By Barry J. Ewell
I have thought a lot about the topic of prayer and genealogy and just how to approach the concept without offending or preaching. Prayer is the most important tool I have as a genealogist. I remember one of my very first experiences as a genealogist, where I had chosen to work on one family line with very little success. I felt the need to include prayer but didn’t. As time went on, I became more and more frustrated. Continue reading
By Barry J. Ewell
A few days ago my wife and me put up the Christmas decorations in our home. It would be different this year, as it was just the two of us in our home.
Our six children, now grown and living in different places, are beginning to establish their own experiences and traditions for the holiday. At first, I really didn’t care whether there was a tree, ornaments or a baby Jesus and manger scene on the piano. Who was going to be there to enjoy it with us? All I was seeing was the emptiness and the home void of our traditional December activities in preparing for Christmas morning. Continue reading
By Barry J. Ewell
As life progresses, we all get the opportunity to experience its many rich colors of change and seasons. As this most recent Labor Day passed, a United States holiday held on the first Monday of September celebrating the working people, our family began a new chapter in cherished tradition.
For the 35 years, our family has spent Labor Day in Payson, Utah attending the Onion Days Festival and being with my wife’s parents and family. Those years have been filled with many fond and cherished memories that have shaped the very fabric of the those attending. Allow me to take you on a short walk in time.
My first Onion Days was in the summer of 1978, I was newly engaged to my soon to be wife, Colette, cherished companion of the last 35 years. Mom and dad, Colette’s parents, as I would come to know them lived, on Main Street. Continue reading
Presenter: Barry J. Ewell
Presentation: Barry J. Ewell shares a personal and inspiring research experience he had learning about the Martin/Willy Handcart Company and Hunt Wagon Train during his journey as a genealogist shortly after the death of his mother.
By Barry J. Ewell
Episode 4, entitled It’s Time to Start Your Genealogy Research of the Series Journey of Genealogist where Barry J. Ewell shares a few of his personal experiences as a genealogists.
Following the passing of my step-father, Mel Wagner, I desired to learn more about his family and linage. It took six months to locate a daughter from a previous marriage. She shared with me that she had hear that an “Aunt Katie” somewhere in Kansas had record of the family but she wasn’t sure how to locate her.
By Barry J. Ewell
Episode 20, entitled Thirty days in the land of my fathers – part 7, Search for the Mullins/Ewell Home in Goochland, Barry J. Ewell shares a few of his personal experiences as a genealogist.
The next morning after I had picked up my wife and others from the Dulles Airport, we rose to begin our search the original lands owned by ancestors in the 1700’s in Goochland County. From my research in Salt Lake City and Goochland County, I knew where the families of Maxey Ewell and John Mullins had lived and the name of the town. The town did not exist on any map and we were not having any luck finding our direction. We had stopped a couple times to get directions but to no avail. Continue reading
By Barry J. Ewell
The Barry’s Story series provides a few of Barry J. Ewell’s personal experiences as a genealogists. The series will provide you inspirational stories that are reflective of the experiences all genealogists have at one time or another.
This series of articles also includes a podcast version of the story that you can listen to.
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A listing of the available stories in this series are as follows: