In my reading and gospel study, I have learned, that when there is a reference to a certain scripture passage, it helps when I read the scripture before and the one after the passage that is referred to. By doing this I find that I am able to better understand the referenced scripture, thus deepening my understanding of what I am studying.

While viewing the video from last weeks Granite Family History Center class, “Learning About Family Through Naturalization Records” the importance of looking at the records before and after the record of the events being researched became clear to me.

In this lesson, the instructor, Robin Fullenbach demonstrated the importance of first Looking at sources already attached to the person you are researching. Then once you open the attached document on your screen, to be sure to check the few pages (screens) before and the few pages after the record that comes up, to see if there are other records about the event, (in this case naturalization) that provide clarifying information.

In Naturalization records, there are often pages before or after the attached records, that can provide information about your family member. These other pages may include important dates, places of residence, information about children, birth, marriage, and place(s) of origin. Not looking at these pages may mean that we miss important information about the person we are researching.

I think this is an important habit to have, as we work on our family history research. Just like reading the scripture before and after the one you are studying can bring deeper meaning to what you are learning. These records that remain hidden unless we intentionally look for them may bring deeper understanding and context to this great work we are doing. –Elaine Hardman