Historians tell us that Christmas in the United States and even the world was not celebrated much prior to Charles Dickens. They claim that the Puritans of Boston banned it and that it was “quite dead” in England of the 18th century. That is all false. While some evidence suggests Christmas was quite different it […]
In my world there are three seasons: baseball, Christmas and family history. These three things are a backdrop to my life as a husband, father, son, and grandfather. It might be a bit unfair to call them seasons because for me none of them really begin and end. I always seem to be engaged in […]
As the holiday season approaches I cannot help but think with great appreciation how much more significant Christmas and Thanksgiving are to me thanks what I have learned of our family history. I am especially grateful for those who left behind little memories of what these special days meant to them. The image above was […]
I have been troubled by something for quite a while. This week I finally did something about it. I released hundreds of names to the temple that I had held in reserve. Over the course of the past five years I have worked with family and my ward members to do the temple work for […]
All year long I’ve made reference to a video (or two) coming out about Albert Smith. It is still a work in progress. The challenge stems from what to include and what to leave out in telling of his story. Thanks to Albert’s journals and to a long life lived so close to events of […]