Why did Lamoni ask Ammon if he wanted to live among the Lamanites? Alma 17:22
This is my favorite story in the entire Book of Mormon. Ammon, a Nephite prince, is converted to the gospel of Jesus Christ and decides to go on a mission. He goes to the land of Ishmael to preach to the descendants of Ishmael who had become Lamanites. His father is really worried about him leaving, but the Lord promises his father, Mosiah, that they will be safe.
As soon as Ammon gets to the land of Ishmael, the Lamanites bind him (like they do all Nephites) and took him before the king. It was up to the king to decide what to do with him.
So Ammon is bound and at the mercy of King Lamoni, a descendant of Ishmael. He could easily choose to kill him, so why does he instead ask if Ammon wants to live among the Lamanites.
Maybe Lamoni was asking it in a scoffing way. Something like, "Haha, what's this? A Nephite? Does the poor wittol Nephite want to wiv wiff Lamanites?"
Or maybe Lamoni was confused, "What were you thinking? Did you really want to live with the Lamanites?"
Answer:
I don't know why he asked this, but it offered Ammon the perfect opportunity to respond:
"Yes! I want to live with this people for a while, and maybe even until the day I die."
Something about Ammon's response pleased Lamoni, who promptly loosed his bands and offers that tropey, predictable and utterly dehumanizing gift - the highest symbol of his pleasure and acceptance of Ammon, one of his daughters' hand in marriage. Seems likely she had no say in the matter, which disgusts me.
Ammon says, "Actually, I would like to be your servant."
And that's how it all begins.
Wednesday, September 25, 2019
Saturday, September 21, 2019
Why not? Helaman 3:14
Why not? Helaman 3:14
Mormon bemoans the fact that "a hundredth part of the proceedings of [the Nephites]... cannot be contained in this work."
He's a historian. He would deeply care about that not being achievable!
Answer:
It had to be short enough to be printable by Joseph Smith in the 1830's in a printing press in Palmyra. It had to be portable enough to carry as books across the world by missionaries from the 1830's to today. It had to be short enough that people would be able to think, "Hey, that's not too bad. I can read that." 531 pages in English is not too bad, especially considering that 20-30% of every page is footnotes.
Mormon bemoans the fact that "a hundredth part of the proceedings of [the Nephites]... cannot be contained in this work."
He's a historian. He would deeply care about that not being achievable!
Answer:
It had to be short enough to be printable by Joseph Smith in the 1830's in a printing press in Palmyra. It had to be portable enough to carry as books across the world by missionaries from the 1830's to today. It had to be short enough that people would be able to think, "Hey, that's not too bad. I can read that." 531 pages in English is not too bad, especially considering that 20-30% of every page is footnotes.
How do you "cleave unto the Lord [your] God"? Helaman 4:25
How do you "cleave unto the Lord [your] God"? Helaman 4:25
The Nephites start to lose to the Lamanites and realize that the only way to win this war is to "cleave unto the Lord their God." Basically, they realized that the only being mighty enough to save them was God. They had to give up their pride and "yoke" themselves with him.
Answer:
This is a personal question that people of faith (and all Christians, in my opinion) everywhere have to answer for themselves. The answer might look different from the outside at different points in one's life, but on the inside it's basically the same: you have a desire to do God's will. This means you have to try to pay attention and seek what that actually is, but also that when you figure out what it is, you have to trust that it will be the right thing to do. It is really hard. But the word cleave also suggests a deeply personal connection. It evokes an image of personal, tender, intimate closeness. I think we are supposed to try to develop this kind of a relationship with God.
It takes a lifetime.
The Nephites start to lose to the Lamanites and realize that the only way to win this war is to "cleave unto the Lord their God." Basically, they realized that the only being mighty enough to save them was God. They had to give up their pride and "yoke" themselves with him.
Answer:
This is a personal question that people of faith (and all Christians, in my opinion) everywhere have to answer for themselves. The answer might look different from the outside at different points in one's life, but on the inside it's basically the same: you have a desire to do God's will. This means you have to try to pay attention and seek what that actually is, but also that when you figure out what it is, you have to trust that it will be the right thing to do. It is really hard. But the word cleave also suggests a deeply personal connection. It evokes an image of personal, tender, intimate closeness. I think we are supposed to try to develop this kind of a relationship with God.
It takes a lifetime.
Why was Samuel the Lamanite able to prophecy this way? Helaman 13:3
Why was Samuel the Lamanite able to prophecy this way? Helaman 13:3
Samuel the Lamanite was given this amazing spiritual gift that allowed him to prophesy whatever was in his heart, because it would be the voice of the Lord.
