Sunday, June 5, 2016
Boston and Cape Cod Discoveries
 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
So I had to ask the questions: Am I connected to William? Is he related to my pioneer ancestor Hannah Knight Libby? Is he in my Libby Family book at home? Is his temple work done?
Although there are five William L. Libbys in my family book, I found him by focusing on those born or living in Massachusetts. And look what I found on Ancestry!
This is the information found about his son, Edward. From my Libby book, I learned that William's brother Henry also helped with the move of the factory to Cape Cod.
Edward has a high school named after him in Toledo, and a book has been written about him. As I looked in FamilySearch for William and his family, I discovered that much of the temple work is done for them, However a granddaughter needed to be sealed to the family. I have now reserved that work.
Edward Libbey and his wife Florence. I can't imagine how heavy that hat was.
Henry, William's brother, became very intriguing. According to my Libby book, "Henry followed the sea from the age of 15 and became an eminent ship master. He was in the East India trade and spent four years in the glass business with his brother. In 1879 he took command of a bark sailing for Japan and died of malarial fever off Singapore in 1880." I found Henry's son, born in India, didn't have a wife listed. But his death record lists Mrs. Henry M. Libby. I haven't found her yet, but I found the will of Henry's wife, Anna Nelson Libbey. And in that handwritten document, I found the name of her son-in-law, Laurene or Laurenia Parke (if you can believe it). With that information, I have been able to reserve temple work for Henry's daughter and son-in-law. The Parkes actually came to Salt Lake where Laurene died working as a civil engineer in City Creek Canyon.
Coincidence that I would find this information while in Cape Cod? I think not.
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Friday, October 9, 2015
Danish Pastries, Parishes, and People
 |
| Copenhagen, Denmark |
My honey and I drove down to southern Denmark and found this beautiful church built in the 1100s!
 |
| Behind the greenery is a little basket of apples left for visitors to the phone booth. |
I went to the door of the house, and in spite of several "BEWARE OF DOG" signs, I boldly knocked. A cute lady answered, pushing large dogs out of the way with her foot. I asked if she knew when the church was open. She gave the perfect answer: "I have a key!"
 |
| The very tall part is the bell tower and they rang while we were in the church! Special thanks go to my chauffeur, photographer, and eternal travel companion. |
Her husband, the caretaker, let us in. I was surprised at the rush of emotion that came over me. My hands were shaking, and my heart was pounding. Here was the place that so many of my ancestors, whom I had done temple work for, had been christened, married, and buried.
 |
| I love the painted frescoes right on the plaster walls. To the left is the baptism bowl where babies would be christened. |
This was an original wooden cross dating back to 1100 on the wall.
 |
| The pastor preaches from this pulpit. Sunday services are still held in this church. Although the caretaker said few Danes attend church. |
We then asked if we could see church records. He said they were closed and the office would be closed the next day as well. So we asked if he knew of a place we could stay. He said, "Follow me," and drove us to the most charming bed and breakfast about a kilometer down the road:
 |
| Albertsgaard Bed and Breakfast, Brarup, Denmark |
The cottage came complete with thatched roof! Both this cottage and the big main house were built in the 1820s and restored. So this is what it would have looked like in my ancestor's time. At this point, I had felt a great payoff for my temple work, and if the church was what I was able to see, I was content. But when our cute host named Jytte, (sounds like Utah), saw my fistful of genealogy papers, she offered to help. When we told her the archive office was closed, she said, " I know the woman who works there. I will call and get you an appointment! I will talk her into opening it just for you!" And she did.
While we waited for our appointment, we looked for a neighboring parish where more of my ancestors had been christened. A Danish fog had settled in and we couldn't find the Kippinge church, but stumbled across one in Vaalse. We walked around the burial grounds, and I recognized these names! I had done the temple work for them, and remarkably, I had printed this family group sheet off and had them with me:
Elsa, our wonderful guide at the Archives, bubbled with excitement that we had come to Denmark to find our people. She told us she had journeyed to America for the same reason. She told us of the excitement she felt when she stood in Iowa and Chicago in the footsteps of her ancestors. I told her of my excitement to be in the parish church where my ancestors had stood. Elsa stands all of 5' but has a super-sized serving of the spirit of Elijah!
