THE FAMILY – A PROCLAMATION TO THE WORLD

I wrote this in 2004 and gave it my understanding of the proclamation as proclaimed by Gordon B. Hinckley the President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints at the time. Needless to say, I believe in the principles of the document.

“We, the First Presidency, and the Council of the Twelve Apostles of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, solemnly proclaim that marriage between a man and a woman is ordained of God and that the family is central to the Creator’s plan for the eternal destiny of His children.”

With the beginning of this proclamation, the First Presidency and the Twelve Apostles are establishing the basis of the topic of the proclamation.  This proclamation centers on marriage and family and Heavenly Father’s purpose for them.  We are going to take a short look at The Proclamation and see what we can learn.

In the second paragraph, we read: “All human beings – male and female – are created in the image of God.”  We are taught this in Genesis 1:27. “So God created man in His own image, in the image of God created He him; male and female created he them.”  The book of Moses 2:27 confirms this: “And I, God, created man in mine own image; in the image of mine Only Begotten created I him; male and female created I them.:  Abraham adds his witness also, in Abraham 4:27: “So the Gods went down to organize man in their own image, in the image of the Gods to form they him, male and female, to form they them.”  Thus, in the mouths of two or three witnesses is the truth established. 

As we go back to the proclamation, we read: “Each is a beloved spirit son or daughter of heavenly parents, and, as such, each has a divine nature and destiny.  Gender is an essential characteristic of individual pre-mortal, mortal, and eternal identity and purpose.” So, according to the Proclamation and all that we have been taught as members of this Church, we are literally spirit children of a loving Heavenly Father.

We are taught that our purpose here on earth is to become more like our Father in Heaven and to attain Godhood just as our Father before us attained Godhood.  Psalms 82:6 reads: “I have said, Ye are gods; and all of you are children of the Most High.”  And when we die, Ecclesiastes 12:7 tells us what will happen: “Then shall dust return to the earth as it was: and the spirit shall return to God who gave it.”  The Apostle Paul also taught this doctrine to the Greeks of being off spring of our Heavenly Father in Acts 17:28-29: “For in him we live, and move, and have our being; as certain also of your poets have said.  For we are also his offspring.  For as much then as we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Godhead is like unto gold, or silver, or stone, graven by art and man’s device.”

Going again to the Proclamation, we read, “In the Premortal realm, spirit sons and daughters knew and worshipped God as their Eternal Father and accepted His plan by which His children could obtain a physical body and gain earthly experience to progress towards perfection and ultimately realize his or her divine destiny as an heir of eternal life.”  In this, we are taught several things.  First and foremost, there is a premortal life.  If we are spiritual children of a Father in Heaven, we had to have lived in this premortal life.  The premortal life is where our intelligences were organized to become the children of God.  We recognized that Heavenly Father did this for us.  Scripturally, we learn from Abraham 3:22: “Now the Lord had shown unto me, Abraham, the intelligences that were organized before the world was; and among all these there were many of the noble and great ones.  And God saw these souls that they were good, and he stood in the midst of them, and he said: These I will make my rulers; for he stood among those that were spirits, and he saw that they were good; and he said unto me: Abraham, thou art one of them; thou wast chosen before thou wast born.”

Now that we have established that we did indeed live in the spiritual realm, we had to have progressed as spirits, learning all that we could.  As we learned all that we could as spirits, we began to long to become more like our Father who had a physical body.  Our Father wanted us to progress and become like Him.  He recognized that there were many things that we needed to experience and learn.  He also recognized that we all had different talents and abilities and that in order to succeed, we had to learn to exercise our free agency.  We had to be free to choose to follow correct teachings.

With acknowledging the fact that there is a spiritual world or a premortal life, we then must take the step that a physical world needed to be created.  Once again, we need to examine the books of Genesis, Moses, and Abraham in order to get an account of the creation.  These references are Genesis Chapter 1, Moses Chapter 2, and Abraham Chapter 4 respectively, including the creation of our ancient ancestors, Adam and Eve.  I will leave you to compare these scriptures to discover the similarities of these accounts for yourselves since the actual creation is not my topic but necessary to mention in relation to the Proclamation.  In order to become an heir of eternal life, we need to experience life as a mortal and to be tried.

Going back to the proclamation, we read: “The divine plan of happiness enables family relationships to be perpetuated beyond the grave.  Sacred ordinances available in Holy Temples make it possible for individuals to return to the presence of God and for families to be united eternally.”

