Background Information : My Family

I was born in Northern, New York, about forty miles from the Canadian border in a wasteland of a town called Carthage, sixty miles from the nearest walmart. My mother, now Louise Percy, is ex-navy and worked for the federal government on Fort Drum until she retired ever since I was born. My father, Donald Bishop, was a beauty. He was in and out of prison all his life, including juvenile. He was imprisoned much through my baby-toddler stage and when he wasn’t imprisoned he jumped from construction job to construction job, drinking and smoking marijuana heavily until the day he died, last May 28th. I was born into a household with my mother, father, brother and half-sister for the first few years in my life. My half-sister skipped town after developing a heroin addiction and my father drove my mother psychologically insane until she ended up in a psych ward and we spent a few weeks with my grandmother (father’s mom) until she was released. My mother and father split up and my father never fought for custody nor paid child support. My mother had been a single mom for ten years

Throughout my life I never really had parents; coming home to a drug abuser who was constantly zoned out was a normal day. I wasn't loved or even thought of as a child. My biological parents never once came to my awards or conferences. I used to lie to my childhood friends and say that my parents had to constantly work. In reality they didn't care at all.As a child I had both of my parents; when I grew up everything collapsed. I was in 7th grade when I realized that my life would change dramatically. My biological mother fell deeply into drugs, as for my biological father he left without saying anything. At the age of 12 , I was placed with a family friend, while my biological mother was in rehabilitation.

Researching my family and my background, I have found that I have ancestors from several countries, including Germany, Sweden, England, Ireland, and Scotland. They all came to America for a variety of reasons ranging from religious persecution, hope for a better life with better economic conditions, famine, family issues, and to colonize America.

I have overcome many obstacles within my life and I am proud of where I am today. To start, my full name is Samantha Heart LeClair. My life began on December 21st 1995, in Kingston; however, I moved to Sydenham for four years at which time my family returned back home. I’ve attended three elementary schools, two high schools and now two colleges. I am currently taking the Community Service Worker (CSW) program at Trillium College. In elementary school, I played soccer and basketball, and was involved with the track team. For extracurricular activities, I tried hip-hop dance classes, ballet classes and piano classes. My family is limited, but the ones who are an active part of my life mean the world to me. I was raised to believe family comes first and in the end, family will be there. Throughout my life journey, I have come to realize this is very accurate. My mother is my best friend. She has always been there to support every decision and bring light on my dark days. My brother, Zackery, is three years older than I. Throughout the years, we have had many falling outs, but he is still one of my closest friends. My stepdad, Dan, isn’t just an ordinary stepdad; he is my dad. Dan has been a better father figure than my biological father, which is why I consider him my actual father. It takes more than just creating a life to be a father; it takes good parenting, patience and unconditional love to be one. The latest addition to my family is my eight month old son,

I was born July 18, 2001 at Virginia Baptist Hospital. My mother had just recently turned 17 and my father was a 21 year old with two children already. It was my fourth birthday when he walked out on me and my mom. At first he’d still come around and see me but eventually the visits got shorter and further a part. Now I only see him twice a year, when he takes me to his family reunion and on my birthday, when he takes me to Kings Dominion.

I have been raised in the Methodist church since the day I was born. Every Sunday morning you could find all five of us in the second row of the 8:30 service and then we would all go our separate ways for Sunday school. It was a rare week that we were not at church

My name is Josianne Bryan, and I was born on a small Island called St. Lucia in year 1979. My mother had me at the age of sixteen and I’m the oldest of eight children. I was never raised with my biological. My earliest knowledge of my biological father is at the age of 10 years. I had a fair child hood because my mother always tried to do her best to be both parents to me. She worked hard to put food on the table and clothes on my

Going to church was always an important thing on my dad's side of the family. Any and every holiday, we were there – same row, same pew. I was a kid, and kids have to do what their parents told them to, and going to

I come from a little family of six. I say little because I mean it’s only my three siblings, my mom and my grandma. When I was young (keep in mind I was six) our dad left the pictures and since then life has been good. Most people try to sympathize with you after telling them. That makes me a little ticked because it’s like they think I’m still hurt from it, like when you were younger and start crying over a little scrape everyone gives you that ‘Oh you poor baby’ kind of look. I hate receiving that look from people after I tell them. My family sort of had to adjust big time after he left no questions about it. My mom was working longer shifts and my grandma got a job as a housekeeper at a walking distance nursing home.

