January 2026

Small Gathering Group: Genealogy

By BJ Ledyard
Posted: 06/26/2025

I began doing Genealogy during the COVID pandemic and found it to be great fun and very interesting. When my mother died in 2017, I inherited a portrait of two children that had been at our farm in Lancaster County. My mother told me that it was a portrait of her great grandfather and his sister. I wanted to give it to the Huntington Library because I thought it would fit in so well with their school program. It is the work of a regional painter, not primitive but somewhere in between a primitive and an academic painter. I also brought home the genealogy her cousin had sent her, even though she had said, "Just pitch that." The Huntington wanted to know who painted the picture and who the children were. Then the curator left, and the new curator showed no interest.

Then COVID hit. With time to do some research, I went on FamilySearch, the genealogy site sponsored by the Mormon Church, and on Ancestry, the genealogy site that connects DNA to relatives and one’s regions of origin. I was hoping to determine who the little boy, my mother’s great grandfather, might be. Both her great grandfathers were orphans, not likely prospects for the subject of the painting. Nevertheless, the cousin’s genealogy notes were most helpful. I started to build a family tree.

At some point, I decided to start a group through the Village because I was really a newbie, and I hoped there were some more accomplished genealogists in the Village. At first, a lot of people signed up, but many did not follow through. We have eight members now, with three or four being active. But as long as any people participate, I keep learning new things to keep the monthly Zoom meetings interesting. We also have one group member who knows what she is doing in genealogy, and she suggests new applications on Ancestry.

We have taken field trips to the Mormon Family History Center on Madre Street, now closed possibly due to the fire. At one of these, we had ten Village members participate. When the Mormon religion started, there was resistance to joining because one would not be with one’s relatives in Mormon Heaven. In order to change this, genealogy became important in the movement, and deceased ancestors were prayed into Mormon Heaven.

Villager Wayne April is an accomplished genealogist and has an extensive tree. He is a contributor to Find A Grave, mostly at Mountain View Cemetery. He has said he will lead a field trip there when it reopens after fire/smoke damage. Find a Grave is a wonderful tool for genealogists, as gravestones often have birth and death dates. It is also useful to find out where someone lived, who is buried near them, and who were their spouse/spouses and children. Wayne often does further genealogical investigation for the individuals or families who request help in finding  where someone is buried.

During the Zoom meetings, we talk about new tools we have found. Ancestry has evolved quite rapidly with their DNA matches and new tools. Genealogists in the past had to go to graveyards, court houses, libraries and towns to find out about their ancestors. You were really lucky to have a family Bible with names, birth dates and death dates, marriages, christenings. Now, thanks to the Mormon Church and Ancestry, much of that information can be found online. Ancestry has almost 34,000 record collections online; they have wills, church logs, tax rolls, census records, ship arrivals and departures, oath of allegiance records, soldiers’ pension records, school pictures, and newspaper stories  from all over the world. Individuals can also post things to Ancestry. I have found pictures of my grandparents, great grandparents, and great great grandparents. It is a treasure chest.

I would be happy to help anyone interested in genealogy to get started. I suspect it is good for one’s brain as one has to keep things straight. My contact information can be found in the Village Membership Directory.