ocean and a pirate ship took the ship
over. He ended up with the Pirates for
10 years on the boat. Finally, he was
released in America and that is when he joined the Church.
7. (Sandy Y.) My
great grandfather was a deserter in the Civil War. It’s a good story!
8. (Karen E.) My
great-grandmother was born on a wagon train in Nebraska on the Oregon
Trail. They came from Rutherford,
Tennessee through Missouri to Nevada, California and then Jackson County,
Oregon.
9. (Sue G.) My
great-great-great aunt Mary Anne Thayne used to hang out with Butch
Cassidy. She had her wanted poster hung
by Butch Cassidy’s. She hid with him at
Hole-in-the-Wall and had one of his babies.
10. (Sharon G.) My
ancestor had a very good relationship with the Indians. One time he left his wife alone while he was
helping the Indians. A group of men came
to steal their horse. His wife
threatened them with a shot gun if they didn’t leave. They did leave. She later found out it was Billy the Kid and
his gang that she had threatened.
11. (Karen R.) My
grandfather was a merchant in the Netherlands.
He owned a ship and would transport goods up and down the canal. My grandparents raised 9 children. They lived on the ship. My mother is the youngest child and came to
America with her family when she was 18 months old.
12. (Heidi S.) My
grandmother danced with Frank Sinatra at a dance at Hill Air Force Base.
13. (Beck S.) My
ancestor is an Indian Princess, daughter of a chief.
14. (Nancy S.) My great,
great grandfather, Jerimiah Willey, fell off a wagon and died while bringing
granite from the quarry down the mountain.
This granite was used for building the Salt Lake Temple.
15. (Melanie P.) One of my
ancestors grew up best friends with Al Capone.
16. (Katie P.) I am
related to Pocahontas through John Rolfe, her husband
17. (Michelle T.) My
ancestors were master map makers. One
brother was with England, the other with America during the Revolutionary War.
18. (Andrea P.) I’m
related to the former President Buchanan, the one who sent the orders to
exterminate the Mormons. The Buchanans
are from Scotland originally and there is still a standing castle from their
clan, someday I’ll hopefully get to visit it!
19. (Camille J.) My
great-great-grandmother was married to the tailor for Joseph Smith. Family legend said it was actually her who
sewed shirts and the Nauvoo Legion cape for Joseph Smith.
20. (Renee V.) My family
has Cherokee Indian ancestors who were introduced to our family during the time
of the Trail of Tears. The story is that
a Cherokee Indian squaw and her two sons got separated from their tribe. She traded her two boys to a man in exchange
for him to take her back to her tribe.
These Indian brothers were adopted by this man and his family. They grew up and married sisters from another
family. One of these brothers is my direct
relative.
21. (Trisha T.) My four
time great uncle is the explorer, Kit Carson.
22. (Carol E.) My
ancestors, the Perry’s, were settled in for the evening one snowy night in
1830. An older man unlatched the door
and asked for shelter. When something
began wiggling in his pack, he pulled out a puppy. While the children played, he also pulled out
a book. He proceeded to say that this
book would soon be coming out and that they should get themselves a copy. He also blessed the family promising that
they would never again want for bread.
He then opened the door and disappeared.
The promise was fulfilled as a man who owed money to the family asked if
he couldn’t pay his debt to the family in wheat. Sometime after the old gentleman’s visit, two
Mormon elders visited the area. While
leafing through their book the parents recognized passages of scripture the
stranger had read to them. The Perry
family obtained a Book of Mormon and joined the church in 1832.
23. (Kathleen T.) One of my
ancestors was Richard Ballantyne who started the Sunday School Program for the
Church. There is a book written about
his life called “Knight of the Kingdom”
24. (Natisha T.) William
Wallace was one of my ancestors (on my father’s side). They made the movie “Braveheart” about him
and his life.
25. (Mary Jane W.) My
husband and I share the same great-great-grandfather through our mothers’
ancestry lines. This grandfather had
five wives. My line comes through the 3rd
wife and my husband’s through the 4th wife.
26. (Shannon P.) My
great-grandma and grandpa were avid fishermen.
They lived up in Logan and fished the Logan River frequently during the
summer. They usually caught over the
limited number of fish they were allowed to catch by law. One day while my grandma was fishing by
herself she got caught for catching over her limit and was taken to the
authorities. When she was brought in
front of the judge he let her go because she was dressed in her old clothes,
shoes and apron and was using a hand-me-down fish basket. He thought she was a poor woman just trying
to feed her family.
27. (Britt M.) Joseph
Knight is my great-great-great-great-great grandfather. He was friends with the Smith Family. Joseph Smith used Joseph Knight’s wagon and
horse to carry home the gold plates from the Hill when he was finally allowed
to do so.
28. (Kerri H.) My
ancestor adopted an Indian boy to save him from being killed by his tribe. His Indian mother looked through the windows
of the home to check on her son now and then.
29. (Malinda M.) My
great-great grandmother’s family lived in England. Osmyn Duel, a missionary from Centerville,
spent a lot of time with their family while on his mission. When he returned he sent money to bring many
saints to Utah. This family settled in
Centerville and Osmyn Duel ended up marrying one of the daughters. Their home is still standing and his wife’s
sister is my ancestor. I didn’t know
this until my daughter did an immigration report and we learned about this ancestor.
30. (Becky S.) My
ancestor purchased a fake I.D. and Birth Certificate to not have to go to war.
31. (Danice A.) My father
flew airplanes during World War II. When
his plane crashed he was captured and lived as a POW for 9 months.
32. (Sara C.) My ancestor was at Sutter’s Mill when
gold was discovered there. He got some
gold to take back to his wife and family but while going over Donor’s Pass in
Nevada he was killed by Indians. The
Indians did not find his pouch of gold so other people in his traveling party
found the gold and took it back to his wife.
She made a ring out of it. The ring has been handed down and is still in
the family today -unfortunately not in my immediate family.
33. (Gabby A.) 600
people were baptized on my great-great grandfather’s farm. His name was John Benbow. He eventually sold that farm and helped pay
for passage for these converts to travel to America.
34. (Sydney G.) My great
uncle ran away from home at the age of 13 and became a “Hobo” also known as a
train jumper. He had so many crazy
experiences before he finally landed back home at the age of 22 that people
told him to write a book about it. The
book “Bill Bailey Came Home” is totally one of my all time favorite memoirs!
There were a few other sisters who came and shared family stories as well that we didn't have on our printed paper.
A BIG THANKS
goes to the RS activities committee for putting all the work into this great evening.
And;
Thanks to everyone for coming and sharing their family history for such a fun activity
