One of the people we met
at the fitness center is a lady about our age whose husband suffers some from dementia.
She was also a college roommate with one of the members of our branch who is
suffering health problems. We had asked her early on if she would like to learn
more of our church. She declined and said she is Catholic; however we always
visit with her at the fitness center. Sister Anderson is actually very good to
visit with everyone who comes to the fitness center. We had put up a little
family history brochure on a bulletin board at the fitness center. Last week as
this lady was leaving, I noticed her looking at our brochure. I let her know we had
placed that there and mentioned that one of the things we have done while out
here on the mission is help people with their family history. I offered to help
her and she accepted. I gave her a blank family history pedigree chart to fill out,
this was on a Friday. When we attended church on Sunday, the branch member who
was the college roommate of this fitness center friend said that this fitness
friend was thinking about inviting us to lunch.
On Monday when we went
to the fitness center we talked with her and she forgot to bring her pedigree
chart. I mentioned we could stop by her house and pick it up. It turns out that
she lives in a large old farm house with acreage outside of town. The house was
built in the early 1900’s and I suspect would have been considered a mansion at
the time. She mentioned it was part of some people’s estate back in the day.
She gave us a tour of the house and it really was a neat old house with wide
oak trim around all the doors and windows and an original oak railing along the
stairs to the second floor. We had a nice visit and I am working on her family
history. I find that often for someone around our age, I only have to go back
one or two generations and then I can typically find a family tree either in
family search or Ancestry that has already been pretty thoroughly researched. I
can then attach or link up those trees and print off a fan chart for them and
they are usually impressed and it really doesn't take very long.