What was it that attracted you to the Gospel?  Was it the revelation that Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ are separate personages or was it the promise of eternal marriage with your spouse and the promise of being a family forever?  In Doctrine and Covenants 132:19, the Lord says:  “And again, verily I say unto you, if a man marry a wife by my word which is my law, and by the new and everlasting covenant, and it is sealed unto them by the Holy Spirit of Promise, by him who is anointed, unto whom I have appointed this power and the keys of this priesthood; and it shall be said unto them – Ye shall come forth in the first resurrection; and if it be after the first resurrection, in the next resurrection; and shall inherit thrones, kingdoms, principalities, and powers, dominions, all heights and depths, then shall it be written in the Lamb’s Book of Life, that he shall commit no murder whereby to shed innocent blood, and if ye abide in my covenant, and commit no murder whereby to shed innocent blood, it shall be done unto them in all things whatsoever my servant hath put upon them, in time, and through all eternity; and shall be of full force when they are out of the world; and they shall pass by the angels, and the gods, which are set there, to their exaltation and glory in all things, as hath been sealed upon their heads, which glory shall be a fullness and a continuation of the seeds forever and ever.”

In the Proclamation, we find: “The first commandment that God gave to Adam and Eve pertained to their potential for parenthood as husband and wife.”  In Genesis 1:28, we find that commandment: “And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it; and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.”

The First Presidency and the Council of the Twelve make a number of declarations in regards to the family in this proclamation: “We declare that God’s commandment for His children to multiply and replenish the earth remains in force.  We further declare that God has commanded that the sacred powers of procreation are to be employed only between man and woman, lawfully wedded as husband and wife.  President Spencer W. Kimball taught that marriage and family should not be postponed for any reason.  He said in The Teachings of Spencer W. Kimball page 328: “Supreme happiness in marriage is governed considerably by a primary factor – that of the bearing and rearing of children.”  President Kimball also said something very important about marriage.  He said, “It is not enough to refrain from adultery.  We need to make the marriage relationship sacred, to sacrifice and work to maintain the warmth and respect which we felt during courtship.  God intended for marriage to be eternal, sealed by the power of the priesthood in the temples of the Lord.  Daily acts of courtesy and kindness, conscientiously planned for, are part of what the Lord expects.”

President Kimball went on to say: “If two people love the Lord more than their own lives and then love each other more than their own lives, working together in total harmony with the gospel program as their basic structure, they are sure to have this great happiness.  When a husband and wife go together frequently to the holy temple, kneel in prayer together in their home with their family, go hand in hand to their religious meetings, keep their lives wholly chaste, mentally and physically, so that their whole thoughts and desires and love are all centered in one being, their companion, and both are working together for the upbuilding of the kingdom of God, then happiness is at its pinnacle.”

The proclamation continues with “We declare the means by which mortal life is created to be divinely appointed.  We affirm the sanctity of life and of its importance in God’s eternal plan.”  Everything that we have learned by studying the Gospel tells us this.  The scriptures teach us this.  This is taught in one of the ten commandments, “Thou shalt not kill.”

“Husband and wife have a solemn responsibility to love and care for each other and for their children.  ‘Children are an heritage of the Lord’ (Psalms 127:3).  Parents have a sacred duty to rear their children in love and righteous ness, to provide for their physical and spiritual needs, to teach them to love and serve one another, to observe the commandments of God and to be law-abiding citizens where they live.  Husbands and wives – mothers and fathers – will be held accountable before God for the discharge of these obligations.”  Adam and Eve were righteous examples of parenthood.  They tried to teach their children about the Gospel.  Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob followed in their footsteps in teaching their children.  There are many examples throughout the scriptures, all the scriptures, including Lehi and Sarah, Nephi and his wife, Mary and Joseph.  Latter day prophets have all taught that training children in the way that they should go is very, very necessary.

“The family is ordained of God.  Marriage between man and woman is essential to His eternal plan.  Children are entitled to birth within the bonds of matrimony, and to be reared by a father and a mother who honour marital vows with complete fidelity.  Happiness in family life is most likely to be achieved when founded upon the teachings of the Lord Jesus Christ.  Successful marriages and families are established and maintained on principles of faith, prayer, repentance, forgiveness, respect, love, compassion, work, and wholesome recreational activities.  By divine design, fathers are to preside over their families in love and righteousness and are responsible to provide the necessities of life and protection for their families.  Mothers are primarily responsible for the nurture of their children.  In these sacred responsibilities, fathers and mothers are obligated to help one another as equal partners.  Disability, death, or other circumstances may necessitate individual adaptation.  Extended families should lend support when needed.”

