In publishing blog articles I rarely write about my own family. However, since we just celebrated Father’s Day I thought I’d share a few thoughts about my dad—and of course, family history.

You see, my dad was the one who first got me interested in genealogy and family history. I remember going into his office as a youth and seeing stacks of pedigree charts and family group sheets strewn across his art table. What made them stand out to me at first was that the information was filled in with the most beautiful India ink calligraphy. Genealogy was not a “let’s get this thing done” type of venture for him; instead it approached a work of art.

The same was true with the other facets of family history: he loved to tell stories about relatives and family, although not so much about himself. He grew up as an American citizen in northern Mexico, and life was certainly not easy. As a young man during the Depression years, he came to the U.S. and rode the rails in the western states looking for work. One of his favorite jobs was as a pinsetter in local bowling alleys—customers would knock down the pins, and he would scramble to get them set up in perfect order, as quickly as possible.

Back to the cluttered office … In those “long-ago” days before the internet, Dad would send letters almost every week to distant relatives and contacts, hoping to gain some clues about research, photos, stories, or anything he could get his hands on. It wasn’t a rigorous Genealogical Proof Standard effort; it was more like collecting all he could and making sense of it all. Often the result of sending a letter would be “Sorry, we don’t have any information on that line” … and it was back to the next person on the writing list. But when he got a hit, it was pretty exciting for him, and I loved watching his reactions.

Beyond group sheets and stories there was the visual component. Dad was an avid amateur photographer and videographer (back in the days of 16- and 8-millimeter film). There was so much he collected that all of it sort of washed over me. It wasn’t until my later years that I more fully appreciated what he had accomplished. His pictures and home movies captured our growing up years and brought his and my mom’s extended family into more clear focus.

But there was more. He had a burning desire to capture and share his memories of growing up in Mexico, as well as the lives of prominent settlers in the area, and even the tragic death of how own father, who was killed in a land dispute by bandits associated with Pancho Villa. In his later years, Dad was back in his office—but this time to put together a history of Northern Mexico. I remember seeing him first at the typewriter and then at an early PC keyboard, typing out voluminous pages and selecting photos for paste-up (no digital drag-and-drop in those days).

What resulted from several years of intense work and collaboration with others was the book “Memories of Militants and Mormon Colonists in Mexico,” which ended up totaling over 470 pages. It included many biographical sketches and historical accounts, some of them proving extensive details of the “Pancho Villa” years in Northern Mexico.

My dad’s love of family history turned out to be an amazing gift to me. Not only did I develop a passion for family history and genealogy, but I carried it over to the educational realm by developing The Family History Guide. Like that cluttered art desk, The Family History Guide started small but with big hopes. I tried my best to carry on my dad’s love of people and their stories in a website that would help others throughout the world advance their family history more easily and enjoyably.

Dad, I hope I made you proud.