Week 10 Worship

“Religion played an important role in the lives of many of our ancestors. Write about how a person’s faith impacted their life, how an ancestor was involved with their church, or a discovery you’ve made in church records. Feel free to post your links and stories in the comments below.” prompt by Amy Johnson Crow for 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks.

Just like many others, the faith of my ancestors helped get them through the hard times. Many of the tombstones we found attest to their faith in a higher power. This is one example, the tombstone of Thomas Slater, my third great grandfather.

Here is another, Rebecke (Schuett, Hartje) Henke, my husbands second great grandmother.

We have many funeral cards that attest to the faith of my ancestors.

Here is a quote from Gudny Thorfinnsdottir about the family trip from Iceland to America. “Now with a blind husband, a sick child, very little means to meet their needs, they started out on their journey. But after all Mother did not stand alone. She had set her mind on what God would do for her. Father and Mother came through victorious.” Their faith helped them reach their destination to build a better life for their familiy.

My grandma and grandpa Kirkwood from what I have learned of their lives not only had faith but exemplified what a life of faith meant to them. They were always helping others. My mom said when they lived near the train tracks the men who road on the trains, hoboes, knew they could come to their house and get some food. She said there was often someone knocking on their backdoor. Even though they didn’t have a lot, they gave what they could.

They were both very involved in their church. They also were members of the Iowa Order of Oddfellows and Rebekahs. I don’t know a lot about the organization but they seem to have done a great deal of charitable work. They helped the orphans at Mason City, Iowa. I have a few photos taken from one of their trips to Mason City. We have a scrapbook of certificates my grandfather received while in the organization. There is one photo of a float from a parade. On the side of the float it says “Educated more orphans than all state and federal institutions.”

Myrtle received a Decoration of Chivalry. I tried to find out more about why it was given but could only find links to photos of a pin she may have received along with the certificate. This is from 1944.

Grandpa was many years an educator in the Oddfellows. He was also District Deputy Grand Master a number of times. This one is from 1929.

They had different backgrounds for their faith but overall it seems to have helped them through those difficult times in their lives. I guess it gave them strength to endure when they believed in a higher power.