Samuel had a really amazing spiritual gift that involved honing a uniquely special communication channel between himself and God. He was able to hear the voice of the Lord and convey it to the people. This spiritual gift is really impressive, and I wish I had it.
I'm sure that one reason Samuel was able to prophesy what was in his heart is because he was really good at keeping the bad stuff out of his heart, and listening to what God wanted him to say. His will was aligned with God's will.
Maybe Samuel had other challenges. Maybe, for example, he was a quiet, peaceful guy who didn't want to endure the conflict and shame that would be required of him by public preaching and prophesying.
Answer:
Because that's how God needed him to, both for the sake of the people being called to repentance, and also for Samuel's sake himself. God gives us special spiritual gifts for our own benefit, and also to benefit those around us. Oddly, or perhaps not so oddly, our weaknesses often turn out to be our greatest strengths when we turn to God for help. Maybe this was the case for Samuel, too.
Samuel the Lamanite was given this amazing spiritual gift that allowed him to prophesy whatever was in his heart, because it would be the voice of the Lord.
Samuel had a really amazing spiritual gift that involved honing a uniquely special communication channel between himself and God. He was able to hear the voice of the Lord and convey it to the people. This spiritual gift is really impressive, and I wish I had it.
I'm sure that one reason Samuel was able to prophesy what was in his heart is because he was really good at keeping the bad stuff out of his heart, and listening to what God wanted him to say. His will was aligned with God's will.
Maybe Samuel had other challenges. Maybe, for example, he was a quiet, peaceful guy who didn't want to endure the conflict and shame that would be required of him by public preaching and prophesying.
Answer:
Because that's how God needed him to, both for the sake of the people being called to repentance, and also for Samuel's sake himself. God gives us special spiritual gifts for our own benefit, and also to benefit those around us. Oddly, or perhaps not so oddly, our weaknesses often turn out to be our greatest strengths when we turn to God for help. Maybe this was the case for Samuel, too.
Why are we these things? Helaman 12:4
Why are we these things? Helaman 12:4
Why are we humans foolish, evil, devilish, quick to do iniquity, slow to do good, quick to listen and obey the devil, and quick to care about things that don't matter and don't last?
Why are we lifted up in pride, boastful, quick to sin, slow to remember the Lord, slow to listen and obey the Lord, and slow to walk in wisdom's paths?
Why don't we want the Lord, our Creator, to rule over us? Why do we set aside his counsels, and not allow him to guide us?
Why are we less than the dust of the earth - even the dust obeys! - why is obedience so hard?
I think that our physical limitations have something to do with it: we're in these carnal bodies that experience physical pain and physical lust and all kinds of other highly natural, but highly unspiritual, desires.
But I think there's more to it than just hating and shaming our physical bodies.
In short, the question is really a lot deeper. Something like, "Where does my desire to sin come from?" That is a theme throughout all the scriptures and the number one topic in Philosophy of Religion courses.
Answer:
I don't know.
Why are we humans foolish, evil, devilish, quick to do iniquity, slow to do good, quick to listen and obey the devil, and quick to care about things that don't matter and don't last?
Why are we lifted up in pride, boastful, quick to sin, slow to remember the Lord, slow to listen and obey the Lord, and slow to walk in wisdom's paths?
Why don't we want the Lord, our Creator, to rule over us? Why do we set aside his counsels, and not allow him to guide us?
Why are we less than the dust of the earth - even the dust obeys! - why is obedience so hard?
I think that our physical limitations have something to do with it: we're in these carnal bodies that experience physical pain and physical lust and all kinds of other highly natural, but highly unspiritual, desires.
But I think there's more to it than just hating and shaming our physical bodies.
In short, the question is really a lot deeper. Something like, "Where does my desire to sin come from?" That is a theme throughout all the scriptures and the number one topic in Philosophy of Religion courses.
Answer:
I don't know.
Were some of them previously baptized? Helaman 16:1
Were some of them previously baptized? Helaman 16:1
Samuel the Lamanite preaches to the wicked Nephites and gets a lot of converts wanting to be baptized. They look for Nephi II, confess their sins, and ask to be baptized.
It's highly possible and perhaps even likely that some of those people who repented had become so wicked that they would have been "cut off" from the church and needed to be rebaptized.
Answer:
Maybe.
Samuel the Lamanite preaches to the wicked Nephites and gets a lot of converts wanting to be baptized. They look for Nephi II, confess their sins, and ask to be baptized.
It's highly possible and perhaps even likely that some of those people who repented had become so wicked that they would have been "cut off" from the church and needed to be rebaptized.
