|
Turning the
Heart of This Child to The Fathers - A Personal Witness
by
James W. Petty, A.G., C.G.R.S.
I
have learned personally that doing genealogy and communicating with
the world of spirits goes hand-in-hand.
Just recently
I received a package from my field agent at the National Archives,
in Washington, D.C. It contained the military pension of a man named
Andrew Corrigan, the ancestor of a client, for whom I do genealogy
research. As I began studying the pages of documents spread out
before me, an image of Andrew Corrigan appeared in my mind. It began
with just a figure, no details. As I read, features began to form
on this figure.
He was an Irishman,
about 27 years old in 1864 when he enlisted. A Union soldier, I
could picture his form draped in the trappings of a dark blue uniform,
and a cap, or "kepi" as they were known. The papers told of a man
five feet, seven inches tall, with dark hair and eyes, but a light
complexion. Friends and family told of his easy laugh, and his powerful
muscles, and the way he enjoyed to work. The file drew me into a
place in Georgia, a few miles northwest of Atlanta, called Peachtree
Creek. It was July 20th, 1864, and Andrew was on the
front lines of his regiment, the 3rd Wisconsin Infantry,
in heavy forest, with three other soldiers, Privates Clinchman,
and Cornell, and Corporal William Caine. The day was hot and sultry,
and Andrew was uncomfortable. At about two o'clock in the afternoon,
the rebel contingent in front of them began yelling and attacked
in force. Private Cornell was killed, and Clinchman went down wounded.
Corporal Caine ran back to the ranks of the 10th Wisconsin
and took up the fight. He remembered stepping over Andrew Corrigan,
thinking the Private was dead. Later that evening, to the surprise
of Caine and his fellow soldiers in the 3rd Wisconsin,
Private Corrigan was helped into camp. He was nearly blind, having
suffered sunstroke during the preceding battle. He had lost his
cap, and his clothes were badly torn.
In my mind,
I saw the battle taking place, and felt moved by the events. The
papers indicated that Private Corrigan recovered, and went on with
his regiment throughout the remainder of the war. Afterwards, he
returned to his wife and children in Waupun, Wisconsin. He raised
a large family on his farm, until he died twenty years later. As
a result of our research, Andrew Corrigan, his wife Mary Ann Coleman,
and their twelve children will have their names submitted for temple
work.
Who Andrew
Corrigan was isn't of special importance to me. He was important
to my client, because he was that person's ancestor. But Andrew
isn't related to me. He is but one of thousands of individuals that
I have met in the course of my business, tracing the genealogy of
other people. It is what I experienced while researching him and
his history that is special to me. As his image developed in my
mind, we connected. I began to think of him as more than just a
name on a chart. I sympathized for him and his family as I learned
about their difficulties after the Civil War, and the trials Andrew
suffered in his life 130 years ago. Andrew wasn't even my ancestor,
but I could feel my heart turning to him. I only hoped that my client
might be able to experience this feeling as well.
The experience
of feeling one's heart turn to the fathers, is not a cliche, spoken
only in church to remind church members of another priority in an
endless list of responsibilities. I believe it is a blessing given
by Heavenly Father to us when we keep this particular commandment,
to seek out our ancestors, and provide temple work for them. As
a genealogist I often get to experience that feeling for the clients
I work for, and I endeavor to share that experience with them. Many
times, when I have spoken to groups at Church or other appropriate
venues, I've shared some of my experiences, noting that I believe
genealogy research and the resulting temple work is one of the greatest
opportunities whereby members of the Church can reach across the
veil and experience the communication, or personal revelation that
the Gospel of Jesus Christ is true.
Many genealogists
that I have spoken with have had similar experiences, in connection
with their own ancestors as well as with ancestors of their clients.
For us, the emotional contact made when searching for an ancestor
is often a regular, even daily experience. And yet other members
of the Church I've spoken with have never felt that connection of
hearts turned to the fathers, and they can't even imagine the feeling.
I spoke with a woman who said that when she was young she received
a blessing in which she was told that she would "dream dreams of
your ancestors." I asked her about her experiences, and she said
she wasn't aware of having ever had such a dream. I inquired about
her genealogy; who her ancestors were, and discovered that she didn't
know even the names of her great, great grandparents who had joined
the church and immigrated to America a century earlier. She had
never sought to learn about her genealogy, expecting them to come
to her instead. I suggested that her ancestors might have been there
all along, and encouraged her to learn who her ancestors were, so
that she might recognize them when they appeared in her dreams.
I never understood
what it meant to dream dreams in the spiritual sense, until I experienced
such a dream. I'd heard about a great musician who would sleep with
his glasses on and a pen by his bedside, so that he could awake
and record music that he experienced in his dreams. This seemed
like a fantasy to me. It was something that happened to people in
Bible times, but wasn't part of my reality. I have always been a
vivid and interactive dreamer. I remember many of my dreams.
One night,
several years ago, after closing my eyes in sleep, I found myself
standing on a rise with a great battle taking place before me. Guns
were firing, and cannons boomed, and a huge mass of humanity pushed
against one another on the field. As I stood on my hill, I saw two
men separate from the battle and approach me. I don't remember any
features, or details about them; my only impression was that they
came up to me and said "We are Derek's Grandfathers." Derek was
a client of mine, whom I had been working with quite closely. He
and his wife had been in my home, and I in theirs, in our pursuit
of their genealogy. But we hadn't been doing anything recently,
and I remember feeling quite surprised by the statement of these
two men to me in the dream. I don't remember anything else that
was said, and in fact I woke up right at that point, with the impression
in my mind that these two men desired to be baptized members of
the Church. I arose from my bed, and found that it was shortly after
3:15 A.M. I wrote the experience in my journal, and then looked
up Derek's pedigree on my computer. I found that eight of his great
great grandfathers had lived at the time of the Civil War, and were
old enough to have served.
In the morning
I called Derek, and related my experience to him. He looked up his
record of those eight grandfathers. Of the eight who had served
in the war, six had previously received temple work. Two had not.
The experience moved us both to tears. Soon, research was undertaken
to gather information on these two men and their families, and their
names were submitted for temple ordinance work. Now, whenever I
read of an early Saint receiving information from a dream, I understand
what that means. And more importantly I know that it is true.
A Voice Came
into My Mind
Over the years I have come to understand what the Prophet Enos meant,
when he said "...the voice of the Lord came into my mind..." It
isn't a voice heard in your ears, or a booming sound. It is the
appearance of words and thoughts that you didn't conceive, but they
are there as clear as if someone had stood in front of you and spoken
them. I have learned to trust ideas that spring to mind from seemingly
nowhere, and to believe that powerful, warm feeling in my heart
when it becomes apparent that information I find is correct. Whenever
it happens the records and documents come together to confirm the
truth.
For me, genealogy
research has been a source of constant testimony and revelation.
That does not mean I am better than others, or that I do not experience
tremendous trials. What I know is that genealogy research, and communicating
with the spirit world go hand-in-hand. If anyone wants to find out
what it means to experience a spiritual lift and connection, genealogy
and temple work are the way to do it. The promised blessings of
genealogy research and temple work come from the sincere effort
of reaching out to others who have passed on, combined with careful
study, thoughtful pondering, and constant prayer. Of that I bear
my personal witness. My experience with genealogy has given me insight
in the gospel of our Savior, and strengthened my belief in Him.
I believe it will do the same for anyone who will open their heart
and mind to this great work.
Click
here to sign up for Meridian's FREE email updates.
© 2001 Meridian
Magazine. All Rights Reserved.
|