She brought us the Brarup records ledger and we started to look for Mathias Christensen Boge, the father of my ancestor, Mattias Mattiasen, who joined the church. At this point, my husband showed Elsa the pictures on his cell phone of the grave markers shown above. She put her hand over her mouth in shock. "Those are the names of my friend's parents and grandparents! She also works at these Archives. I will call her. She just got back yesterday from Thailand, but she will be upset if I don't call and tell her relatives from America are here!"
In about twenty minutes, we met Kate Jensen, my cousin! We both share Mattias Christensen Boge and Kirsten Hansen as great-great-great-great-great grandparents. In yet another tender mercy, I had printed off exactly the sheets that would show her connection to this ancestor, and her connection to me. Kate was very tired from jet lag, but had jumped at the chance to meet family. When Elsa had been unsuccessful in reaching her by phone, she went the extra mile and called Kate's husband at work. He had left work, driven home, and awakened his wife for her to meet us!
Kate also has the spirit of Elijah. As we looked at the records, I showed her Matthias Christensen Boge's death record.
As we looked at the records, "Cousin Kate" read in Danish the name of the farm that the family came from. She looked at me in excitement. "That farm is a big beautiful farm, and I can take you there right now!"
Here we are together in front of the ancestral farm. Just behind the home is the ocean. My ancestor, Mattias Mathiassen left one of the prettiest places in Denmark to join the Church. He left his parents and 13 brothers and sisters. But I am bringing them back together now.
Kate and I are kindred spirits! As we drove around and saw her beautiful home, she invited us to stay the next time we came to Denmark. She told me she is writing the history of her grandmother's family. I have now given her the records for her grandfather's family. She didn't know she lived three kilometers from his family farm. She said, "It is so important to share our ancestor's stories with our children." For information on the importance of family stories, click here: https://www.lds.org/callings/temple-and-family-history/sunday-lesson/stories-that-bind?lang=eng
 |
| Kate helped us find the Kippinge parish church built in the 1500s. |
I helped her sign up for FamilySearch.org. She has already emailed me, looking for more information on Matthias Christensen Boge. Together we will find his parents, I am sure. Kate has information on her grandparent's siblings that I had not been able to find. Most importantly, she said, "I have many dreams about my ancestors. They are very close to me. They want me to do something for them."
FamilySearch.org (Click here to start an exciting journey)
President Thomas S, Monson often says, “There are no coincidences” as he makes the point that his experiences in life have taught him to always look for the Lord’s hand." As I write this, I have come to realize that my Grandfather Larsen was with me throughout this journey of tender mercies. I believe he has taught these ancestors that stayed in Denmark the gospel, and they are ready for their temple work. I'm hurrying, Grandpa.
 |
| Copenhagen Denmark Temple |
Sunday, May 24, 2015
Brim with Joy
Wednesday Night: As we were packing to leave for a trip to visit Daughter #3's mission field, we received an elated email from Cassi: "I
just found out the best of news!! Sue is getting her endowments out on Friday
at 5!!! We have to go! That would be just amazing!"
Sue was a convert that she had found, taught, and witnessed her baptism, one year previously. Thankfully, one of the members in the Leesburg Ward had seen our daughter's Facebook post about coming to the DC area and informed her for this the night before we left Utah.
Thursday Night: We added our temple recommends to our carry on bags and headed to Salt Lake International for the red-eye to Ronald Reagan Airport in Washington DC.We landed at 10:15 the next morning and headed to the National Mall. After parking at Arlington Cemetery, we rode the metro up to start at the top of the mall going to my personal favorite: Library of Congress.
Friday Night: We ended up walking the entire mall back to the Cemetery to hurry to the DC Temple for the 6:00 session. For the first time I understood Ammon's description of joy in the Book of Mormon: "Behold my joy is full, yea, my heart is brim with joy, and I will rejoice in my God" (Alma 26:11). As we hurried into the majestic DC Temple, I was tired and my thighs were throbbing, but I was thrilled to see her convert Sue's eyes light up when she saw her missionary, our daughter. Now newly married, our daughter and her husband were chosen to be the witness couple and as result, our daughter was waiting in celestial room when Sue entered for the first time.
Sue was a convert that she had found, taught, and witnessed her baptism, one year previously. Thankfully, one of the members in the Leesburg Ward had seen our daughter's Facebook post about coming to the DC area and informed her for this the night before we left Utah.