Answer:
Maybe.
Why are pregnant and nursing women invoked? Helaman 15:2
Why are pregnant and nursing women invoked? Helaman 15:2
Again, I really think this is more of a symbol. A rhetorical device. It's not that pregnant and nursing women are being specifically cursed, but more that this is displaying the sheer importance of repentance to even these groups of people who can sometimes be considered "exempt" from normal activities.
Just, not repentance. Repentance is for all.
Again, I really think this is more of a symbol. A rhetorical device. It's not that pregnant and nursing women are being specifically cursed, but more that this is displaying the sheer importance of repentance to even these groups of people who can sometimes be considered "exempt" from normal activities.
Just, not repentance. Repentance is for all.
What are pregnant and nursing women a symbol of here? Helaman 15:2
What are pregnant and nursing women a symbol of here? Helaman 15:2
Several times throughout the scriptures the suckiness of being a nursing or pregnant mother during certain periods of great desolation and destruction is explicitly mentioned.
I've always scratched my head. Is God signaling these women out? I mean, it already sucks to be a nursing or pregnant mother. A lot. It seems supremely unfair to heap more misery onto them.
But I really do think that this is a symbol of some kind. I can't really think of what the symbol could be right now, but it might have to do with being vulnerable and somewhat innocent. I think nursing and pregnant mothers tend to have those qualities shared between them: we are caring for life at its most helpless stage when our bodies are incubators and milk machines. Helpless, and innocent. It's also a tremendous amount of sacrifice, more than I'd ever be able to explain with words. Even the worst mother shares the quality of "innocence" to some degree, by caring for that innocent life inside or directly attached to her.
Answer:
Maybe the verses mean that unless we repent, even our most vulnerable, most innocent people making the most sacrifices, will perish. Maybe it's just a metaphor to express an extreme level of contrast, and the sheer importance of repentance.
Several times throughout the scriptures the suckiness of being a nursing or pregnant mother during certain periods of great desolation and destruction is explicitly mentioned.
I've always scratched my head. Is God signaling these women out? I mean, it already sucks to be a nursing or pregnant mother. A lot. It seems supremely unfair to heap more misery onto them.
But I really do think that this is a symbol of some kind. I can't really think of what the symbol could be right now, but it might have to do with being vulnerable and somewhat innocent. I think nursing and pregnant mothers tend to have those qualities shared between them: we are caring for life at its most helpless stage when our bodies are incubators and milk machines. Helpless, and innocent. It's also a tremendous amount of sacrifice, more than I'd ever be able to explain with words. Even the worst mother shares the quality of "innocence" to some degree, by caring for that innocent life inside or directly attached to her.
Answer:
Maybe the verses mean that unless we repent, even our most vulnerable, most innocent people making the most sacrifices, will perish. Maybe it's just a metaphor to express an extreme level of contrast, and the sheer importance of repentance.
What must this have been like? Helaman 14:25
What must this have been like? Helaman 14:25
Samuel the Lamanite prophesies about how immediately after Jesus would die, the "graves shall be opened, and shall yield up many of their dead; and many saints shall appear unto many."
This is mentioned in Matthew 27:52-53.
Answer:
I think this must have been incredible to experience firsthand. Somewhere between terrifying and bursting with joy, to see that your loved ones really will live again. I look forward to the day when I can meet my own dead ancestors. That is something I really believe will happen.
Samuel the Lamanite prophesies about how immediately after Jesus would die, the "graves shall be opened, and shall yield up many of their dead; and many saints shall appear unto many."
This is mentioned in Matthew 27:52-53.
Answer:
I think this must have been incredible to experience firsthand. Somewhere between terrifying and bursting with joy, to see that your loved ones really will live again. I look forward to the day when I can meet my own dead ancestors. That is something I really believe will happen.
Here the Lord seems to be Heavenly Father? Helaman 14:15
Here the Lord seems to be Heavenly Father? Helaman 14:15
15 For behold, he surely must die that asalvation may come; yea, it behooveth him and becometh expedient that he bdieth, to bring to pass the cresurrection of the dead, that thereby men may be brought into the dpresence of the Lord.
Samuel gives a sign to the wicked Nephites, namely that Jesus Christ would come to the earth, die, and be resurrected.
Answer:
The "Lord" here could mean both Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. It's a theme that throughout the scriptures, it's not always clear which entity of the godhead is being described. That is done on purpose. It isn't an accident, and it isn't ambiguity, and it isn't possible to know exactly what was meant here by Samuel.
In fact, Jesus Christ's atonement allows us to return to live with both Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ, too. So it's kind of silly to worry to much about whether or not this verse is about the one or the other.
