Preston Temple & Charming Downham

A few months before leaving to the UK we were inspired in our stake conference to participate in family history. It was the perfect opportunity for us to search out some of our ancestors and bring their names to the Preston temple, the area that they were from. 

My mom and I met with the family history consultant in our ward and then we passed on the things we learned to everyone else. At first I was skeptical that we would be able to find anyone that needed their work done in the temple since a few of my great aunts have dedicated years to this type of service. However, familysearch.org is so simple to use and it was easy for us to find those ancestors who had information on them missing. We then put google to work to dig up any information we could. The county of Lancashire in England has tons of records online, so it was relatively easy to find christening/marriage dates. Each time we came across the information we were searching for my heart was filled with so much happiness because I knew it meant these ancestors could finally receive their baptism, other saving ordinances, and be sealed to their families. 

All together we took about 30 family names to the Preston Temple this morning. I never imagined we would be able to find that many. It was a wonderful experience. 

If you are reading this blog and not familiar with the LDS faith, this probably seems a little confusing. Let me briefly explain. We believe that baptism (by the proper priesthood authority--the same authority Jesus Christ gave to his disciples when he was on the earth) is essential to living with God again. Some people (like my ancestors) didn't have the opportunity to be baptized in this life. The temple is a place where we can stand as proxy and be baptized for our deceased ancestors. We can also stand as proxy and seal families together forever, just as Matt and I were sealed when we were married. The whole goal is to be able to live with our families forever and to return to live with God again. The temples make that all possible. 

It was really special to be able to be in such a beautiful place surrounded by so much peace and happiness. 

(We did wear church clothes to the temple, but then changed before we had the chance to snap a quick pic.)

We then traveled to Downham, a little village with a population of 156. Downham has been preserved in the original state that it was built. No outer electrical lines or tv satellites are allowed. It's a beautiful village full of old English character. They have actually used the village to film English movies because it's preserved so nicely. 

The reason we stopped though is because our ancestor, Margaret Yates, grew up there. Margaret was baptized and immigrated to America to join the saints and ended up settling in Utah, however some of her Yates family remained in Downham. 

While we were walking through the cemetery, my mom stopped to talk to an older gentleman. He has lived in Downham all his life and his family has lived there for the past 400 years. He knew of the Yates family and pointed out to us which one was their house. 

Here is the house he directed us to.

The home has been extremely well kept. It was beautifully landscaped in the front yard and had so much charm. It is so cool to find the house that my great, great, great grandma grew up in. 

I'm kicking myself because I just saw on familysearch.org that Margaret Yates' mom is Margaret Whipp. I remember seeing a large tombstone at the Downham cemetary that said Whipp on it. How I wish I took a picture of that tombstone! 

Here are a few more pictures from Downham. 

(The Yate's neighbor with the date 1824 on the window... This was the same year Margaret Yates was born.)

What an amazing day! There is something so fascinating and intriguing about learning who your ancestors are. I realize I'm sounding like an 80 year old lady because a year ago I would have admitted that in my mind family history could be synonymous knitting. I am continuously amazed at how grateful it makes me for my life. It also reminds me to create the best legacy I can for my children.

And just to keep it real, here is this 3 generation picture Brady snapped on the bus. We did have a long 5 hours of driving today.

And how did our ancestors live without technology again??