I’m back to Wednesday blog posts: and I mean it! No excuses.
This website is really old, and never has reached its full potential. It’s in desperate need of updating; so here’s what’s up:
January 2026: Thanks to Super-flu 2025, this newsletter, which should have posted the last year, didn’t make it out on time. So STORIES FROM THE PAST is already two weeks behind and I already have some catching up to do.
Here’s what you can expect this year:
New Theme, Logo, letterhead, and other organizational updates. (You should already see some of them.)
About Us focusing less on beginnings and more on readers. (This keeps you involved.)
Research for Mary Damron’s story (untitled) and at least one more story I can’t wait to get started on.
Austria report from 2019
Family History Conference reviews
Added post days
New Social media connections
February 2026: New research on a new biography. This is near and dear to my heart. but I am quite sure that many of my existing readers and even more of my new readers will be able to find a personal connection or two along the way.
I can’t wait to tell you about it! Stay tuned; preliminary details will be released on January 28.
You will see changes every week, and I’ll be sure to keep you updated.
Like my previous newsletter, this is more for my benefit than anyone else (I’m still practicing).
Before I get this party started, I need to point out that today is the second day of Hanukkah! For Jews, this party is already well underway. Happy Hanukkah everyone!
November did not go as I planned. I started off gung-ho, but by the end of the month I was off track, and missed my most important post: Chapter One of The Second Wife’s Story. All I can say is hooray for a new month!
Maybe the holiday season was not the best time to be reviving and preparing for a relaunch of Stories From the Past. Maybe I should have started off slower. I could probably blame my missing first chapter of The Second Wife’s Story on the flu that I caught immediately after Thanksgiving. Or just maybe I could say, Well, I’m not quite there yet; take a closer look at where I went wrong, and start fresh.
So without any more excuses, and remembering that every day is a clean slate, I can take a look at the past, see where I went wrong, and try again.
Habit Building
As I think about the month of December, and my plans for the New Year, I am reminded that I am building new habits for the rest of my life. Habits don’t change overnight, and I have to be patient and not take on more than I can handle. I am building a blog, writing a book, and building a habit, so I need to take on one task a time.
In his article, How Long Does it Actually Take to Form a New Habit? (Backed by Science), James Clear debunks the 21-day habit myth and explains, “if you want to set your expectations appropriately, the truth is that it will probably take you anywhere from two months to eight months to build a new behavior into your life — not 21 days.” This is encouraging, and a bit daunting, as I was hoping to have my new daily routine set before the New Year begins.
There I go again, expecting perfection overnight. Well, that ain’t happening.
But eight months? I’m not expecting it to take that long, but at least I can be assured that with dedication and determination, my goals of regular, on-time posting and having Mary Davis Skeen’s biography, The Second Wife’s Story, ready for publishing will be accomplished within the new year. I CAN do this.
Re-launch
I have to remember that December is the busiest month of the year in the United States, and that my readers are probably just as overwhelmed with holiday preparations as I am. I still have a lot of planning and organizing to do in order to prepare for a professional New Year launch.
I intend to follow my own inner clock which tells me that December is a time for reflection while January is a time for renewal. This month I’ll be looking over what I have completed so far, and tweaking and preparing for a clean new start in January.
My posts will be simple, as my focus will be on completing two chapters of The Second Wife’s Story (appearing after Christmas), and cleaning up and preparing Stories From the Past for its new start in January.
To accommodate for the holidays, posts will not necessarily appear on their regularly scheduled days and times.
Fundraising for Austria:
New generations are already forgetting, and denying,
I’ve been invited to Austria for the inauguration of a museum housing exhibitions on the Jews in Bucklige Welt and Wechselland regions titled “With – Without Jews.” The museum will tell the stories of the many families who disappeared during the Holocaust–including mine.
I will be able to gather so many more stories of people who can’t tell them.
I’ve been researching and gathering information about the life of Mary Davis Skeen off and on for several years. Thanks to great record-keeping by Davis and Skeen family genealogists and local historians, I have plenty of information to tell a complete story from beginning to end.
But Mary Davis Skeen is not my family, and I want to honor her memory as best I can. I have been told by one of her great-grandchildren that Mary could not read or write, so she could not have written her own memoirs. Therefore, your knowledgeable input is the most valuable resource I have, especially if you are related to any of the players in Mary’s story.
What you will see of Mary’s life is my rough draft of her complete biography. There will be gaps and inaccuracies that you can help me fix. I would love to hear from you especially if you belong to any one of the following categories:
Descendant/s of
Thomas Davies (1816-1899 or Thomas Davis/Davies/David 1790-1865)
Mary Davis Skeen (The second wife)
Caroline Smart Smith Skeen (The first wife)
Abraham O Smoot
Have family from
Carmarthen, Wales
Llanelly, Wales
Burry Port, Wales
Plain City, Utah
Have family stories (especially written memoirs) of descendants regarding
Eisteddfod and the early Mormon Tabernacle Choir
Welsh customs, traditions, and recipes
LDS church history in Southern Wales
Welsh maritime history before 1860
1855 Voyage from Liverpool to New Orleans on HMS Clara Wheeler
Mormon Grove, Kansas
Abraham O Smoot missionary experiences in Wales 1850-1855
Abraham O Smoot 1856 pioneer company
Dry Creek, Deseret Territory (Lehi Utah)
Dry Creek water disputes
Plain City, Utah founders
Measles
Small Pox
Midwifery in Deseret Territory
Please remember that I have access to libraries and online resources. What I don’t have is insider knowledge–something that may have come through your ancestors to you. I am especially looking for primary sources but secondary sources can be very helpful too.
Finally, I want your corrections, suggestions, perspective, praise, and constructive criticism. You can comment below, send me a private message, or join our Facebook group for extended conversation on the subject.
Right now, I am putting together Mary’s family and early childhood in Wales for the first chapter to come in February 2020. Next week I am posting an ancestor landing page for Thomas Davies (b. 1816 Llanelly, Carmarthenshire, Wales – d .1899 Plain City, Utah.)
Thanks in advance for your interest and input! I hope we can make this a successful community effort.
StoriesFromthePast.com 