15 For behold, he surely must die that asalvation may come; yea, it behooveth him and becometh expedient that he bdieth, to bring to pass the cresurrection of the dead, that thereby men may be brought into the dpresence of the Lord.
Samuel gives a sign to the wicked Nephites, namely that Jesus Christ would come to the earth, die, and be resurrected.
Answer:
The "Lord" here could mean both Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. It's a theme that throughout the scriptures, it's not always clear which entity of the godhead is being described. That is done on purpose. It isn't an accident, and it isn't ambiguity, and it isn't possible to know exactly what was meant here by Samuel.
In fact, Jesus Christ's atonement allows us to return to live with both Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ, too. So it's kind of silly to worry to much about whether or not this verse is about the one or the other.
Why does Samuel prophecy this now? Helaman 13
Why does Samuel prophecy this now? Helaman 13
It puzzles me that Samuel prophesies to the wicked Nephites, calling them to repentance, 6 years before Jesus Christ was crucified and came to the American continent after he was resurrected.
But perhaps it shouldn't puzzle me too much. 6 years is enough time to repent. I bet that some people, perhaps the people who heard Samuel's prophesies and wrote them down, were able to repent and change their lives around in that time frame. Maybe God doesn't call prophets to cry repentance without giving the people to whom they preach a little bit of time to change.
Or maybe it just depends on the situation.
Answer:
Because that was what God wanted.
It puzzles me that Samuel prophesies to the wicked Nephites, calling them to repentance, 6 years before Jesus Christ was crucified and came to the American continent after he was resurrected.
But perhaps it shouldn't puzzle me too much. 6 years is enough time to repent. I bet that some people, perhaps the people who heard Samuel's prophesies and wrote them down, were able to repent and change their lives around in that time frame. Maybe God doesn't call prophets to cry repentance without giving the people to whom they preach a little bit of time to change.
Or maybe it just depends on the situation.
Answer:
Because that was what God wanted.
Who wrote Samuel's prophesying? Helaman 13:39
Who wrote Samuel's prophesying? Helaman 13:39
There's a long discourse included in the book of Helaman that seems to be directly quoting an ancient prophet named Samuel the Lamanite. I wanted to know how it came to be that we have those words. Somebody must have written them down. Was the hearer experiencing it firsthand? I don't know. Was it an abridgment? I also don't know, but I suspect not just because of the word choice with the first person pronouns.
Answer:
We don't know.
There's a long discourse included in the book of Helaman that seems to be directly quoting an ancient prophet named Samuel the Lamanite. I wanted to know how it came to be that we have those words. Somebody must have written them down. Was the hearer experiencing it firsthand? I don't know. Was it an abridgment? I also don't know, but I suspect not just because of the word choice with the first person pronouns.
Answer:
We don't know.
How do you "hide up treasures unto the Lord"? Helaman 13:19
How do you "hide up treasures unto the Lord"? Helaman 13:19
Samuel the Lamanite is prophesying to the people.
19 For I will, saith the Lord, that they shall hide up their atreasures unto me; and cursed be they who hide not up their treasures unto me; for none hideth up their treasures unto me save it be the righteous; and he that hideth not up his treasures unto me, cursed is he, and also the treasure, and none shall redeem it because of the curse of the land.
I am certain that this does not only refer to physical treasures like money and wealth, but also time, talents, our minds, and especially our hearts. I mean, honestly the Lord doesn't care much about the money and wealth; he doesn't need it. What he wants, what he really values, is us. Because he loves us.
Answer:
So how do we hide up our treasures to the Lord? I suppose that is a personal question. When you deposit money into a bank, or invest it somewhere, you're making a deliberate effort. You watch that money. You know what's happening to it, or at least, you should. You also don't go around proclaiming what you're doing, because that's a. weird and b. an invitation for thieves. I suppose it might be similar with our spiritual gifts and other things that we offer back to the Lord, even including not proclaiming what we're doing. In fact, that might be why there's that operative word "hide" here. We're not to go around boasting about how we are trying to serve God. We're to do it, but without expecting recognition or praise.
Samuel the Lamanite is prophesying to the people.
19 For I will, saith the Lord, that they shall hide up their atreasures unto me; and cursed be they who hide not up their treasures unto me; for none hideth up their treasures unto me save it be the righteous; and he that hideth not up his treasures unto me, cursed is he, and also the treasure, and none shall redeem it because of the curse of the land.
I am certain that this does not only refer to physical treasures like money and wealth, but also time, talents, our minds, and especially our hearts. I mean, honestly the Lord doesn't care much about the money and wealth; he doesn't need it. What he wants, what he really values, is us. Because he loves us.
