User:Lionelfullwood

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Guide to  ancestry, family history and genealogy parish registers, transcripts, census records, birth records, marriage records, and death records.

This is some personal history about the author, Lionel Fullwood.

I was born in Liverpool, England, at the start of WWII. Before my first birthday, my mother, my older brother, and I were evacuated to Scotland due to the bombing of Liverpool. I spent 2 years in Scotland, learning to walk and talk there, and returned in kilts, and with a real Scottish brogue.

The post war years were, if anything, more stressful than the war years themselves. Rationing for everything was terrible. As I understood it, the Western Powers were determined to ensure that Russia did not become the ascendant power, and much of our food and supplies was diverted to Western Germany. We never understood why the enemy were being treated better than we were!

Early in 1950 there was a knock on our front door, and 2 huge (6'5" and 6'6") Americans were there. I had been sent to see who it was. They identified themselves as "Mormon Missionaries" and wanted to come in. My mother stated adamantly "NO", and so I stood outside in the rain and listened. Something must have clicked, as I continued this for several months, and eventually told my mother I wanted to join this church.

This was a major anomaly; I would NEVER normally go against my mother, and she was C of E. It was "NO" for several weeks, and finally she made the mistake of agreeing to find out what it was that made such an impression on me.

I was eventually baptized in September of 1950, and the family came in the next year. Everyone except my Dad was totally active; he just wasn't so committed.

The early to mid '50's were times of major changes in the British Mission. Our Branch in Liverpool lost more than 50% of our members who emigrated to Utah. We were then made a Ward, and I became Ward Clerk in 1956, with responsibility for all aspects of the Ward. Next year Councillor in the Primary was added!

Fast forward to 1959. With the assistance of a Missionary who became a major friend, I emigrated to the USA and attended BYU. Both of us played the guitar (remember I was from Liverpool?), and that started the process.

I then made a foolish mistake. Was homesick, missed family and everything British, and married in the USA in 1960. It was a Temple marriage, but was a mistake from the start, as we were both immature and not able to resolve problems. She chose counseling outside the church, which resulted in many major disagreements relative to our family.

20 years and 7 children later, and as much my responsibility as anything, my first wife chose divorce, the single most stressful event in my life.

Two years later I met and married my present wife Gayle, and we moved to Asia for 17 years. While there we adopted 2 Philippine girls who are now married and living in Utah.

In 1999 Gayle moved back to the USA so that the girls could finish High School there (a major mistake), while I continued working in Hong Kong. I am still there, the Technical Director of a large Hong Kong Electronics company. However I am only part time now.

I have completed 2 other part time Family History Missions, and have also been a Temple worker in the St. George, and also the Hong Kong, Temples. I have completed a lot of my own lines, as well as Gayle's and have indexed over 63,000 names, so I guess genealogy is in my blood.

Allithwaite reference: https://familysearch.org/search/catalog/482038?availability=Family%20History%20Library