From Now to Then

When starting a project in family history, all the guides I have read suggest starting with the events closest to the event you are researching.  In this case, I guess I'll start with the birthplaces of my parents and how I came to be born in Salt Lake City.

Dad was born in Salt Lake City in a home on what was then called 8th West.  Sometime in my teen years, the streets were renamed since West Temple is actually 100 West and 8th West became 900 West.  Doing research with Dad's sister, we found a picture of the home where he was born.  His older sister was just born just 13 months before he was.  Needless to say Nanny was very busy with her healthy, active young ones.

Time spent looking through boxes in the basement, garage, attic, closet or under the bed along with a family member can lead to interesting or forgotten stories and memories.  It also creates new memories and strong generational ties.

Mom was born in the small, central Utah farming community of Ephraim. Born in her Grandmother's home, it was the same home where her mother was born.  This charming little pioneer-style adobe home had provide shelter and comfort for my grandmother, her parents and her seven siblings.  Later in life Grandma would purchase the home to keep it in the family.  The restoration and maintenance proved to be more than she and Grandpa could manage and after a couple of years they sold it and it was torn down and replaced by a modern home.Sparks Family Home


I remember traveling to Ephraim with my family to help Grandma work on the home.  The yard was dotted with dandelions.  We lost count of the buckets of them we pulled up.  Since the home was unfurnished, we brought sleeping bag and a couple of cots for Grandma and Grandpa.  I don't remember air mattresses, but I do remember Grandma giggling during the night as those of us on the floor would groan or moan as we rolled over trying to find a comfortable spot.From Then to Now