Thursday Night: We added our temple recommends to our carry on bags and headed to Salt Lake International for the red-eye to Ronald Reagan Airport in Washington DC.We landed at 10:15 the next morning and headed to the National Mall. After parking at Arlington Cemetery, we rode the metro up to start at the top of the mall going to my personal favorite: Library of Congress.
Friday Night: We ended up walking the entire mall back to the Cemetery to hurry to the DC Temple for the 6:00 session. For the first time I understood Ammon's description of joy in the Book of Mormon: "Behold my joy is full, yea, my heart is brim with joy, and I will rejoice in my God" (Alma 26:11). As we hurried into the majestic DC Temple, I was tired and my thighs were throbbing, but I was thrilled to see her convert Sue's eyes light up when she saw her missionary, our daughter. Now newly married, our daughter and her husband were chosen to be the witness couple and as result, our daughter was waiting in celestial room when Sue entered for the first time.
Thursday, April 30, 2015
Easter 2015: Going Deep!
Going Deep!
My four-year-old granddaughter loves the water and when she
is in the bathtub, she will say to me, “Mama, I’m going deep.” She grabs a big
breath and dives in underwater as deep as the porcelain tub will let her. I, on
the other hand, don’t like to put my head in the water. One week of swimming
lessons when I was a child at the Burley municipal pool was not enough---I never
made it across the deep end of the pool. But this Easter, I felt like my depth
of understanding and love for my Savior became significantly greater.
 |
| In first grade, my Easter seemed to be about large bunnies. |
About 11 p.m. I felt rather than saw someone looking at me.
In the pitch black, our little granddaughter had slipped downstairs and stood
at my bedside, silent, waiting for me to know she was there. I lifted her up,
and she snuggled down between us. Around 6 a.m. she needed a drink, and in an
effort to let her parents sleep longer, we showed her some Bible videos on
Glen’s Iphone. I was surprised how she wanted to see the ones of the Savior
over and over again.
On Palm Sunday, Christ
entered Jerusalem on the back of a young donkey as prophesied and the jubilant
crowd lined the path to the temple with palm leaves to carpet the way for the
coming of the king. On the anniversary of that day, our daughter sang her testimony of that king: “I stand all
amazed at the love Jesus offers me; confused by the grace that so fully he
proffers me.”
Due to eight years of fighting debilitating pain, I had not
heard her sing for a long time. But that Palm Sunday she taught me about going
deep as she sang, “I marvel that he would descend from a throne divine; to
rescue a soul so rebellious and proud as mine.”
Christ descends---he comes down ---to rescue my proud soul.
When I am in the ocean, I know real fear because I know my swimming skills are inadequate to save myself or anyone else, so I am afraid of deep water. I can’t imagine the depth of Christ’s suffering to pay for the sins and pain of all humankind. But I’ve watched my daughter suffer and felt that pain. Knowing Christ knows her pain, helps me to go on. And that Sunday, I felt deep joy hearing her sing her testimony.
When I am in the ocean, I know real fear because I know my swimming skills are inadequate to save myself or anyone else, so I am afraid of deep water. I can’t imagine the depth of Christ’s suffering to pay for the sins and pain of all humankind. But I’ve watched my daughter suffer and felt that pain. Knowing Christ knows her pain, helps me to go on. And that Sunday, I felt deep joy hearing her sing her testimony.
Her voice was beautiful and controlled, matched perfectly to
the arrangement, and I felt an accompanying spirit crescendo with the chorus. In
fact, the spirit became a welling of light and beauty that stayed with me
throughout the day. Seeing her stand and sing after fighting through so much
pain was a powerful reminder of Christ’s suffering for me: “I think of his
hands pierced and bleeding to pay the debt, such mercy such love, such devotion, can I
forget?
Recently I heard a
friend say that she shied away from commitments. But I wonder: isn’t it through
commitments, especially covenants, where true joy comes in? Doesn’t a real
commitment to becoming a disciple of Christ involve the decision and desire to
go deep?
That depth of spirit continued as I attended an Easter
concert that night where the missionaries in our area taught of the Savior
through music. To close the program, one elder from South Africa sang, “I know
that Redeemer Lives.” When I was 17 years old, I sang that song as part of a
regular closing hymn as a brand new college student, living away from home for the
first time. And the spirit welled up inside of me, and I knew truth. My
testimony of Christ and His gospel was new and untested, but I wanted to be a
committed member at that point. I wanted to believe. Hearing this dedicated missionary---a young man
who had paid for his mission by singing
at weddings---share this hymn reminded me of one of my first real stirrings of testimony.
