Introduction

On this blog and in this project, I will be studying the stories of some of my ancestors and using what I learn to understand the events surrounding church history. At the same time, I hope to build my own testimony of both family history work and the truthfulness of the restoration of the gospel while feeling more connected to my family. This means that my project will pursue both the spiritual and application portion of the course outcome. However, I will be focusing on applying the stories I learn. This will help me learn to see the historical events surrounding the restoration through the eyes of people who actually lived through it.

Because the history of the church is a broad topic, my project will fall under a couple of the topics discussed in the class. However, I will mostly be discussing chapters 10, 11 and 13. (Temple and endowment, Eternal Marriage and polygamy, and Official Declarations and Continuing Revelation.)

Four Generations of the Gerard Men.
My Father, his Father, and so on. 

This project is important to me because it allows me to connect with my ancestors and really see the things that made them join and subsequently stay in the church, despite incredibly hard times. I have always been very interested in my ancestors and the lives they lived. Having the opportunity to take a closer look at the experiences that they went through is a wonderful blessing. Being able to see their faithfulness is inspiring to me. Their stories help me have greater faith in the restoration of the gospel and of Heavenly Father's love. Even without taking these things into consideration, I think it is important for everyone to know where they came from.

Each post on this blog will study one ancestor of mine and their personal stories or experiences. I will do research in order to give context when necessary in order to better understand historical events surrounding the restoration. In my last blog post, I will connect the research I have made to my knowledge and testimony of the restoration and the gospel. I will also record my testimony of what I have learned and gained from this experience. The final product will be a collection of stories from my ancestors in the church that give insight into the historical events surrounding the restoration of the gospel. It will be something that can remind me of them and the devotion they had to the gospel.