Gresham resident traces family tree back 2,000-plus years

Gresham resident Veraun Chipman looks
through the 3,000-plus names of his own
family history he has discovered through
years of genealogical research. His
massive pedigree chart will be on
displacy at the Mount Hood Family
History  Conference on March 8-9
in Boring.

When longtime Gresham resident Veraun Chipman was 12 years old, he once took a trip to the Lakeview Cemetery near Seattle, Wash. He spent the day cutting grass, trimming bushes, and cleaning headstones with other volunteers. And when the work was done, he wandered the cemetery looking for tombstones of famous people.

In his search, he discovered the gravesite of Chief Sealth, also known as Chief Seattle. Chipman pulled a piece of charcoal and paper from his pocket and carefully made a copy of the headstone of this American Indian leader.

That was almost 57 years ago for the retired school teacher who has lived in Gresham for the last 36 years. But it was the beginning of a lifelong interest in genealogy and a tireless quest to discover his own family history.

“My mom and dad have always had an interest in family history,” Chipman said. “As long as I can remember, my mom has had a four-drawer dresser filled with family history records and documents. It’s interesting to learn about the people who came before you.”

In the last 50-plus years, Chipman has painstakingly traced his own family history back more than 2,000 years. And his personal pedigree chart contains 3,000-plus names of his relatives that include kings, queens, peasants, school teachers, and even a few famous people.

His extensive pedigree chart will be on display at the Mount Hood Family History Conference, March 8-9, at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Boring, 12300 S.E. 312th Drive. This free community event will feature 55 classes taught by family history experts, including award-winning genealogist Stephen P. Morse. Visitors can also get help with their own family history from experts like Chipman, and attend a video presentation by the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and author David McCullough.

“Most people have some curiosity about their family history,” Mount Hood Stake President Crismon Lewis said. "This event is a great opportunity for anyone interested in learning more about genealogical research. When you take the time to look into your past, I think you always gain a new appreciation and perspective on your own life."

That’s certainly been true for Chipman. He recently discovered that his own history in America dates back to the early 1600s. He is a descendant of early-settler Henry Howland who first arrived in the New England area 400-plus years ago. Among Howland’s other descendants are political leaders such as Winston Churchill and past presidents that include Franklin Delano Roosevelt, Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford, and George W. Bush.

“I love family history,” Chipman said. “It can be a challenge to trace your family tree, but it’s exciting. Finding the names of your ancestors is just part of the process. What really keeps me going is discovering the stories behind the names of these people. And when you keep at it, doors open, you find another link in your family tree, and new information comes flooding in.”

Chipman isn’t alone in his pursuit to discover his own family history. Genealogy is considered one of the fastest growing hobbies in North America. Popular genealogical sites like FamilySearch.org and Ancestry.com receive over 10 million hits per day. And an entire industry has emerged surrounding family history that includes fact-finding vacations, computer software, photo preservation and restoration, and even a series of reality television shows.

In his search to discover his roots, Chipman has spent countless hours scouring court records and documents, and scrolling through miles of microfilm looking at marriage, birth, and death certificates, military records, and census data. And technology has made the sometimes tedious work a lot easier.

“The advances that have been made in the last few years have been incredible,” Chipman said. “Sometimes the only thing you can do to find the information of an ancestor is to go to the cemetery where you think the person is buried. But thankfully, there are a lot easier ways to do genealogy. Now I can go online at home, enter my name and some basic information and get access to thousands of records that might be connected to my own family tree.”

Chipman isn’t done exploring his connections to the past. He’ll keep adding to his pedigree chart. He’s helping his wife track down her ancestors from Samoa. And as a volunteer at the Mount Hood Family History Center in Boring, he’s ready to help others discover their own family history.

“I’ve had some amazing experiences and learned some really interesting things about my family and myself from doing genealogy,” Chipman said. “It’s a lot of fun, and when you really get into looking for the records, time just kind of goes away. When you find one record, or a link to your family tree, it’s exciting and you just want to keep going.”