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Show - i - - Sc' Huvi is 1 m 4v;v ry:.iv. STORAGE VAULTS These $2 million storage vaults are man made caves used to preserve valuable genealogy records of ' families.' They were built by LDS Church. People Searching for 'Family Roots7 iir:iL n 1.: C J ... . .. appreciation and gratitude for the privilege of being born in this choice land. As Alex Haley, the famous author of "Roots" has said, "the most powerful investment in-vestment anyone can make is an investment in a human being." In the process of his search Haley blessed all of this nation with a better understanding un-derstanding of its past. And so it is with any individual who becomes involved in this work. With attention focused on the Family during Utah Valley Family Month, it is interesting to note that some people in our Community are consistent in researching their family "Roots." In a recent interview, it was discovered that a number of ladies who were making individual in-dividual efforts, organized a research group and attended Genealogogical Library sessions weekly together. According to Clyone Lowe, a member of the group, we learn, "There are many reasons people find excitement ex-citement and challenge in genealogy, and each is motivated differently. Perhaps it is a hobby for some, a desire to trace a family tree or prepare a family history. For others, it is fulfilling a religious obligation." A national survey shows that in the last 10 years Genealogy has become the nation's third largest hobby. It becomes addictive because it satisfies a basic curiousity about where we come from and everybody has that curiosity. Bea Adams, another of the group stated, "There is such a thrill as you look through old ward records of Pleasant Grove and find the records of loved ones. It is a satisfying feeling to be able to verify and document accurately events of their lives. It brings me closer to these people as I find out about their lives." Searching out one's distant dead relatives leads you through journals, certificates, documents and family Bibles in a search for names, dates, and places, discovering along the way if any of your "family" did anything interesting, in-teresting, important or exciting. ex-citing. It is often a shocking revelation to discover the personal events and experiences ex-periences of the past. Participants Par-ticipants enjoy the search through the musty hunting grounds of cemeteries, court houses, libraries and archives. "My genealogy pursuits have permitted me to become acquainted with some of my distant relatives who live in England through correspondence," stated Beulah Whiting. She continued, con-tinued, "Often my letters give me an opportunity indirectly to be a missionary by planting seeds as we correspond. I am a direct beneficiary of the vast microfilming program of the Genealogical Society as countries become more cooperative and realize the importance of record preservation. I receive records on film of births, deaths, and marriages that assist me in my extension . of family pedigrees." The LDS Church's keen interest began with the Church's founder, Joseph Smith, in the 1830's when he told his followers they should keep genealogy records in order to perform proxy temple work for ancestors so the dead could receive benefits of the Mormon religion in the hereafter. According to Theadbre Burton, President of the Genealogical Society it has spend more than $100 million gathering data since formed in 1894. Despite the staggering costs, the Church continues to offer its "do it yourself" facilities to the public, free, charging only for copying records and microfilm. Non-members are welcome as well as members. Barbara Larsen, who attends each week, told of visiting with a young girl from California, who is a chemist by profession. She spends her winter vacation at the library, and enjoys Utah skiing in between. Of the group's efforts, Barbara remarked, "We have all felt satisfaction as we meeet with success, but still understand that not always are we successful in our search for particular information., 1 But along the way we benefit from our search as knowledge and skills are developed." Other fringe benefits were listed by LaRue Walker as she talked of her participation. "We find that we gain a basic education in history, geography, paleography (handwriting) topography (map study) heraldry, languages, economic and social cultures of the world. You will agree that this is an interesting adventure into learning for everyone who engages in the work of tracing their heritage." Donna Brock said, "It gives me a greater opportunity op-portunity to identify with my family past, present and future. I think often our youth are seeking an identity, longing to identify with a hero figure. They have a great need to belong. This work of genealogy gives me this satisfying feeling." The group agrees it is an opportunity to escape the tensions of every day, by taking a day to go to Denmark, Den-mark, Germany, England or Scndinavia and relive the experiences of their ancestors. As they trace them to America, they feel a greater |