Finding My Faith, A Family History Project
I suppose at some point in life we all begin to reflect on our ancestors. I often think about my Grandma Wheatley, who died when my father was just a child. She was a devout Christian and the life of the party. I’ve seen pictures of her, and she quickly comes to life when I’m around my aunts and even my sisters. I think about my mother’s parents and how they left the family ranches in the high country of central Wyoming to look for work and a better life on the southern tip of Puget Sound. Not only did they find work, but they also found a new faith and lived it. I consider all the people before them. It must be safe to assume that they had a strong belief in God. Generation by generation, that faith was passed down in different forms until what it had become became central to who I am.
There are moments when I feel my ancestors inviting me along their individual journeys. The time has come to accept the invitation. My goal is to create a work of art for each of my ancestors, going five generations back. There are sixty-two of them. Through the genealogical work of others, I have been able to locate places of worship tied to many of these relatives. These include churches of many faiths, homes in isolated areas of Wyoming, and, in some cases, the land itself. In order to create a work of art for each of these individuals, I feel it important to visit these places. The journey will begin in central England, in a small village near Nottingham where my great-great-great grandfather Wheatley was born. It will take me throughout central England, Southern Germany, New England, Eastern Canada, and across the United States. I expect the project to take six or seven years to complete. Along with a visual history, I hope to collect stories and artifacts that will bring life to the individuals it is about.
Thank you for your time. If you would consider supporting this journey, it would be greatly appreciated.
Justin Wheatley