Answer:
So how do we hide up our treasures to the Lord? I suppose that is a personal question. When you deposit money into a bank, or invest it somewhere, you're making a deliberate effort. You watch that money. You know what's happening to it, or at least, you should. You also don't go around proclaiming what you're doing, because that's a. weird and b. an invitation for thieves. I suppose it might be similar with our spiritual gifts and other things that we offer back to the Lord, even including not proclaiming what we're doing. In fact, that might be why there's that operative word "hide" here. We're not to go around boasting about how we are trying to serve God. We're to do it, but without expecting recognition or praise.
Why does Nephi II think so much about curses? Helaman 12:18-21
Why does Nephi II think so much about curses? Helaman 12:18-21
In these verses, there's a lot of discussion about physical curses. Like, how stuff can be cursed to be hidden.
I think the key is that Nephi II isn't the one thinking about this. It's Mormon, the great historian/abridger of the Book of Mormon, who is inserting his commentary in these verses. And the reason why he would have cared about the physical curses is because it was his own experience, as he recounts later in Mormon 1:18-19.
In these verses, there's a lot of discussion about physical curses. Like, how stuff can be cursed to be hidden.
I think the key is that Nephi II isn't the one thinking about this. It's Mormon, the great historian/abridger of the Book of Mormon, who is inserting his commentary in these verses. And the reason why he would have cared about the physical curses is because it was his own experience, as he recounts later in Mormon 1:18-19.
What are "wisdom's paths?" Helaman 12:5
What are "wisdom's paths?" Helaman 12:5
Mormon inserts his own feelings as he abridges a record of people who lived hundreds of years before him. From his perspective and vantage point, he can see the unfurling of history and a lot of things are clear.
For one, it's clear to him how foolish, vain, evil, devilish, quick to do iniquity and slow to do good are the children of men. He sees that people listen and obey the words of the devil and long for vain things of the world that will not last. People become lifted up in pride, boastful, and sinful. They are slow to remember Jesus Christ, to listen to his teachings, and also slow to "walk in wisdom's paths."
What are these "paths"?
In the last 5 years a phrase has come up very often in church discourse: "the covenant path." Basically, our covenants start with baptism and continue from there. I think drawing a parallel between "wisdom's paths" and the "covenant path" is kind of obvious.
I think it's possible to be walking on "wisdom's paths" without being on the "covenant path", though. Many, many good people exist who have not made covenants with God, or maybe don't even recognize his existence at all. It's not like keeping basic commandments is only for covenant-makers. Actually, a huuuuge amount of the commandments, especially those pertaining to our temporal well-being, have lots of empirical evidence backing them up. If you don't smoke, you're going to be blessed for keeping that commandment whether or not you believe it's a commandment. It's an area where the covenant path and wisdom's paths align.
I wonder if the covenant path ever strays from "wisdom's paths." I think it's possible, especially when we're asked to do what seems like crazy, ludicrous things. You know, like Abraham sacrificing Isaac on an altar type things. But that's for another day.
Mormon inserts his own feelings as he abridges a record of people who lived hundreds of years before him. From his perspective and vantage point, he can see the unfurling of history and a lot of things are clear.
For one, it's clear to him how foolish, vain, evil, devilish, quick to do iniquity and slow to do good are the children of men. He sees that people listen and obey the words of the devil and long for vain things of the world that will not last. People become lifted up in pride, boastful, and sinful. They are slow to remember Jesus Christ, to listen to his teachings, and also slow to "walk in wisdom's paths."
What are these "paths"?
In the last 5 years a phrase has come up very often in church discourse: "the covenant path." Basically, our covenants start with baptism and continue from there. I think drawing a parallel between "wisdom's paths" and the "covenant path" is kind of obvious.
I think it's possible to be walking on "wisdom's paths" without being on the "covenant path", though. Many, many good people exist who have not made covenants with God, or maybe don't even recognize his existence at all. It's not like keeping basic commandments is only for covenant-makers. Actually, a huuuuge amount of the commandments, especially those pertaining to our temporal well-being, have lots of empirical evidence backing them up. If you don't smoke, you're going to be blessed for keeping that commandment whether or not you believe it's a commandment. It's an area where the covenant path and wisdom's paths align.
I wonder if the covenant path ever strays from "wisdom's paths." I think it's possible, especially when we're asked to do what seems like crazy, ludicrous things. You know, like Abraham sacrificing Isaac on an altar type things. But that's for another day.
