A More Current Ancestor on the Family Tree

On May 22, 2020, I awoke from my sleep remembering only this: In the middle of an active, busy dream, I was startled by a loud voice, saying, “I am the God of your fathers.” It sounded like a Bible verse, so I was waiting to see whether this voice continued, to speak of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. But that never came. It became clear that He, God, was talking to me, and I thought I should carefully consider that and maybe write about it. So what did that statement mean to me?

But, I didn’t want to talk about my fathers, my own family tree, for reasons you will see if you keep reading my blog. So, even though this platform has been seldom used since I originally created it, I picked up my virtual pen that day, dipped it in virtual ink, and wrote a post about Noah. That was safe. After all, Jesus spoke of the Last Days as being like the days of Noah, and everybody knows how righteous Noah is / was. The awesome thing is, Noah actually is my ancestor … along with everyone else living on the planet today. He’s someone I don’t have to be ashamed of, much, except for that one incident when he got drunk …

But in talking with my real brother (as opposed to my biological brother, both of whom you’ll meet later), it became clear that, just as God IS the God of the living Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, He IS the God of at least some of my more immediate ancestors too, those who walked with the Lord and knew Him as their Father by faith. They might be flawed individuals … well, of course they would be flawed individuals. So were Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. And I’m a flawed individual too, just like everyone else besides Jesus Christ. 

I knew I would then have to search out the fathers that God was talking about. 

As a result of my inquiry, my husband pulled two pages from his genealogy notebook: one, a paper written by our daughter for a 4-H Genealogy project, and the other, a full page obituary for my ancestor, E.N. Ware. This was fascinating! He was born in 1836 in Franklin County, Missouri, the fifth child out of eleven, and his full name, I’ve now learned, is Elliot Newton Ware. Elliot was a circuit rider preacher for the Reorganized Church of Latter Day Saints, but he withdrew his membership when there was a false prophecy given, after which he joined the Christian Church and apparently was a circuit rider for them instead.

I do not know whether Elliot owned any slaves, or whether there would be any reasons to discredit his memory or pull down his statue, had he one to pull down. I do sympathize, and indeed identify, with those shamed families whose ancestors’ names have recently been dishonored and erased from the collective memory. This monument-destroying spree has done much evil in our nation. But for me, this link to my past was a breath of fresh air – God reassuring me personally, that He has been there for me, throughout every generation, and I must admit I got a little emotional about it. 

I know that I am not an accident or an afterthought. I am someone God planned on being here, and He took great pains to work things out so that I would be in this place, in this time, for some purpose in His plan. And just as Elliot was commissioned to ride from town to town, to share the good news of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and baptize many, I also can follow in his footsteps and share that same Good News. Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever! 

Here is his obituary. I found it really heartwarming. What do you think?