The First Presidency message for the month of August 2004 was about Fathers, Mothers, and marriage.  It goes into greater detail about this and the roles of parents in a family.  This is very important to them and to the Lord.  The Lord created family units starting with Adam and Eve and this is emphasized throughout the scriptures.  Even though Moses grew up not knowing his natural family or heritage, he was inspired by the Lord to learn about his family and return to them.  Section 132 of the Doctrine and Covenants gives us precise instructions regarding marriage.  In this section, the Lord uses Abraham, David, Solomon, and Moses as examples.

The proclamation also pronounces a warning: “We warn that individuals who violate covenants of chastity, who abuse spouse or offspring, or who fail to fulfill family responsibilities will one day stand before God.  Further, we warn that the disintegration of the family will bring on individuals, communities, and nations the calamities foretold by ancient and modern prophets.”  This warning has been given by modern prophets such as Brigham Young.  He taught that children needed to be taught with love and not harshness.  We see the evidence of some of these warnings now with more broken homes and young people with no respect for anyone including themselves.  The First Presidency and the Council of the Twelve Apostles conclude with an appeal: “We call upon responsible citizens and officers of government everywhere to promote those measures designed to maintain and strengthen the family as the fundamental unit of society.”

These men have not pronounced anything new.  They have just re-iterated what the prophets have taught for millennia.  This is what the Lord wants for us and for all mankind.  We need to teach this to our friends and neighbours wherever we are.  The Lord demands this of us.  He wants us to set the examples for our neighbours and the rest of the world.  He wants a righteous people.  We need to work with our children and parents need to realize the tremendous responsibility that they have to the Lord and to their children.  Life is not complete without a spouse, without children.  The responsibilities that we undertake now will help prepare us for eternal life where we will have greater responsibilities.  This life does prepare us for the next life.

My Journey to the Middle of Nowhere

My journey began many years ago in the late 1970’s.  At that time I began to ask questions about our family in a serious way.  Apparently, I had always had an interest in family history as my mother said that I was “always” asking questions about the family.  At that time, my mother did not know anything more about her family other than her mother’s, father’s, and brothers’ names and that she had been placed in foster care from birth.  The foster family wanted to adopt her, but was not allowed to by her natural mother.  Consequently, her mother had to visit her every month.

My father’s family was a different story.  My father knew his parents and his grandmother and his stepmother.  He also knew two of his uncles and his first cousins and knew about the other uncle and his sister.  He knew that the family had moved to Toronto from Liverpool, England.  I also think that he may have known about some of the relatives who still lived in Liverpool as his grandmother made trips back to England to visit family.

When I was finally given the initial information about the family, all that I was told was that there was a connection with the Armstrongs.  No one could tell me where or when or who.  We didn’t even know that the Armstrongs were one of the Reiver Clans.  I was also told that my great-grandmother’s maiden name was Pedersen, spelt P E D E R S E N and that her first name was Elizabeth.  One other fact was that we came from a long line of sailors and that we were Heinz 57, meaning what was known for sure was that we had English, Irish, Welsh, Scottish, Swedish plus, plus, plus.

The last bit of information that I was able to get out of the family was that my great-grandfather’s name was Richard Fielder and that he was the family skeleton in the closet.  Richard is another story altogether, one that I haven’t finished researching yet.

My great-grandmother’s name was Elizabeth Gill Peterson and she was born in 1868 in Liverpool.  Her parents names were William Peterson, born in either Kent or Liverpool (I haven’t been able to find documentation on his birth), and Susannah Gill, born in 1841 in Liverpool.  Susannah’s maiden name was confirmed on the marriage registration.  William Peterson was a master mariner and Susannah probably met him in her father’s shop.  Her father, John Gill, was a vitualler or ship’s chandler.  He sold his product to provision the ships that sailed into the port and his shop was on Frederick Street, which was near the docks.  John Gill often had mariners in his home as boarders.  For years, I knew that his wife’s name was Susannah, however, I did not know what her maiden name was.  Those were the pre-internet days.

