about
Hi, I'm Claudia Simpson
About me, who am I?
Good question. First, about my ancestors, they immigrated from the British Isles, by boat. Several fought in the Revolutionary War. Seeking land or religeous freedom, most of them crossed the plains by wagon.
Sometimes, I feel like a Jack-of-all-trades. I love, Family History, of course, but I also love music, photography, and writing, along with traveling, and spending time with family and friends. I grew up in the country hiking, fishing, and listening to KOMA AM Radio. No radio reception during the day time in our area, but with 50,000 watts of power, we tuned in to KOMA, one of the only stations available. The other one, XROK, Juarez, Mexico, came partly in Spanish. We picked up the 60s, 70s, and 80s influence through the air.
Currently, my husband and I run an Airbnb. This adventure began last spring. We’ve met many enjoyable people.
My Family History Research Beginnings
My mother started it. After dinner several Sundays a month, she pulled out the family history charts and spread them on the table. She pointed to a name and explained our relationship, from farmers, to English factory workers, and pioneers. As a result, we learned what she knew. Hor instance, her grandfather waited as a child on the train crossing the country and waited while a civil war battle took place near the tracks ahead of them.
We loved to help you discover your ancestors.
Maybe I’m a naturally nosey person, but I love discovering the ancestor stories. Documents reveal many details about a person long departed from our world. Of course, everyone has a story, yes, you, me, and your relatives. Some people left an easy trail to follow. Others, not as much. As we search farther back in history, records become scarce or disappear altogether. Wars, neglect, and time destroy records.
Often, when researching, time drifts by unnoticed. I feel as if I’m finding friends, or playing Sherlock Holmes researching a mystery. However, because Family history research can be time consuming and difficult, you may prefer to ask for help. Records may exist, but you may not know how to find them.
Finding Family History Records
When I began doing research, I used the usual online sites. I found many records on sites like Ancestry.com, Findmypast.com, and FamilySearch.org. But I grew frustrated with the records I couldn’t find. At RootsTech a few years ago, I learned about 70% of the microfilmed records in FamilySearch.org are not indexed. Only by looking through the films online can anything be found. (A good reason to do Indexing as well.)
Many records require digging into various repositories, ordering records, or physically searching onsite for records in places like county courthouses or state history locations. Many records are not yet filmed. Therefore, the best use of a busy person’s time may be to let a Professional Genealogist help find the records to solve a research problem.
Family History Research Education
How I learned to do Family History Research
Although I loved family history, many years passed before I settled down enough to do much with it. I took one class in college, but I lacked the patience to wait for records to be ordered from repositories. Eventually, I received a calling in my church to teach others to do family history. What a shock to learn how much could be done on my computer. Every week new records came online. Quickly, the websites evolved with new and better ways to discover ancestors. What joy I felt teaching others to find their families. I loved the delight on a patron’s face when they discovered new family members while doing research.
The Pathway Program
Meanwhile, the Pathway Program from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints began with the goal to help people return to school and complete a degree online at BYUI. After taking the first year courses, I enrolled in the online program for Family History Research at Brigham Young University, Idaho.
Associates and Bachelors Degrees
Subsequently, I earned an Associate of Applied Science in Family History Research. I graduated from Brigham Young University Idaho, in Rexburg, in July 2019. During my college convocation, I spoke at the graduation ceremony.
Previously, a fellow student I met at RootsTech that year told me I could earn a Bachelor’s degree because, as a transfer student, I may only needed a few classes. So, I took her advice. In July 2020, I completed my Bachelor of Science in University Studies from BYUI.
Now, better equiped to help families discover their ancestors, my business begins. And, I’m hooked. I would love to help you become hooked as well.
The Camera Man
Growing up, my twin sister and I often playing behind our house. One time, our Uncle Gene and his camera caught up with us. We hated to see Uncle Gene Whitaker and his camera coming, but now, I am so grateful for the photograph legacy he left for our family. He captured moments in time we could never retrieve otherwise.
“People will not look forward to posterity who never look backward to their ancestors.” -Edmund Blake
Relatives among school friends
In my first grade year of school, we attended a small school in a rural community. One teacher taught first through sixth grades in one room. Another room served as our playroom on rainy or snowy days. A local lady cooked lunch for us in a room in the back of the building. My older brother in the third and my sister in the fifth grades attended as well.
Meeting Relatives
After our first year, the school board decided to move the 5th and 6th grades to the neighboring town, so the size of the classes didn’t wear out the teacher. My oldest sister rode a school bus 28 miles over dangerous canyon roads to school in the town my father grew up in. One day, she came home from school and said a boy in her class told her he was her cousin. Dad said we were likely related. So, Mom performed some research and learned the interrelations in the town. Yes, he was our second cousin, as were many others.
However, my grandmother warned mom when she married, “Now you can’t let your children marry anyone from either side of the mountain.” In short, I learned to love family history.