Biblical Quotes on Ancestry

Exodus 20:12 ~ “Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the Lord your God is giving you.” 

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Deuteronomy 32:7 ~ Remember the days of old; consider the generations long past. Ask your father and he will tell you, your elders, and they will explain to you.”

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Job 8:8 ~ “Ask the former generations and find out what their fathers learned. . .”

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Psalm 102:18 ~ “Let this be written for a future generation, that a people not yet created may praise the Lord.” 

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 Isaiah 51:1,2 ~ “Listen to me, you who pursue righteousness and who seek the Lord: Look to the rock from which you were cut, and to the quarry from which you were hewn; look to Abraham your father, and to Sarah, who gave you birth. When I called him he was but one, and I blessed him and made him many.” 

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Isaiah 61:3 ~ They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the Lord for the display of his splendor.

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Joel 1:3 ~ “Tell it to your children and let your children tell it to their children, and their children to the next generation.” 

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Matthew 1:1,17 ~“A record of the genealogy of Jesus Christ the son of David, the son of Abraham. . . Thus there were fourteen generations in all from Abraham to David, fourteen from David to the exile to Babylon, and fourteen from the exile to the Christ.” 

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Romans 9:5 ~ Theirs are the patriarchs, and from them is traced the human ancestry of Christ, who is God over all, forever praised! Amen.

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Ephesians 6:2-3 ~“Honor your father and mother –which is the first commandment with a promise—that it may go well with you and you may enjoy long life on the earth." 

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Colossians 2:7 ~ rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness.

Family Saints

The Ancient Ones

By Judith Wilson.

Used by permission.

It was embarrassing when your own parent got

Up on Wednesday night and testified.

But it was worse when some of the

Real ancient saints got up and cried

Or shouted or waved their hankerchiefs.

We pretended we didn’t hear what those ancient,

Glowing saints said, but we heard . . . and later

The Holy Spirit called their praises of Jesus back

To our remembrance.

It was their steadfast witness. . .

Their genuine spirits of praise . . .

Their lives which were above reproach

That made their words stick . . .to

Later be remembered in times of trial. . .

Need . . . or discouragement.

They were special . . .

And I miss

Hearing from God’s saints

Whom Your light

Had shone through.

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This poem reminded me of Great-Aunt Minnie. She was an “Amen” sister in the “Hallulejah Chorus” at Eldon Church of the Nazarene. We greatly miss her. For a little while.

Church Records and Christian History

Recently, our church cleared out some closets. The matter of what to do with old church documents such as address directories, baby dedication records, baptismal records, board minutes, old Sunday church bulletins, death records, membership transfer records, old newsletters, and so forth came up for discussion. To my knowledge, the collection hasn’t been cataloged since our 50th anniversary celebration several years ago and boxes, photograph scrapbooks, and filing cabinets have been stashed away in various available cubbyholes in our church.

Grandview Church of the Nazarene

These papers are not only important to document our church family history, but are also important to family historians/genealogists as well as to Christian university students and seminarians for various research papers and projects. American civic vital records only go so far back, so then, one may find information on ancestors in church records if they still exist.

David has always been interested in Christian history since his student days at Mid-America Nazarene University in Olathe, KS., particularly the Reformation period. I only became recently interested in church history when we began to homeschool our son in his fifth grade year of elementary school. We looked for a Christian-based history curriculum beginning in our home states since we live close to many important US history sites we could visit on field trips to supplement the curriculum. Not finding any, I began my own little research project which has since "blossomed” into a bigger project than I realized, namely, a timeline of Missouri and Kansas Christian history and two family history-related blogs, this one and the History Nut. 

Some time ago, David and I went to a genealogy lecture at our local Genealogy library. Angela N. Stiffler, former director of William Jewell University's Partee Center at Liberty, MO. was one speaker and the other was Barbara Bueller, herself a Lutheran. Both spoke of the importance of Christian and family research in Missouri which has been gleaned from church, ministerial, and district accounts. Since that time, I’ve gotten acquainted with Nancy Erhlich, a Heartland Presbyterian Church Historian and Stan Ingersol, the Nazarene Archivist. They all say the same, either keep your collection together (some churches now have a heritage room), transcribe it into a church history book (send a copy to your local genealogy library) or donate it to your local denominational archivist before you toss the records in the trash bin. Paper copies are best as technology changes way too fast. Family historians will thank you.

A Transcribed Example of Church Minutes:
Lulbegrud Primitive Baptist Church Minutes: 1793-1804. 

Example: a copy of my husband's church membership transfer document. Click on image to enlarge if you wish to view details.

More Repositories and Archives: 
Allen County, Indiana Public Genealogy Library Bible Records 
Bible Records Online

Primitive Baptist Library, Carthage, Illinois. Head Librarian: Eld. Robert Webb.

Compiled by Dolores J. Rush. Updated: 2/17/2020

The Rock House

I heard my father-in-law say that the rock house was large enough to drive a team and wagon into. It is a huge round stone, like a bowling ball, perched on top of a hill. It is approximately 60 feet in length and about 25 feet high with a small “lookout” cave on top which has no connection to the cave below.

Several of the RUSH ancestors have carved their names on the formation and their signatures can be clearly seen. It is rumored to have been the home of one Jim Henry, an Osage Indian who lived in the area outside of present-day Tuscumbia, MO from whom the township was named for. He is said to have painted his handprint on the side of the rock to indicate his home ownership. When we visited the site, I saw a carved out hand indentation about waist high inside of the mouth of the bottom cave.

In 1846, Louis WINTERS emigrated from Prussia to Butler County, Pennsylvania. Then around 1865, he and his family moved to Miller County, MO. They lived in the cave for a time while they built their new home. Perhaps this is where the legend comes from that the WINTERS are part Indian, for David has found no evidence of an Native American bloodline in his research.

Louis' first wife was a Mary Saline Ralston and his second was Margaret Loveall whom he married in Missouri. Between the two wives, he had about ten children altogether. 

The rock formation is on private land, about one-half mile east of Hwy 17, so one must have permission of the landowners to visit the site. (Township 41N, Range 13W, Section 18.)

More to Read:

1.) Home of Indian Jim Henry Illustration. "Osage Indians" Judge Jenkins's History of Miller County, Missouri Through The Civil War. By Clyde Lee Jenkins. Tuscumbia, MO; 1971. Part 1, Ch. 10. Repository: Miller County, MO. Historical Society Museum website., Tuscumbia, MO.
2.) Miller County, MO Historian, Peggy Smith Hake's Rock House article with a photo. 
3.) Place Names Of Six South Central Counties of Missouri. Frank Weber. M.A. thesis., University of Missouri-Columbia, 1938. Repository: State Historical Society of Mo.

4.) His daughter - Amelia Regenia (Winters) Rush (1856-1942) MO. Death Certificate #40567

5.) His son - Samuel Winters (c. 1856?-1938) MO. Death Certificate #32784

6.) His son - Alrick David Winters (1865-1946), Missouri Death Certificate #24365

7.) His son - Wesley Frederick Winters (1875-1948) MO. Death Certificate #33544

8.) Louis Winters' Findagrave Memorial #83755007

9.) Home of Indian Jim Henry with drawings by Clyde Lee Jenkins and The Rock House by Peggy Smith Hake. MO Genweb. 

Article written by Dolores J. Rush, updated: 10/15/2022.