Well, so far my "Book of Remembrance" has turned out to be more of what I've learned about family history.  I have included my favorite quotes, some ancestor stories and a small portion of my own life story. I'm not too comfortable about putting information out online that has too much personal information and so I don't have many pictures or anything like that however, I do have a testimony about Family History.

I have learned to love family history, there are so many aspects of it that we can all do something no matter our situation, even if it's just writing a sentence or two in a journal or diary. We don't have to do everything, another great thing that I've learned. I have found that my passion is more in gathering and writing histories and compiling them on my website for everybody to have. I also enjoy a little bit of research.

Through these last several months I've been trying to find birth information or family information on my great + grandfather, Timothy Kelly. As I've done the research I've found a contact that has helped me verify information that I have and also another contact who does genetic testing as part of their family history. He is helping me get some testing done on my Kelly line to see if he and I are related. I'm still in contact with both of them and am learning a great deal.

I will continue to add to this blog as I learn new and interesting things about genealogy.

New Website!

I just finished creating a new website called Who We Are. It is a collection of my family's family history. I created it so that my children, nieces, nephews, cousins... could all go to one spot and find stories about their ancestors. My hope is that this website will continue to grow. I plan on adding more histories throughout my life.

Family History Goals

 OK, so here are my goals for continuing with family history. I'm hoping this will make me more accountable.

My Dreams	Goals
---Goal 1--- Indexing	Daily: ·         --- Index at least 3-5 names per day ·         --- Pray for help reading the handwriting ·         --- Weekly: ·         --- Index at least 1 batch a week ·         --- ·         --- Deadline: --- 1 batch/week, 4 batches/month, 48 batches/year
---Goal 2--- Create Website to Gather Family Histories and post online for others	Daily: ·         --- Work on coding website at least 30 min. ·         --- Work on CSS ·         --- Format pics/pdfs Weekly: ·         --- Begin gathering histories of ancestors ·         --- Put histories/memorabilia online if possible ·          --- Deadlines: --- Have website up and running smoothly by Jan 1, 2013 http://whoweare.mandysimmons.net/home.php
---Goal 3— Find Family Names Do their work	Daily: ·         --- Pray for help on where to search ·         --- Read through e-mails, follow up on leads Weekly: ·         --- Sort through gathered information ·         --- Monthly: ·         --- Attend the temple Deadline: --- Until I die, then continue on the other side

Quotes on Family History

“I came into the world to do the will of my Father, because my Father sent me.”3 Nephi 27:13 When I read this I knew I this applied to me as well. The lord has a work for me to do here in this life and so with faith I must find out what that is and do it.

“Those who have died without the Gospel are continually afflicted by those evil spirits, who say to them – ‘Do not go to hear that man Joseph Smith preach, or David Patten, or any of their associates, for they are deceivers.’”  - Accomplishing the Redemption of the Dead I never realized that the evil spirits were still tempting those on the other side. I have wondered why people on the other side wouldn't except the Gospel, this clears that up in my mind. 

“Some members may feel guilty about not furthering the mission of the Church when they are actually doing so. This kind of guilt comes not from insufficient efforts, but from insufficient vision.” I have often felt this way, that I wasn't doing enough. I felt guilty for not attending the temple very often or for not being comfortable standing up and preaching the gospel to neighbors or friends. Now that I look at it I am still doing the work as I search for my ancestors, index, teach my children... I had insufficient vision.

“Do not run faster or labor more than you have strength and means provided to enable you to translate; but be diligent unto the end.” D&C 10:4 Keeping balance is difficult but essential to my sanity. The reminder is always needed.

Delwin Roy Fielding

Delwin Roy Fielding

By Mandy Simmons

            Delwin Roy Fielding was born August 18^th, 1928 to Roy Edmond Fielding and Ethel Marvel Soelberg. He was born in Shelley, Bingham, Idaho, USA. He attended Jameston Elmentary and then Shelley High School in 1943 where he met his lovely wife Marilyn Kelley during their seminary class as freshman. During their dating years, Delwin would ride his horse over to Marilyn’s house to visit on Sunday afternoons. Delwin had a friend that he would borrow a horse from that could pull an old horse drawn buggy and they would go for rides. He would then return home.