Thursday, September 12, 2019
Researching My Scottish Latter-day Saints
I find myself lying here awake with a splitting headache. The rest of my body doesn't feel too bad. The song, "There are no cats in America" - or rather, just that line, is firmly stuck on repeat.
***
Yesterday I had such plans for how to use my time. They all got completely derailed.
We are getting our home refinanced. After the appraisers, who were very nice, left, I intended to go find and send in the rest of the paperwork, work on Czech, finish some stuff for my church calling, and write a short Python program that would basically be an overlap between two things I'm doing right now.
None of it happened because instead, I noticed that the Church History Library had granted me access to a digitized register of early church members in Scotland. The part I cared about was ca 1850-1875.
It was fascinating.
"Sorry my ancestors were poking you, Kate!"
Danny and I have been researching his fifth great grandfather's family. One of his sons did not emigrate to Utah (cough cough well it was really Wyoming but on the border) with the rest of the children. He stayed in Scotland, married, had eleven children. All of them need temple work.
We have found 7/11 of the children. 4 sons have been very difficult to track, what with names like George, William, James, and John Wilson.
George Wilson, the grandfather of those missing sons, was the branch president of the Motherwell Branch, emigrating ca 1875 (not sure the exact date), which is rather late for someone baptized in 1852. But he was running the branch. I saw that the branch records existed and requested to view them. I didn't think they'd let me, since I was sure they contain excommunication records. Those are usually private.
They did, and they did!
And they were *fascinating* to me. I spent hours pouring through the records.
The first thing I noticed was how superior they were to records made in the United States during a similar time period of the church. I have the Brigham City ward's church records, also with excommunications (and the reasons for them!), on microfilm. I found a list of people who owed money to the perpetual emigration fund, and it included one of my ancestors. I shared this treasure with the church history department people and they were able to use it to cite a bunch of people in the Early Overland Pioneer database. You'd be surprised how many pioneers don't have real evidence to prove they really were pioneers!
I've also accessed early church records from Nauvoo on microfilm in the familysearch special collections room. My impression of early church records was, "What in the world?! My Czechs kept way, wayyyyyyyyy better records." The pages were torn and hard to read. Information was missing or illegible. A lot of the Nauvoo records were 1850's reconstructions of 1840's events. And they weren't available to view easily, which feels frustratingly ironic because of the fact that the church is the gatekeeper to the genealogy of so much of the world. Just not to ourselves, apparently.
And I get it. Sealings, especially early sealings, are not something that should be open. The early sealings are a mess. The early saints didn't have the same understanding that we do today about sealings.
This Scottish register was nothing like either of these records. It was neat, orderly, organized, legible, and contained a TON of information: a list of members with name, birthdate, birthplace, name of father, residence, date baptized and by whom, date confirmed and by whom, and notes (emigrated, removed (ie moved), cut off, died). A list of all priesthood holders, their names, offices, dates called. A list of infants blessed with birthdate, birthplace, both parents' names, date blessed, who blessed them. A list of people who married in the branch, including birthdates, both their parents, who married them and where. A list of people who died including their cause of death. A tallied up demographic sheet of how many people joined the church, moved into or out of the conference (church was organized a bit differently then), emigrated, were cut off, or "scattered" (maybe this means they were just "missing"?). The branch kept growing steadily but shrinking steadily, too, with emigrants leaving.
George Wilson was on every page. He was the branch president starting in December 1867. He also baptized about 20% of all the members there.
James Wilson, his son who stayed, became much more interesting after looking at this register. Here are the facts, which basically just lead to all kinds of other questions:
Everything, except what's noted, happens in Motherwell, Lanarkshire, Scotland.
1850 his mom is baptized
1852 his dad is baptized
1855 he and his older sister Isabella are baptized. He is 11 and the oldest son.
26 September 1866 - government records say he was married to Jessie Robertson in Irvine, Ayrshire.
15 October 1866 - James is "cut off" from the church
March 1867 James and Jessie's first child is born in a town next to Irvine, Ayrshire. There are 25.5 weeks between when they got married and when the baby is born. Since the baby lived to adulthood (we can't find him after he's sentenced to a few months in prison for stealing some chickens), he was conceived out of wedlock. Babies that premature would not survive if born in that time and place.
December 1867 - George Wilson the father is called as the branch president.
February 1868 James and his wife Janet Robertson (Janet and Jessie are synonymous in Scottish. Weeeeeeeeird) are baptized by James Bruce, Isabella's husband. The same day, their baby George is blessed.
1869 - their baby Martha is blessed. She was born in Ayrshire as well.
