Wednesday, January 6, 2010

The Spirit of Elijah

Today I went to the temple with Honey to do some temple work. One of the workers had the surname "Stromberg." Stromberg is my maternal grandmother's maiden name.

I asked the woman if she knew the first Stromberg in her husband's line to enter the country; she replied "Karl Johan." So, small world of small worlds: her husband's grandfather (Golden Alvin) is my grandmother's father. (As I look in my family history, it occurs to me that it wasn't likely to be her husband's grandfather; I wonder if she is a closer relation than I thought?!)

I was just struck by the coincidence. There are abundant descendants, scattered hither and yon, and two meet at 9:30 in the Oquirrh Mountain temple on a Thursday morning.

The spirit of Elijah made this possible. If it weren't for it, I wouldn't have known/cared about my grandmother's maiden name, and those who came before them. I wonder how many other family members I pass, all unknowing?

1 comment:

  1. I've been indexing lately, as I am waiting for my parents to sort out their family history and give me an assignment with New Family Search. I think the Spirit of Elijah even works in that situation. I will have trouble reading a name and then suddenly just see it differently, allowing me to record it. Or I catch mistakes more often. It's a great feeling.

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