Author: Jeff Westover

True Love and Plural Marriage

Jeff Westover 19th Century, Family History 0 Comment
True Love and Plural Marriage

It is the time of year when my mind wanders to the beautiful cemeteries of Cache Valley. In the years I have lived here I have learned to love these sacred places and the memories of those who rest in peace here. I logged on to Family Search this week not expecting to learn of another family member buried nearby. My feed on Family Search showcased newly uploaded photos of one Anna Clark Hale, who rests now in the cemetery in Preston, Idaho – just about 20 miles north of where I now reside. But is she really family? Well,Click to continue…

The Power of Example

Jeff Westover 20th Century, Family History , 0 Comment
The Power of Example

(Note: The best of family history comes from stories. It is a rich blessing to have stories come from others and the story below is a great example of that. Written by Carma Baldwin Carlson this story is a quick telling of a period of time in the lives of Leon and Darryl Westover. It is outstanding insight into both their relationship as brothers and in their characters as men.) The original Concord, California ward was organized in the very early 1950s. This ward was composed of a lot of young families just getting started in life with not aClick to continue…

Becoming a Great Ancestor

Jeff Westover Family History 0 Comment
Becoming a Great Ancestor

The image here of my family is now ten years old. I had no idea when we took this picture that it would come to represent the end of an era for my family. The picture was taken the day our eldest daughter left for her mission. Sandy and I were 45 years old. In the ten years since life has dramatically changed for us all. We should have better anticipated that. But if you had asked me then to predict what ten years would bring in the lives of everyone in that picture I would have never been ableClick to continue…

The Voice of Arnold Westover

Jeff Westover 20th Century, Family History 0 Comment
The Voice of Arnold Westover

Several weeks ago Kevin Cook shared a real gem on FamilySearch: a voice recording of Arnold Westover. I am not certain how old the recording is or exactly when it was made. But in the 19 minute clip below you can hear Grandpa Arnold talk of family history, including small bits of information about his parents and grandparents. This clip is exactly as it was shared on FamilySearch save some minor editing done to reduce the noise level and improve the audio quality. While there is not any information in this audio clip that we do not know — inClick to continue…

A Vision for Rootstech

Jeff Westover 21st Century, Doing Family History, Family History, Journey of Discovery 0 Comment
A Vision for Rootstech

Is anyone out there going to Rootstech this year? Rootstech is the world’s largest convention dedicated to family history. From all over the world people gather to learn more about family history research and to connected with resources, vendors and experts related to geneaology. It is held every winter in Salt Lake City, Utah and now another event is planned for the fall of 2019 in London. Rootstech is not cheap. It costs about $200 for entry to the four day event, although it is quite easy to score free tickets for the usual Family Discovery Day offered on theClick to continue…