1871? - James Bruce and his family emigrate to Utah (cough Wyoming)
1872 - their third baby is not blessed, at least in the Holytown Branch. I should check the Irvine branch records, which are included in this 450+ page collection I have access to for the next month. It would be unlikely for them to have gone to church in Irvine. The third+ children were born in Motherwell, I think. I should check that.
One of the family histories alludes to James not emigrating because his wife Jessie didn't want to. There could be a lot of reasons why they didn't emigrate.
Clearly, the family stopped going to church, since they stopped having their babies blessed at church.
Clearly, James Bruce (and Isabella, the older sister) were involved somehow when James returned to the church.
Clearly, for some reason at one point in time, James did want to return to the church. It may have been mostly for social reasons, or perhaps he felt truly converted. I don't know. I his wife also joined the church, which none of us knew before.
The contrast in quality of these records is a testament to me of the actual roughness of the conditions of the saints in Ohio, Missouri, Illinois, Iowa, and Utah. It causes me to understand much better how frontier-ish the frontier really was. Glasgow was a way, wayyyyyyyyy more "civilized" part of the planet at the time. It shows.
What is the same today as it was back then: families sometimes got torn in half by decisions to stay or leave the church. It is not different today. The only difference is that, with some 180+ years perspective, it's easy to feel compassion and love for all of them. For the father whose eldest son apparently fell into activity. For the son who had to have a shotgun wedding with his knocked up girlfriend and, most likely as a consequence of that, was "cut off" from the church (maybe to protect the church's name? Maybe because he was unrepentant? Maybe because of a lot of things. Many questions...). For the mother who never saw her son, daughter in law, and their eleven children again after she emigrated. The facts without their connection to the emotionally distracting details make it so easy to really feel a strong sense of love towards these people.
I discovered that James's younger sister Elizabeth died of pulmonary tuberculosis at age 22 in 1872 (this was wrong in familysearch - they said she died as an infant, but gave no death date. I fixed it). Civil records show she had this terrible disease for a year. Maybe the death of his sister was devastating to James's faith. Maybe he was expecting a miracle.
Yes, these ancestors have been "poking" me, indeed. So far I've found 7 names that need temple work on this side of the family since we've been working on this about once/week for the past two months. This is kind of laughable, compared to the Czech side. But for Danny's side, it's quite impressive.
Piecing together their story is even more valuable and meaningful. It's part of our story, too.
James and Jessie had 11 children. Their children wrote tributes of love to them in the newspaper. These people were good, and I love them.
***
Yesterday I had such plans for how to use my time. They all got completely derailed.
We are getting our home refinanced. After the appraisers, who were very nice, left, I intended to go find and send in the rest of the paperwork, work on Czech, finish some stuff for my church calling, and write a short Python program that would basically be an overlap between two things I'm doing right now.
None of it happened because instead, I noticed that the Church History Library had granted me access to a digitized register of early church members in Scotland. The part I cared about was ca 1850-1875.
It was fascinating.
"Sorry my ancestors were poking you, Kate!"
Danny and I have been researching his fifth great grandfather's family. One of his sons did not emigrate to Utah (cough cough well it was really Wyoming but on the border) with the rest of the children. He stayed in Scotland, married, had eleven children. All of them need temple work.
We have found 7/11 of the children. 4 sons have been very difficult to track, what with names like George, William, James, and John Wilson.
George Wilson, the grandfather of those missing sons, was the branch president of the Motherwell Branch, emigrating ca 1875 (not sure the exact date), which is rather late for someone baptized in 1852. But he was running the branch. I saw that the branch records existed and requested to view them. I didn't think they'd let me, since I was sure they contain excommunication records. Those are usually private.
They did, and they did!
And they were *fascinating* to me. I spent hours pouring through the records.
The first thing I noticed was how superior they were to records made in the United States during a similar time period of the church. I have the Brigham City ward's church records, also with excommunications (and the reasons for them!), on microfilm. I found a list of people who owed money to the perpetual emigration fund, and it included one of my ancestors. I shared this treasure with the church history department people and they were able to use it to cite a bunch of people in the Early Overland Pioneer database. You'd be surprised how many pioneers don't have real evidence to prove they really were pioneers!
I've also accessed early church records from Nauvoo on microfilm in the familysearch special collections room. My impression of early church records was, "What in the world?! My Czechs kept way, wayyyyyyyyy better records." The pages were torn and hard to read. Information was missing or illegible. A lot of the Nauvoo records were 1850's reconstructions of 1840's events. And they weren't available to view easily, which feels frustratingly ironic because of the fact that the church is the gatekeeper to the genealogy of so much of the world. Just not to ourselves, apparently.
