I recently received a call from my brother in Sweden who was excited to tell me that he and his kids were at the cemetery in the old town of Laxarby where a few of our ancestors were buried. We paid a visit to this cemetery 8 years ago when my family and I vacationed in Sweden and visited places where our ancestors lived. We had a wonderful trip. I was fortunate to connect with a distant cousin, Ingrid, who lived nearby this town. We are both descendants of Jonas Jonasson (b. 1837) and Anna Lisa Larsdotter (b. 1845) who lived in Laxarby. I descend from Nils Enok Jonasson, one of their sons, who left Sweden at age 21 to make a new life in America. Ingrid is a descendant of his sister, Anna Kristina Emilia, who chose to stay in Laxarby and live the rest of her life not far from the home where she grew up. 

Ingrid and a couple other relatives met us at the cemetery and gave us a tour of the church which was beautifully maintained and such a delight to see. It was like walking back in time. The Jonasson family would have attended church services there in the late 1800s and I can’t imagine it would have looked much different then than it did now. We also walked through the cemetery grounds and Ingrid showed us where the Jonasson family was buried. It was exciting to see the headstones and I was eager to explore the cemetery further, but due to time constraints, we had to leave. I left wondering if there were, perhaps, other ancestors to be found.

This takes us back to a couple weeks ago when my brother called. He and 5 of his kids were there at the Laxarby cemetery asking about who was buried there. I told them about the headstones we had found years ago and sent them my family tree so they could look for other names. It was really neat to be video conferencing with them as they eagerly explored. I was so moved by their excitement and prayed that they would find someone else from this tree. And that they did! They found the tombstone for Jonas Jonasson’s parents, Jonas Jonsson (b. 1815) and Lisa Enarsdotter (b. 1814). They were so thrilled, as was I!

As I reflect on this moment, I realize that what was so remarkable wasn’t that they found any new information, but that they, personally, had an experience that connected them with their ancestors. All the amazing stories and discoveries made by others would not top this personal experience. It was something tangible that they will most likely remember and will hopefully lead them to more family history discoveries. At that moment, I realized it was a blessing that I had not found that headstone years ago when I was in Sweden so that my brother and his children would have this opportunity and experience, for themselves, the Spirit of Elijah. 

— Christy Pugh, Temple and Family History Consultant

If you haven’t had the opportunity to travel to actual cemeteries and visit the graves of loved ones, you can make a virtual visit at Find a Grave. Also look at the attached resources at Family Search, often you will find photos of the gravestones attached here.

Repost of an article that was originally published on July 28, 2020.