Happy Happy Birthday, Eliza Dear!

FamilySearch.org is not only vital in helping to complete the work of salvation for the dead, but is also a wonderful destination if you are looking to learn more about your ancestors. How they lived, what they enjoyed, their family photos, the ways in which they served the Lord - you can find all these and more on FamilySearch.

One feature shows the occupations of your ancestors in the year 1880, as recorded in the census from that year. I was casually browsing through that today when a name caught my eye. Or rather, the age, since it was so close to my own. Eliza Mauretta Thurston, age 14, occupation: at home. I clicked on her name, eager to learn more about Eliza's life and what kinds of things she had going on at my age.

The first thing I saw about her was that her birthday was January 14th!!! Happy birthday to my great-great-great-grandmother! :) I would like to pay her a small tribute and say thank-you for her example. I read her brief life story, as told by her daughter-in-law, and was amazed at what I learned. Eliza worked hard as a teenager and was frugal with the money she earned. At 18, she became the second wife to her older sister's husband at a time when polygamists were being hunted down and arrested by government officials. Immediately after her wedding, she became a refugee, moving from place to place. She lived on a ranch, in a granary, and several other less-than-ideal places in order to support and protect not only herself, but her husband. She sacrificed many things along the way, but never complained, for she knew she was doing what the Lord had asked. She was resourceful and persevering. From the time she was young, she dedicated most of her time to serving others - parents, neighbors, family, anyone. If there was someone who needed help, Eliza was there!

I am grateful for the examples of Eliza and others who went before me - who sacrificed for the Lord and the gospel and never lost faith. I am also grateful for the wonderful technology that enables us to learn these stories and find our kindred dead who need their ordinances done! I hope you will take advantage of these tools! There are so many incredible blessings promised to us when we are engaged in this work - read more here or here.

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If you aren't sure how to get started on family history work, or maybe need a little more motivation, check out Learning A Legacy! My cousin Lily is passionate about family history and about helping others work on theirs. She loves the stories of her ancestors and is an expert on the many different types of technology that are available to help us in our search for our family gone before. Happy searching!