And I get it. Sealings, especially early sealings, are not something that should be open. The early sealings are a mess. The early saints didn't have the same understanding that we do today about sealings.
This Scottish register was nothing like either of these records. It was neat, orderly, organized, legible, and contained a TON of information: a list of members with name, birthdate, birthplace, name of father, residence, date baptized and by whom, date confirmed and by whom, and notes (emigrated, removed (ie moved), cut off, died). A list of all priesthood holders, their names, offices, dates called. A list of infants blessed with birthdate, birthplace, both parents' names, date blessed, who blessed them. A list of people who married in the branch, including birthdates, both their parents, who married them and where. A list of people who died including their cause of death. A tallied up demographic sheet of how many people joined the church, moved into or out of the conference (church was organized a bit differently then), emigrated, were cut off, or "scattered" (maybe this means they were just "missing"?). The branch kept growing steadily but shrinking steadily, too, with emigrants leaving.
George Wilson was on every page. He was the branch president starting in December 1867. He also baptized about 20% of all the members there.
James Wilson, his son who stayed, became much more interesting after looking at this register. Here are the facts, which basically just lead to all kinds of other questions:
Everything, except what's noted, happens in Motherwell, Lanarkshire, Scotland.
1850 his mom is baptized
1852 his dad is baptized
1855 he and his older sister Isabella are baptized. He is 11 and the oldest son.
26 September 1866 - government records say he was married to Jessie Robertson in Irvine, Ayrshire.
15 October 1866 - James is "cut off" from the church
March 1867 James and Jessie's first child is born in a town next to Irvine, Ayrshire. There are 25.5 weeks between when they got married and when the baby is born. Since the baby lived to adulthood (we can't find him after he's sentenced to a few months in prison for stealing some chickens), he was conceived out of wedlock. Babies that premature would not survive if born in that time and place.
December 1867 - George Wilson the father is called as the branch president.
February 1868 James and his wife Janet Robertson (Janet and Jessie are synonymous in Scottish. Weeeeeeeeird) are baptized by James Bruce, Isabella's husband. The same day, their baby George is blessed.
1869 - their baby Martha is blessed. She was born in Ayrshire as well.
1871? - James Bruce and his family emigrate to Utah (cough Wyoming)
1872 - their third baby is not blessed, at least in the Holytown Branch. I should check the Irvine branch records, which are included in this 450+ page collection I have access to for the next month. It would be unlikely for them to have gone to church in Irvine. The third+ children were born in Motherwell, I think. I should check that.
One of the family histories alludes to James not emigrating because his wife Jessie didn't want to. There could be a lot of reasons why they didn't emigrate.
Clearly, the family stopped going to church, since they stopped having their babies blessed at church.
Clearly, James Bruce (and Isabella, the older sister) were involved somehow when James returned to the church.
Clearly, for some reason at one point in time, James did want to return to the church. It may have been mostly for social reasons, or perhaps he felt truly converted. I don't know. I his wife also joined the church, which none of us knew before.
The contrast in quality of these records is a testament to me of the actual roughness of the conditions of the saints in Ohio, Missouri, Illinois, Iowa, and Utah. It causes me to understand much better how frontier-ish the frontier really was. Glasgow was a way, wayyyyyyyyy more "civilized" part of the planet at the time. It shows.
What is the same today as it was back then: families sometimes got torn in half by decisions to stay or leave the church. It is not different today. The only difference is that, with some 180+ years perspective, it's easy to feel compassion and love for all of them. For the father whose eldest son apparently fell into activity. For the son who had to have a shotgun wedding with his knocked up girlfriend and, most likely as a consequence of that, was "cut off" from the church (maybe to protect the church's name? Maybe because he was unrepentant? Maybe because of a lot of things. Many questions...). For the mother who never saw her son, daughter in law, and their eleven children again after she emigrated. The facts without their connection to the emotionally distracting details make it so easy to really feel a strong sense of love towards these people.
I discovered that James's younger sister Elizabeth died of pulmonary tuberculosis at age 22 in 1872 (this was wrong in familysearch - they said she died as an infant, but gave no death date. I fixed it). Civil records show she had this terrible disease for a year. Maybe the death of his sister was devastating to James's faith. Maybe he was expecting a miracle.
Yes, these ancestors have been "poking" me, indeed. So far I've found 7 names that need temple work on this side of the family since we've been working on this about once/week for the past two months. This is kind of laughable, compared to the Czech side. But for Danny's side, it's quite impressive.
Piecing together their story is even more valuable and meaningful. It's part of our story, too.
James and Jessie had 11 children. Their children wrote tributes of love to them in the newspaper. These people were good, and I love them.
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