The year is 2011 and my parents are staring at me across the dinning room table. The only thing on my mind is that I am in trouble. At eleven years old I could not fathom what was about to come. The fights and withdrawn attitudes should have prepared me for what they said, but they did not. I never thought my parents would separate, and at such a young age it was hard to comprehend. I knew that my family was about to change forever. My dad treated me like a princess, while my mom pushed me in school and extracurricular activities. My parents evened each other out. When my mother and I had a problem, my dad helped us work it out. He was my rock while my mom was someone I thought I had to love. Our communication centered on things like girl scouts, soccer, or praise dance. I always felt she loved my brothers more than me. For a while that was fine, I had my dad who hung the moon and the stars for me.

I have a family tree with branches by the dozens. I have grandpas. I have grandmas. I have uncles, aunts, and cousins. When it’s reunion time, no matter what the weather, it is such a happy day, when the family gets together. Moses 6:5-8 and again in verse 46 "This history of the dealings of God with his people and the experiences they had constitutes our present scripture. It is nothing more or less than sacred family history. Because it was written under the influence of the Spirit of the Holy Ghost, it became scripture" (Theodore M. Burton, "The Inspiration of a Family Record," Ensign, Jan. 1977, 17). President Spencer W. Kimball said: "I urge all of the people of this church to

Family history is very important to an individual. By knowing where you come from, you can have a better perspective of your life. Having a clear understanding of your family background allows you to better appreciate the things that you would normally take for granted. The house, the car, and the average clothing may look better when one sees the sacrifices their family has made. They will see that their family has worked very hard just so their family can experience the better things in life. A persons roots and origin is one of the most important things to explore. It alone can bring you closer to self-discovery.

Family medical history is relevant for everyone to know and understand. It can be helpful in determining the kind of lifestyle a person should adapt in order to live longer and better. My family, which includes my paternal and maternal great-grandparents, my paternal and maternal grandparents, and my parents, is from the Philippines. Our traditions have not changed until my parents (Romeo and Luz Lagua) migrated to the United States of America in 1991, where they adapted a new way of living. It was not until the late 2000s that they found out that they both had health illnesses that are incurable. Fortunately, they were able to find excellent healthcare providers, get a diagnosis of their conditions, and receive the proper treatments. As I was analyzing my family tree, it was difficult to find further medical information about my paternal and maternal great-grandparents and my maternal grandparents. My parents and their siblings do not know much about their grandparents’ and my maternal grandparents’ medical histories. However, I was able to retrieve medical information about my paternal and maternal grandparents, as well as my parents’ medical information. There are a few health conditions that run in my family: high blood pressure, Multiple Myeloma, Type 1 Diabetes, and Type 2 Diabetes.

I've been attending church for as long as I can remember. The earliest time I remember going to church was when I was in pre-school, and I attended the same church until high school. Sundays were routine, we attended church, went out to eat after with other members of the church, and then went home to watch either football or baseball (sports being my second religion). Skipping church was never an option, nor did I really want to miss it. I had good friends at church, and was genuinely interested in the bible and the stories we read.

The significant caretakers and siblings that a person grows up with, or the first social group a person belongs to is one’s family of origin. This is often a person’s biological family or an adoptive family. My family of origin consists of my father, Jamie, my mother, Lori, and my brother, Morgan. In the past year, I have also gained a sister-in-law, Katie. These people have had an influence on how I see myself, others, and society.