Family History Moment
Package Deal
Package Deal
By R. Scott Lloyd@RScottLloyd1 Published: March 16, 2017 Updated: March 16, 2017
After joining the LDS Church in Wisconsin nearly 43 years ago at 18, I immediately became interested in researching my family history. I visited with my aged relatives and eventually completed much of my ancestors’ temple work.
During the early years of our marriage, we attended Church in a small branch in Platteville, Wisconsin. There we became friends with Glen and Joyce Alt. After living there for six years, we moved to Washington State and Glen and Joyce moved to Massachusetts.
Twenty-eight years later, with our never having . . .
After joining the LDS Church in Wisconsin nearly 43 years ago at 18, I immediately became interested in researching my family history. I visited with my aged relatives and eventually completed much of my ancestors’ temple work.
During the early years of our marriage, we attended Church in a small branch in Platteville, Wisconsin. There we became friends with Glen and Joyce Alt. After living there for six years, we moved to Washington State and Glen and Joyce moved to Massachusetts.
Twenty-eight years later, with our never having . . .
communicated with one another during that time, Glen messaged me on social media. The reason for the contact was to let me know that he had acquired some old pictures and a paper with names and dates of a family by the name of U’Ren from Blanchardville, Wisconsin. He learned after several years of searching for a family member that my maiden name was U’Ren.
It was truly a miracle how Glen acquired the pictures and names. His parents had purchased a box at a household auction for a few dollars in Dodgeville, Wisconsin, and the auctioneer added in another box with the pictures as a package deal. Glen’s mother, not a member of the Church, unable to explain why, put the pictures in a drawer. She mentioned them to her son and gave him the pictures. Compelled and driven, Glen spent the next three years trying to locate a family member that might want the pictures and information. While on vacation in Wisconsin, he happened to ask mutual friends of ours in our former Platteville Branch if they knew of any U’Rens. What a blessing that after 28 years they actually remembered my maiden name!
In October 2014, when I received the pictures and papers with names, dates and places, I discovered that they were my great-grandfather’s brother’s family. I discovered seven new families and 31 names which I didn’t have before. After checking in FamilySearch, I learned that temple work had been completed in previous years for some of them. In one of the families there was a daughter by the name of Dora missing. Most of her family’s temple work had been done, and I feel strongly that Dora along with the others on that paper wanted their temple work completed so they could be an eternal family.
These precious pictures and the paper were bought in the Midwest, given to Glen on the East Coast and then sent to me, a family member, on the West Coast of the United States who had the temple work completed. Considering the incredible preservation and journey of this valuable information, to me and my family this truly is a miracle. --
Glenda U’Ren Clyde, Connell 1st Ward, Pasco Washington North Stake
The LDS Church News is an official publication of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The publication's content supports the doctrines, principles and practices of the Church.
It was truly a miracle how Glen acquired the pictures and names. His parents had purchased a box at a household auction for a few dollars in Dodgeville, Wisconsin, and the auctioneer added in another box with the pictures as a package deal. Glen’s mother, not a member of the Church, unable to explain why, put the pictures in a drawer. She mentioned them to her son and gave him the pictures. Compelled and driven, Glen spent the next three years trying to locate a family member that might want the pictures and information. While on vacation in Wisconsin, he happened to ask mutual friends of ours in our former Platteville Branch if they knew of any U’Rens. What a blessing that after 28 years they actually remembered my maiden name!
In October 2014, when I received the pictures and papers with names, dates and places, I discovered that they were my great-grandfather’s brother’s family. I discovered seven new families and 31 names which I didn’t have before. After checking in FamilySearch, I learned that temple work had been completed in previous years for some of them. In one of the families there was a daughter by the name of Dora missing. Most of her family’s temple work had been done, and I feel strongly that Dora along with the others on that paper wanted their temple work completed so they could be an eternal family.
These precious pictures and the paper were bought in the Midwest, given to Glen on the East Coast and then sent to me, a family member, on the West Coast of the United States who had the temple work completed. Considering the incredible preservation and journey of this valuable information, to me and my family this truly is a miracle. --
Glenda U’Ren Clyde, Connell 1st Ward, Pasco Washington North Stake
The LDS Church News is an official publication of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The publication's content supports the doctrines, principles and practices of the Church.