The hearts of the children are turning...

I have this new-found passion, let me explain. In the summer of 2006 my Dad took all of my family (minus kids) to Europe. There were 16 of us. It was quite the trip. He travels a lot, so he flew all of us over on frequent flier miles that he saved up for this purpose. My Dad's father was from Wales. He grew up there & moved to the U.S. as a teenager. My Dad served his mission in England, so we have a pretty strong history over there. Well, he wanted all of us to see our roots. So, we went on a family history trip. ( With a few fun stops in London, Rome & Lisbon)We traveled throughout England & Wales visiting sites from our ancestors, grave yards, & places that my Dad served his mission. We met second cousins & other distant relatives. It was a life changing event for me. When I went to Wales, where many of my ancestors are from, I saw the birthplace of my grandfather, toured the coal mines that they worked in, saw the churches they worshiped in, and visited tombs of those who have passed on. It is hard to explain the emotions that came over me. I felt like I was finally home. I fell in love with this amazing country! I felt like I finally knew where I came from & who I was and I have not been the same since.

Welsh Coal Mine

Church & cemetary where many of my ancestors attended & are now buried

My family with our Welsh relatives

I came home and immediately jumped into family history work. I finally had this awakening in me that wanted to know more about these people who are truly a part of me. I have been furiously working on our files and getting temple work done for all of these people who have been waiting so long. It has really been an amazing experience for me.


Last fall, after all of the fires in California, I decided I needed to find another way to preserve our records. I decided I was going to scan in all of my old photographs. Well, I got started, then I realized that I could do so much more. I am living in my parent's house right now, as most of you know. Well, they have boxes & boxes of old photographs. So I decided that before I do mine, I would take advantage of the fact that I am living here & have access to all of these things. So, I started scanning in my parent's photos. I decided that it would be my present to my family for Christmas. It became a much bigger project than I ever anticipated. My parents sat with me and helped me to identify as many as they could. We also sent CD's of pictures to aunts, uncles & cousins. It was amazing. Through it all, I learned so much about my ancestors. I can now recognize each of the faces of my great-grandparents whereas before I barely knew their names. So, I would like to introduce you to a few of these beautiful faces that I now know & love. Enjoy!

Edward Roderick Davies, my grandfather on my Dad's side- 1944.

Lois Pottinger, my grandmother on my Dad's side.

David Thomas Davies-great-grandfather on my Dad's side.

Amoric & Norman Porter on their honeymoon-great-grandparents on my Mom's side.

My Grandma on my mom's side-Dorothy Porter.My Grandpa on my mom's side Robert Burton.