About 20 years ago, I discovered that the National Archives had the British 1861 census online.  I found John Gill and his family.  It was at this point that I discovered that John Gill was born in Workington, Cumberland.  From the 1861 census, I learned Susannah was born in Bewcastle, Cumberland.  I still could not find John and Susannah’s marriage information in Liverpool.  I thought that I would try looking for their marriage information in Workington.  Bingo!!  They had been married in Workington.

I discovered Susannah’s maiden name.  Believe it or not, it was Armstrong.  The marriage record said Susan Armstrong, but I have been through the records for Bewcastle and I have not been able to find any record of a Susan Armstrong.  I checked the IGI and found her christening record as well as her 11 siblings’.  I found out what her parents names were.  I ordered in the microfilm and found that the christening records for all of the children included the wording “son or daughter of Joseph Armstrong of Bank End and his wife Mary formerly Scott.”  What a treasure trove.  However, I failed to make a copy of the records and discovered this week that I have no backup, source or citation.  I have already ordered the microfilm as the records have not yet been digitized.

In September 2010, I retired from the military.  I felt strongly impressed to take a trip to England for 3 weeks.  Due to circumstances beyond our control, I did the trip to England alone I spent time in London to see what I could find there and then travelled to Carlisle, with a stop in Nottingham to do the Robin Hood thing.

 

Once I was in Carlisle, one of the things that I did was to visit St. Michael’s church in Workington as the family had some significant events happen there, such as marriages.  I was looking for my fourth great-grandparents’ deaths and burials.  I did not find Joseph Armstrong’s death or burial.  However, I did find Joseph’s wife, Mary Scott’s, headstone.  This was a miracle.  Some of the cemeteries in England had fallen into such disrepair that the government set up cemetery boards to look after them.  In Workington, a lot of the headstones had been damaged through neglect and vandalism.  The least damaged ones were placed around the cemeteries, against the walls.  A lot of the damaged ones were used in building roads and buildings.  I was fortunate.  I found Mary’s headstone at St. John’s Church, just up the road from St. Michael’s, and on it was Mary’s information as well as 3 sons and 1 grandson.

I also drove to Bewcastle Church.  It wasn’t hard to find as there were sign posts directing me there.  I spent about an hour visiting the church where my fourth-great-grandparents were married and my third-great-grandmother and her siblings were christened.  What a feeling.

 

I then consulted with a couple of maps along with a couple of strangers that I could rope into helping me to find Bank End Farm.  One of the strangers was like me and not from the area.  It was an interesting conversation.  We decided on a route and then parted company with well wishes on both sides.

Have you every tried to find anything in a place where there are no road names or numbers and all you have is a map that covers the county and another map that shows where the farms are but not the roads?  If I had known the way, it should have only taken about 15 – 20 minutes, but an hour and a half later, I still hadn’t found it.  I almost gave up. 

Then, for some reason, I took note of the name of a farm.  I now know why I did, but about 10 minutes later, I realized that I knew that name and that it was close to the farm that I was looking for.  I looked for a safe place to pull over and found it about 10 minutes down the road.  I consulted my small map that had the farm names.  This farm was right across the road from the farm that I was looking for.  I turned around and found the farm again only on my left this time.  I pulled over as best I could, and looked to the right.  No farm.  I looked at the map again.  There was a road off to the right.  I looked to the right again.  No road.  I looked more to the north and saw the road.  Still no farm.  I looked at the map again.  The farm was situated a short distance up that road.  I looked at the road and followed it.  There were some trees, and, guess what, a house!  I drove up the road and parked my car.  I got out and walked to the sign for the farm.  “Bank End”.

  

I found what I was looking for.  I tried to take some pictures through the gate.  The owners of the time had a dog that let them know that I was there.  The man came to the gate and we talked.  I was so excited that I was almost crying.  I had found my ancestors’ home.

  

I was allowed on the property to take pictures and was taken in to see a couple of rooms.  They did not want me to take any pictures inside as they had started renovations and explained that they wanted to take the house to as close to the original as possible.

Joseph Armstrong’s initials were still in the wall of the house where he put them in 1773.

I knew that Joseph had sold the farm in 1818 but I did not know why until about a couple of weeks before I went back to England in July.  The financial situation between 1812 and 1818 forced the sale of the house.

I have done more research on the family in the past few years and have found several distant relatives, three of who I met in the summer of 2011, and a fourth cousin in Wales, who I have also met at the same as well as many potential relatives with the Armstrong Clan Association.  I am still looking for when and where Joseph Armstrong died and was buried.