History and Location No one can confirm for sure, but The World War II Honor Roll for Grace Episcopal Church is thought to be a blank template document that the Episcopal Diocese sent to the local parishes as a way to bolster patriotic and spiritual pride during the war effort. There is no date attached…
The #RootsTech 2019 excitement is beginning! Registration opens in just SIX DAYS on September 20th for the largest family history conference happening February 27–March 2, 2019, in Salt Lake City, Utah. I am thrilled and honored to have been asked back to be an official RootsTech Ambassador. I’ll be giving a free pass away to RootsTech…
David Shrum left Virginia in 1855 to mine gold in Grass Valley, California. In September 1858 he wrote back home to his brother, Orlando, who is my second great-grandfather. Sadly, David was crushed in a mining accident in 1861 and died several days later. I’ve been sharing David’s letter to Orlando here in several posts. Start…
While my second great-grandfather, Orlando Shrum, was a young man living in Shenandoah County, Virginia with his parents and siblings in September of 1858, he received a letter from his older brother David, who lived in Grass Valley, California. David had set out a few years earlier to find his fortune in gold mining. I’ve…
When I read we had a gold miner in the family, I thought it couldn’t possibly true. We aren’t exactly the adventurous type in this family. I don’t even like amusement park rides anymore because they make me woozy. But there he was, David Shrum, staring back at me from a book my grandmother had…
This is my third year going to RootsTech in Salt Lake City, so I feel like I have a pretty good handle on the overall experience. But this is my first time as an Official Ambassador, which is a thrilling addition and requires some extra planning. Part of what I’m expected to do as an…