So on Father’s day I was asking my dad about the Ellis peoples that I have never known. You know… his grandmas and grandpas. I am really interested in their stories.I have some pretty far out ideas about family that has passed on… like that they really are around us helping us become better. Part of the reason I think this is that we are born perfect, but by nature of being human we take on the really beautifully developed talents and gifts of our ancestors as well as their shortcomings. I am sure we have all heard things like… “Oh he has his fathers temper”… right?
So I kind of have this little idea that they are helping us from the other side to overcome any short comings bestowed upon us simply for being born. So this little idea of mine I think (this is gospel according to Tanya)… can be backed by the idea of the spirit of Elias turning “the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the hearts of the children to their fathers” (Mal. 4:6, Luke 1:17, 3 Ne. 25:6, D&C 2:2, D&C 27:9, D&C 110:15) I know these scriptures are talking about temple work specifically, but I also think these crazy little ideas I have can be another level of interpretation.
I was thinking about Alma chapter 8 when he talks about how it will be better for the Lamanites than for the Nephites. One of the reasons he gives is that the Lamanite seed will remain, whereas the Nephites will be wiped out. Not only do the Lamanites get the gospel in the last days, but the Lamanite fathers have more time to help their sons over come the “wicked traditions of the fathers”.
With this all said I hope some of you are still with me… I really really want to know more about the grandparents’ aunts and uncles that I have never known.
I asked Grandpa (Merthan) about his mother… He told me that she had a sharp tongue… You know, my siblings can testify of my feisty temper and sharp tongue. Does it come from this grandma I don’t remember meeting? I can’t say, but my hair probably does. From asking my siblings that remember Grandma Elision, I know that she really loved flowers… Is that where my love for beauty comes from?… Again, I can’t really say… But I do trust that they are around us helping us out…
My dad, Randy, told me a story or two about his grandparents. In fact once I got him started last Sunday he couldn’t stop. So, I invite you all that knew the Ellis grandparents that the rest of us didn’t to share both their strengths and their weaknesses... I am just trying to help Elias thats all.
9 comments:
Tanya you write such an interesting dialog. We do need to hear more stories. That way they at least get passed along. even better if they are recorded somewhere, like here.
so why no stories yet? let them begin... :)
We'll start with Randy---the oldest...and work our way down to our family..the youngest. LOL! How's THAT for getting out of it for the moment.
I'll have to ask Garrin for any stories. I was never able to meet Grandma or Grandpa Ellis---Gma Ellis died right before we got married (I think she died in May and we got married in July). I did meet Grandma Elison a few times.
I'll tell a quick funny about Grandma Ellis though. Interestingly enough---my sister met her when she went with Lanett to Disneyland...but since she's my relative now..it's funny that I never did get to. Anyway---while Lanett and Teresa were in CA, Grandma Ellis opened up our wedding annoucement, looked at it and said to Lanett "who's this Mexican sending me a picture?" She didn't recognize Garrin apparently--her own grandson. She sounds like she was a funny lady!
I remember meeting Great Grandma Ellis when I was about 8 when we went to Disneyland. We were at aunt Ruth's house and I was trying to balance on a ball for some reason. She looked at me and said that was what it felt like to her to try and relearn to walk after her stroke. I found that kind of interesting. She didn't tell me to be careful and stop - just watched me continue to try and master it as I fell again and again.
Tanya---can I just say that you have the BEST title writing? I can NEVER think of something clever....can you write titles for me and then I'll post. lol! It's TRULY a gift...if you don't believe me...visit my blog someday when I have one..it'll say "Shawnee's prom" or "Devin's birthday"
Just in case anyone is interested. When I visited Ellis Island years ago, I made it my personal mission to discover where the name came from. Apparently it was owned by a guy named John Ellis before he sold it to the government to be made into immigration central. This information was found at the very end of the tour in a little room with a map of the original island. We also have John Ellis's in our line, but are they one and the same?? Probably not, but who knows?
I was amazed that it was abandoned for so many years and only resurrected as a tourist attraction in the late 80's or early 90's. When I visited they still hadn't renovated all of it yet.
It's also interesting to note that many of our ancestors passed through those corridors on their way to the west. It's an awesome place to visit. You can really feel the spirits of those who came through there. They have records there as well. If I had time and money, it would be pretty cool to sit and look through them some day.
OK..I guess we'll have to ask Gma and Gpa this one. I was under the impression that we took on the Ellis name BECAUSE we passed through Ellis island. Someone told me that we were Bush before that. Anyone know what I'm talking about? I just told one of my girls that story the other day...guess I should make sure I understood correctly!
the day i was endowed we did some family names from s.africa... i dont remember ellis' first name but he was english and married somelady wiggle in cape town south africa. the ellis name is really common down there. the history of the s.africa mission had missionaries at the time he joined the church in the 1800s - then s.africa didnt have missionaries for a long time after that little spell... then he did what all lds people did at that time - immigrated to america and headed west... i am more than pretty sure that our last name has nothing to do with ellis island...
recap - an english man with a hair for adventure traveled to s.africa and married a pretty little english lady... met missionaries wearing top hats no doubt... and immigrated to the usa shortly after being baptized... dont know if the wife went with him or not... i can only assume she did ...
of couse i have never read any of this... only heard it from you guys... who is into family history among the ellis'... cause i want more...
Tanya, I have to go with your story although I have nothing to go on but the pedigree chart with names of places that kind of follows what you say. I've never heard the Bush story.
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