Connections

For some time now, I've averaged at least 15 minutes of family history work a week.  Until recently, I had simply been transferring data from Family Search to Personal Ancestral File.  Then, a couple of weeks ago I decided that I would get to know my ancestors by looking up their life stories.  The eternities will be a lot more comfortable if I get a head start in this life as far as coming to know my extended family.  It's fun to read history, and even more so, when you're related to those that you are studying.  I want to have a line of relatives waiting for me on the other side when my time comes.  And....how much more meaningful will that time be if I know them.  I don't want to know them just by name, but by the life they led.
Today I found that my fifth great grandpa on my mom's side was James Kingsbury.  In 1796 or 1797, he was the first white settler in the Western Reserve at the age of 29 (my age).  That was over 200 years ago.   I went on to find that his father, my sixth great grandfather, is Absolom Kingsbury.  So I made an interesting connection.  One of my New Year's goals was to read the entire Standard Works this year.  Currently, I have been reading about the life of David who had a son named Absolom.  It's a silly thing to get excited about, but I like to think of it as a witness that I'm spending my time wisely right now.  I believe this journey will allow me to build a love and relationship that I will one day be able to continue on a more personal level.