“The Spirit of Elijah”
I learned family history the old-school, traditionally Mormon way: filling out hundreds of pieces of paper that went into binders full of names. Young women
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I learned family history the old-school, traditionally Mormon way: filling out hundreds of pieces of paper that went into binders full of names. Young women
We want this issue to reflect a new kind of thought about family history.
Chances are that I would never find my family by simply clicking a link on a phone app.
I sat across from my genetic counselor as she filled out the strangest family history chart I’d ever seen. I rocked my newborn baby girl and answered the counselor’s questions about the name, birth year, death year, known illnesses, and cause of death for ancestors four generations back. She drew squares for males and circles for females and shaded sections in various patterns. All of this was to determine if I was eligible, based on the requirements set by my health insurance company, to be tested for genetic markers that would indicate whether I had an elevated risk of certain […]
People say that writing a dissertation can be a solitary, isolating task. Writing one during a pandemic when your only housemate is a dog can have you convinced your dog understands everything you say to him. Several months into the process might find you questioning whether life is even real because you have had such little human contact. I was nine or ten when I first considered getting a Ph.D. I’d just learned that although many women in the family had earned master’s degrees, only men had ever obtained doctoral degrees. When I met the man who would become my doctoral […]
Interviewed by Rachel RueckertHow did you first get involved in genealogy? What sparked the interest?It really started a few months after my mission. My dad, a photographer who had collected family photos since he was very young, called me one night to say he had just discovered the names of two ancestors written on the backs of their pictures (he had long since made copies of all his photos to preserve the originals and for the first time in years was handling the originals). Dad was so excited that I decided to go to the BYU library one evening after […]
My braids intertwine with my ancestors’ spirits from around the world, enlightening my pathway.
Editor’s Note: With the realities of Covid-19, wards found innovative ways to minister to their members. This issue’s Sabbath Pastoral appeared originally in the author’s ward newsletter. I am not sure when I began to feel like there was a difference between the dates and names that genealogists search for and the stories that bring family history to life. Perhaps it began when I watched my mother rescue family heirlooms my father and his family viewed as old junk. I now possess the steamer trunk my Great-grandmother Neill brought with her from England when she followed her only son to Utah […]
How did you decide to become an artist? My parents were very good at keeping art supplies on hand. To their dismay, I did not limit myself to crayons and paper; I remember making potions out of flowers, glue, shampoo, and anything that would mix well into my concoctions. Apparently, these supplies weren’t as cheap and expendable as paper, but the tactile properties of them always captured my attention. It has always been easy for me to get lost in thought. My imagination ruled. This limited my relationship with education, but if it was a hands-on experience or a challenge, my competitive […]
Salt Lake City, May 13, 1895 – Susan B. Anthony joins Emmeline Wells to advise young suffragettes on becoming “superiors in sagacity.” Afterwards, this restless set packs the 2:15 train and disembarks at The Great Saltair a mysteriously out-of-place boardwalk, fastened above the lake. The women begin to shed. Scattered across the boardwalk: laced corsets dainty socks hair pins feathered hats. Bare-skinned, the newly-minted sages catapult themselves into a tangerine skyline as they cannonball into the water together, holding hands and belly laughing. A sweeping, collective baptism casting a spell that stands unbroken over everything wild and sisterish in this, […]
Exponent II provides feminist forums for women and gender minorities across the Mormon spectrum to share their diverse life experiences in an atmosphere of trust and acceptance. Through these exchanges, we strive to create a community to better understand and support each other.