For the last 2.5 years, the time I have to do family history research has been limited. In my spare minutes, I’ve been adding photos and stories to FamilySearch, where others can find them. I’ve added more than 2100 “Memories” to my gallery there. More than 450 of those are stories and histories I’ve written or compiled. I do this late at night, or between meetings. It’s like a reward for me–to go into another world I love with people I’ve loved but never known.
I’ve also been praying that stories and ancestors would come to me, because I don’t have time to go find them. So many miracles have happened since I started praying for that about 6 months ago–I’ve started a notebook just to keep track of them.
Today another miracle happened. I met my Great-grandmother Harriet Matilda Barker Smuin for the first time. I saw her face. Yesterday someone like me posted her photo. I have been searching for her for years. Interestingly, about 3 or 4 weeks ago I started praying specifically to find a photo of her. I know God answers prayers. I know our family members who have gone before us know us and love us still. This photo is a sweet reminder that the bonds of family continue beyond the grave and when we turn our hearts to our fathers and mothers, they turn their hearts to us.
Here are some To Do lists I found in my desk piles. You will see both lists have “Find Harriet” on them.
An earlier post from my Family History Blog, “Ann’s Stories”
Harriet Matilda Barker Smuin b. 1857, d. 7 Dec 1918 in Rexburg, ID
Here are some pictures of Harriet’s siblings. She looks like family!
