Lori Lyn Price from Bridging the Past shares an inspirational experience and reminds us to always read the footnotes–even when you’re not expecting to find pertinent genealogical information.

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I am very interested in domestic medicine (medicine practiced in the home) and recently began branching out from colonial medicine to 19th century “Mormon Medicine” as all of my 19th-century ancestors converted to Mormonism between 1830 and 1880. Understanding the medical techniques practiced among the Mormons would add social context to my research.

I planned a trip to the Church History Library in Salt Lake City in June 2017. I reached out to a librarian prior to coming and she sent me a list of articles to read before we met. The articles focused on faith healing, an important aspect of Mormon medicine.

As a good researcher should, I skimmed the footnotes as I was reading the articles on the plan en route to Salt Lake. Lo and behold, my 2x great grandmother Hannah Adeline Hatch (Addie) was mentioned. I know of the incredible woman that Addie was and that she suffered many health problems throughout her life, but I had no idea that she was a healer or that she left behind a diary which is publicly available.

You can bet I downloaded that diary the first chance I got. I am in the process of transcribing it.

Don’t forget to read the footnotes. You never know what you might find.

Addie

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Lori Lyn Price

Lori Lyn Price

Lori Lyn Price, MAS, MLA has worked on her personal genealogy for 20 years and recently completed a master’s degree in history. She loves sharing her passion for social history, genealogy, and bringing ancestors to life by placing them in historical and social context. Visit Lori Lyn's Website
Lori Lyn Price

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