            His first real date with Marilyn was to take her to a movie at the Virginia movie theater there in Shelley. He also took her to a freshman dance before the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (the church they both belonged to) began to recommend to young people that they didn’t date before age 16. Marilyn was 14 years old. Delwin was a good dancer and loved to dance, especially the Jitter Bug. They would attend church sponsored dances on Saturday nights.

            Delwin attended the University in Logan, Utah and would hitch-hike to Provo, Utah where Marilyn was attending school. He usually informed her when he was coming but one day he decided to surprise her. When he reached her apartment she was out on a date with another guy. When she got home and the man left Delwin made himself known to her.

            Delwin proposed to Marilyn near the Shelley Cemetery one night when she was home from college. Though Delwin claimed that she proposed to him Marilyn states that he did indeed propose to her. From there they finished the semester they were in and were married for eternity on June 4^th, 1947 in the Idaho Falls LDS Temple. He then began farming his own land to support his family. They had 9 children, 4 boys and 5 girls. They moved to their home northwest of Firth around 1962 where they would finish raising their children. Their property bordered the Snake River on the East. Delwin lived in this home until he died of cancer on November 24^th, 2007. [1]

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[1] All information was taken from family records and an interview with his wife Marilyn

Vance Clifton Koon

Vance Clifton Koon

By: Mandy Simmons

            Vance Clifton Koon was born October 14, 1918 in Union, Madison, Idaho, USA. He grew up in and around Thornton, Idaho. At the age of 22 on February 7, 194 he married Eliza Elna Petersen. They were married in Lyman, Madison, Idaho. Vance and Elna had 8 children, 6 boys and 2 girls. They lived in a two story, four bedroom home on a farm. A small canal or slough ran through the property that his children and grandchildren still love to play and swim in. The slough is bordered by cattails.  On one side (the house side) of the slough in a small but beautiful apple orchard, the other side is farmland. He lived here until his death on January 14, 1979.

            Vance held many different jobs in his life including a soldier for the United States Army during WWII, a farmer, and running the boilers at Mammoth Hot Springs in Yellowstone National Park. He had a calm temperament but could have a temper. He loved his family and was a good example to them. Vance disapproved of breaking the law, bad language and lying. As punishment for bad behavior Vance would use a switch, stand the offending person(s) in the corner, or lecture them to try and teach them what was right and what he expected.

            A favorite pastime of Vance’s was to go fishing and hunting which he would include his children in. The celebrated holidays in true American fashion and ate their meals as a family around the dinner table. Meals would include pork ham, mutton, fish, homemade bread, and vegetables grown fresh from their garden. Some family traditions that Vance enjoyed was fishing together, farming with cousins and uncles, and having family get togethers (a tradition that continued with his children and their families). Vance encouraged his children to go to school to get an education. He was a Presbyterian and was a member of a small church in New Caledonia.[1]

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[1] All information was taken from family records and an interview with Bruce L. Koon, one of Vance’s sons.

The Research

 Timothy Kelley

I am currently trying to find any information on a man named Timothy Kelley. He is my great great..... grandfather. I am missing any information on his siblings and parents. I also have no idea where he was born. One website hints that he was born somewhere in Ireland so today I went to the family search wiki to find out a little bit about Ireland and here is a paragraph of what I learned:

Ireland is made up of two different countries, Northern Ireland, which is part of the United Kingdom, and the Republic of Ireland. When England began settling Ireland, they began to change Irish laws. One law forbade the Irish to use prefixes such as O' or Mac in their surnames for a time causing many in the same family to have different last names. However, they usually named their first born son after the father's father, the second son after the mother's father, the third son after the father and so on, they did this with the daughters as well starting with the Mother's mother. If my Great+ grandfather was born in Ireland I should be able to find out a grandfather or father's name.

Personal History

Creating a personal history is important for your posterity. It allows them to learn from you and to learn about you. It is a treasure to those who come after you. You may not feel that your life is important in the grand scheme of things but it is important to you and your family. Keeping a journal and writing a personal history helps to teach others and document sacred family experiences.

I love reading my ancestors stories and journals, I feel as though I know them as I read. It is just as important for us today to write down our histories and keep a journal as it was for them.

I have started my own personal history . It is only a beginning but has sacred memories of my life.