The spirit in that chapel permeated the room and let me feel deeply that testimony that started so many years ago with that hymn. Perhaps when we have sacrificed
or suffered, we can really sing a testimony of the Savior.
The magnificent Mesa Temple grounds feature deep reflection ponds, palm trees, and a cactus garden. I had wanted to see the Mesa Easter pageant for many years.
To continue this marvelous Eastertime, we boarded a plane for Mesa, Arizona to see Daughter #2 and the Mesa Easter Pageant. Actually, we missed three standby flights before I was able to catch the last seat on a plane, and Glen would try three more flights before joining us in Mesa. While we waited for Glen, ShaLae and I went to the Botanical Gardens in Arizona. Due to the wet year Arizona had experienced, the cacti were flowering in fuschia and deep oranges. And for the first time, I saw purple prickly pear.
The magnificent Mesa Temple grounds feature deep reflection ponds, palm trees, and a cactus garden. I had wanted to see the Mesa Easter pageant for many years.
Each night for two weeks, over 10,000 people come to see the life of the Savior re-told. ShaLae had been volunteering at the pageant, so she knew to get us there three hours early for a good seat.
At the end of the pageant, the actor that portrays Christ rises above the angels in triumphant resurrection. In birth and in the Garden of Gethsemane He descends below all; in death He is raised on the cross and His resurrection signifies that all will be resurrected.
This Easter, perhaps my most memorable Easter, was feeling the depth and height of Christ's commitment to us. My little four-year-old granddaughter understands this feeling. Recently when walking in the hall of her meetinghouse, she saw a picture of the Savior. "I miss him," she said to her mother. Yes, I know that my Redeemer lives!
Saturday, June 30, 2012
100 degrees, 50 people
Family party at my house. My nephew's celebration---he's going to serve a mission in Little Rock, ARK (where WalMart and the Clintons began). No fire (last week there was on the nearby parkway), but 100 degrees and 50+ HOT bodies in my house. Petersons know how to party:
Tiff's brownies and watermelon
Geni's salad
Camille's steak sandwiches
Nicole's birthday cake for Ja and Shae!
10 family names completed in the temple!
Tiff's brownies and watermelon
Geni's salad
Camille's steak sandwiches
Nicole's birthday cake for Ja and Shae!
10 family names completed in the temple!
Saturday, February 4, 2012
Discovering the Book of Mormon though Lidia
This week started out rough. We did a lot of knocking on doors with
out a lot of success. However, every day that we come home feeling
like we had nothing was all made up by our meeting with Lidia. She is
amazing and I love her. Last week she said it was little hard to
understand the Book of Mormon because she was just opening and read
little parts. So we challenge her to start reading at the beginning to
get the story line. God answers prayers. He answered several of ours
in the next meeting. Lidia explained that as she read the 2nd to last
paragraph in the Book of Mormon, Moroni's promise, she felt the Holy
Ghost. He bore witness to her that it is true and that the Book of Mormon
is true. As she said, “I thought it was true, but now I know it is
true.” The spirit was so strong as she testified of this experience
that my testimony was strengthened. Then she went on to show us
another scripture that stood out to her. 1 Nephi 10:14 Talking about
how everything needs to be grafted back to one tree. She went on to
explain that this means that all churches need to come back to the
one. This is what we have been praying for, that she would start to
see that there is only one church that has the full truth on the
earth. Really, a lesson where the investigator does most the teaching
is amazing. It was a lesson to give us the energy to knock on doors for
the rest of the week. Lidia also came to church, and I think it was a
good experience for her.
I have also loved reading in 2 Nephi the past couple of days. It is
all about Christ. He invited all to partake of his salvation. He loves
us each so specifically that he gave his own life. There is never any
point that we can't return, turn around and come to him. “He inviteth
all to come unto him, partake of his goodness and denith none to come
unto him.” The Book of Mormon is powerful!
Oh for some sad news--- our 7ft branch mission leader and his family
moved back to Utah. Our branch average age just jumped dramatically.
Somteet also left for Thailand for a month. However, our ward of
grandmas still is doing great as ever. I love it here!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)