Introductions are in Order

Originally posted in 2018

SAVANNAH WOOLSEY LARSON here! I’m from a rural town in Utah called Castle Dale. Castle Dale is a tiny little town, and this afforded me many opportunities growing up including the chance to be involved in choir, art, speech & debate, science club, math club, tennis, drama, FFA, and track & cross country. Within all that crazy, I found a deep love for the arts and the humanities

I was raised in a devout Christian family as a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I’ve always been super grateful for the role that my faith has played in my life. For this reason, I decided to pause my education and spend 18 months as a missionary in Sweden teaching people about Christ. This was a very humbling experience for me and it gave me the opportunity to interact with several different cultures and peoples. My experience as a missionary in Sweden instilled a deep love for immigrants and refugees. I would move mountains for people who left everything or lost everything in order to find peace and sanctuary in a new and foreign country.

Currently I’m finishing up my last year as a student in the Family History and Genealogy major at Brigham Young University. This is an exciting time of my life with constant changes and opportunities. I’m so excited to share my discoveries and my story with you! Stay tuned for family history tips, travel updates, inspiring stories and more!

WHY GENEALOGY?

I recently had a guy ask me, “Why would you want to know about all these dead people? It seems like a waste of time!” If you’re looking to understand why family history is important, this is my answer:

Family history heals hearts. That’s why I do it. It orients individuals in an increasingly disorienting world. It offers perspective and helps one to see their struggles through a more patient and understanding lens. It helps one to more freely forgive and more freely love. It brings families together. I do genealogy because my perspective is limited, but I can learn from those who have gone before me. I can become better because of their combined experiences and sacrifices that have shaped the person that I am today.

WHY THE YELLOW RIBBON?

When trying to decide the name for this blog and my little business, my dear mother threw out the name Yellow Ribbon Genealogy. I instantly fell in love with it—not because the name itself is unique, but because of what the yellow ribbon symbolizes.

Perhaps the most familiar and memorable reference to a yellow ribbon is in the song “Tie a Yellow Ribbon ‘Round the Ole Oak Tree” written by Irwin Levine and L. Russell Brown, recorded by Tony Orlando and Dawn (linked below)

Earlier references to a yellow ribbon include a poem/song popular in early Puritan heritage. One of the versions of that poem goes like this:

Around her hair she wore a yellow ribbonShe wore it in the springtime In the merry month of MayAnd if you ask her why the heck she wore itShe wore it for her soldier who was far far away

In both pieces, the yellow ribbon symbolizes hope, love, loyalty, forgiveness, and above all the idea that love and family are an unbreakable chain tied in love and connected through all circumstances.

I spent several years working on a project to reunite families by returning the remains of POW and MIA soldiers to their living family members. I love how this project uses family history to solve mysteries and give closure and peace to hurting families—families that still figuratively wear their yellow ribbons and wait for answers.

Whether you want a researcher who can do the leg work for you, a translator, or a friend to help you along the way in your own research, my goal is to reunite families. My goal is to connect and strengthen them. My goal is to help you find the healing power of learning about your heritage and understanding your family’s story—which is really YOUR story.

#introduction #genealogy #hope #familyhistory #healing