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How Finding My Ancestors Strengthened My Faith

How Finding My Ancestors Strengthened My Faith

Last updated on: July 30, 2025 at 5:13 pm by Abby Christianson

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How Finding My Ancestors Strengthened My Faith 2025-07-30T17:13:43-06:00 Abby Christianson

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Image by gogogoff from Pixabay

Pioneer Wagons Image by Pixabay.com- Wagons just like my ancestors used.

Editor’s Note: This article is written in conjunction with RootsTech’s “World’s Largest Family Discovery Event,” which will be held March 6-8. Learn more about it here. Family Search, which is sponsoring the event, invites anyone who is interested in researching their family history to participate in free online sessions.

I’ve been a member of the church my whole life. As I was growing up, my ancestors were just stories. But then a few years ago we moved to Utah for my husband’s job, and I stumbled across an entire graveyard of my ancestors one day as we were looking for a car wash. It was surreal! There were the names of people I had heard stories about, written on headstones in an unassuming plot of land in Bountiful Utah.

Finding My Ancestors

Daniel Wood image from FamilySearch.org

Daniel Wood

It motivated me to start learning about where I came from. And now I feel a deep connection to this place that I’ve never felt before. When I was growing up my family moved every 5 years or so. I’ve lived in 7 different states, and I never really felt like I was home.

But the day I found that graveyard with my ancestors’ names on the stones, suddenly I felt connected to something. My relatives had lived and died here. They had faced huge challenges, and had great faith, in coming to this place.

I started looking for information about them, so I could learn their stories. One great-something grandfather was Daniel Wood. He is the one Wood’s Cross Utah is named after. Daniel Wood lived to be 92 back in the 1800s when the average lifespan was far lower than that. He was a farmer, and a prosperous one.

There is a story that he went on a trip and came home and the railroad had come into town, placing their tracks directly between his house and his barn. They had built right through his land without his permission. He was pretty upset, but the tracks are there to this day. So if you’re taking the Frontrunner, you get to travel over my great grandpa’s land.

Discovering their stories

Then we were on a road trip this last summer and stopped in Nauvoo Illinois. On a whim, I stopped in the Visitors center to see if I had any relatives who had lived in old Nauvoo. We hit the jackpot!

Both my husband and I had relatives who were there. And when we were visiting I even got to stop in the reconstructed shop of my cobbler (shoemaker) ancestor. The sister missionaries there shared the stories of faith these wonderful people recorded. It was truly moving.

Image by gogogoff from Pixabay

Nauvoo Temple reconstructed in 2002

The story goes that this cobbler and his wife moved to Nauvoo, but were not members of the church. They had a baby boy who became very ill.

And they heard about Joseph Smith who had healed many people with priesthood blessings. So they called upon Joseph to ask him to heal their baby boy. And after being near death, this child was healed overnight.

Miracles

They were overjoyed and joined the church right away. Sadly, a year later this baby boy got sick again. But this time the Lord wanted to call him home. His grave is still there behind the cobbler’s shop.

And we got to go see it. But his parents were faithful members of the church for the rest of their lives. And they went on to have many more children.

I’ve loved getting to know the stories about my ancestors. They had such faith and lived in truly difficult times. I haven’t faced challenges nearly as tragic as they did. And knowing they kept the faith and kept moving forward, gives me strength to do the same.

RootsTech is coming up in a matter of days. It’s a fantastic opportunity to learn more about our ancestors, and you can attend for FREE online! I hear 20,000 people are planning to attend in person too, so it will be an event to remember. And I’ve looked at the list of speakers and there are some amazing ones. I’ve already planned out 5 that I simply must see.

RootsTech

You should check it out. RootsTech is a place to learn, be inspired, and make connections through family history. Hosted by Family Search, RootsTech offers expert classes, tips, and inspiring stories to help you experience family history like never before.

Check out the FREE online conference, billed as “The World’s Largest Family Discovery Event.” They also have a great on-demand learning library if you want to check it out before, during, or after the event. And there are some fun interactive games online. I did the look-alike game and got a good laugh.

As I’ve gotten to know my ancestors I have even discovered distant cousins who live nearby. My one cousin even shared a book she had written about one of my great-grandmother’s life. She compiled journals and pictures and even printed copies for the extended family. I feel blessed to have a copy.

As I do family history, and find the stories about these people, what were once just names come to life. I’m learning that my artistic flare came from my Grandmother. And my blue eyes are a family trait that even my distant cousins share. The most wonderful discovery has been how many generations had the faith to move mountains. I want to be like that, unshakable in my faith, and an example for future generations.

Come join us at RootsTech, see where you come from, and learn about your ancestors. I’m sure you have inspiring stories in your past that are just waiting to be discovered.

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