by Baerbel Johnson
In our family history callings, we often have special spiritual experiences as we strive to identify our own ancestors and as we work with fellow Church members. These experiences help us and them feel the joy family history and temple work can bring into our lives. We find our efforts are guided and blessed by the Spirit as we prayerfully prepare ourselves for this work.
Czech research opportunities opened up when the state archives put their records online in 2009. At that time, I was able to document my ancestor’s birth and find several siblings and their parents’ marriage record. As a young widow, the wife was identified only by her previous husband’s name. Later records gave her name as Anna, daughter of the forest ranger Heinrich Stilger, but her home town remained a mystery. The surname “Stilger” did not appear in any of the records I searched. Year after year, every lead I found seemed to vanish into thin air.
Recently, we were all given a challenge to find a new family name to submit for temple ordinances. As I was thinking about which family line to research, I noticed that the Opava State Archive website had recently updated its online resources. I felt impressed to search for the Stilger surname (something I had done several times before), and to my surprise two results came up. The first entry, which dealt with a boundary dispute, clearly referred to “the forest ranger Heinrich Stilger” in Jilova as one of seven persons involved in the case. All of a sudden, this elusive ancestor became familiar. His burial entry in 1807 was found on the first page of the new church book. Going back, I found baptism records of several daughters that included their mother’s maiden name. This led me to another town in Moravia, where the couple’s marriage had taken place and where I found two more daughters.
What an amazing experience resulted from an inspired impression! Because I searched for my ancestor’s last name on the newly-updated website, nine members of this family can now receive their temple blessings and be sealed to each other for eternity. This experience has once again reassured me that we are not left alone to struggle in the search for our ancestors; we do receive help from beyond the veil at the appropriate time. Claim for yourself the courage and strength that come from divine help, carry on the work of saving your deceased ancestors, and help others to do the same.
