It was the summer of 2003. Trying to pick classes for the Fall was tricky. A recently returned LDS missionary and a majorless Junior at BYU I went to the source of where many a good thing in my life started, my mother. Her Advice? "Your Uncle teaches family history at BYU. It would be a shame for you to graduate from there never having taken his class." And that's how it began. Gerald Haslam, my mother's brother, had been teaching at BYU in the history department for years. The class was England Family History from 1700-present and was an upper division class at that. I'd not taken a single prerequisite. That didn't matter. Never would a class be more custom fit to a student than this felt to me. Almost all of the examples in class were from Uncle Jerry's research on my mothers line. The class was small, about 13 students, and they all knew I was his niece. It was a good thing to as no one can laugh at family like family and I spent a great deal of time in that class rolling at my Uncle's wit. The other students joined in after I would start the giggles. I never left that class without feeling higher than if I had just walked off the coolest rollercoaster in the world.
For my semester research project, easy enough, I went to my Uncle to ask where on our lines I should look. And that was my first introduction to Henry Flower. Henry was a Cordwainer, aka shoemaker, who lived in Crowle, Lincoln, England. For those of you who don't know where that is, no worries. Neither did I. Its in North Western England. He married a woman named Sarah, had children and died the same year as some of them in 1775. He was from my father's side. My task? Find Henry's marriage record so that I could know Sarah's maiden name. Sounds easy enough right? Well, I spent many an hour in Salt Lake City in front of Microfilms searching for any Flowers I could find in the Crowle parish and surrounding vicinity. By the end of the semester, I had a great twenty page report typed up on the Flower Family, but alas no marriage record.
I have a certain element of determination in my personality which can come as a great element of surprise to people and has gotten me many places. This was one of those moments. Not to be a quitter where it counted, I came up with a plan. A very exciting plan that filled me so full of glee I can't describe it. Never having left the country, I was going to go to England and find Henry's marriage record. Here I should also explaine, I have a very special relationship with my father. My mother and siblings will tell you I can ask anything of my dad, probably because I don't. Really though, I am daddy's little girl. Perhaps it is because when I was born, the doctor stepped aside and let my dad deliver me. I was the only child who also wore glasses like he did and had his sweaty hands. Perhaps it was all the extra time I spent with him horseback riding growing up. I don't know why. But, when I asked him if he'd like to contribute to the genealogy fund that year by sending me, who had never left the country but that was not an issue, to England, he said yes.
This was the start of many a trip, many and adventure, and many a moment of heartache and delight. This blog is specifically written for my family and is recounting of the many experiences that came about from my initial and continued search for Henry Flowers. May you come to know him and the many others as you read just like I have.
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