On a family trip in 1985, the spirit of Elijah caused us to make an unscheduled visit to Lester, an elderly first cousin of my father near London, Ontario. Knowing he was keeper of nearly 100 years of family records collected by his mother, we told him of our interest in the family history and offered to be the future keeper of the family records.
In 1988, while we were going to a family reunion in the same area, my father, 89, requested we briefly visit Lester, now his only living cousin.As we were leaving, Lester asked us to wait a moment. He left and returned with a large box and long packing tube. From the tube he removed a 60-year-old "family tree," dating back to the mid-1700s.
Lester discussed its family value and returned it to the tube. He then handed it to me, along with the yet unopened box, and said, "They're yours; keep them or throw them out."
I placed both items in the car and we left.
Next morning I opened the box. It contained a large family album, very old and very delicate. Tears began to flow, lightly then heavily. I couldn't believe my eyes: newspaper clippings of obituaries, funeral notices, wedding announcements, family reunions, a 1902 will and letters dating from 1887. A golden box of family history gems had been given to me.
In 1991 I opened the box again for a closer reading. Again tears flowed, and a sense of thinness of the veil prevailed over me. It was time to organize this golden box.
I began copying these gems of family history into the note files of my Personal Ancestral File (the Church-published software for home computers). Soon, more than 300 new names were added.
Many of the obituaries were of family members who had migrated the length and breadth of this continent. I was touched by their spirit that caused them to pioneer and settle this continent. But most important I found them and recorded them.
The spirit of Elijah has worked miracles with these ancestors through the generations. They made and kept records until this day when the door to heaven's highest kingdom would be opened to them. The records were there in this golden box that Lester was going to throw out had we not happened to stop by. - Donald S. Conkey, Atlanta (Ga.) Ward
(Another in a series of "Family History Moments." Illustration by Deseret News artist Reed McGregor.)