About Us

Co-founding member Dona Marie Sanders Creel was born in San Francisco and spent her childhood and teenage years moving between the Bay Area and Sierra Mountains of Lassen County, California. Inducted into the family genealogy hunt by her father and an active participant in the Sanders Family History organization, Mom continued the family legacy. Mom was tiny in stature but larger than life to her children and Dad. She continues to share family history discoveries through her "Emails from Heaven." More details of Mom's bio will be shared on the Blog.

Co-founding member James Darrell Creel was born in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma. When the Dust Bowl hit, his parents followed his maternal grandparents to California as migrant farmworkers working for DiGiorgio Fruit Corporation. Dad's family roots are deeply buried in Appalachia and the Ozarks. Dad's roots in North America extend far beyond the founding of the United States. He started the time travel journey with the simple question of how did the first Creel arrive in the New World. Little did he realize that 60 years later, he would still be asking the same question and give his daughter an endless adventure. More details of Dad's bio will be shared on the Blog.

Born in Colonia Diaz, Mexico, legacy Co-founder Richard Franklin Sanders was born into a generational Mormon family. When his family's colony was invaded and burned to the ground by revolutionaries during the Mexican Revolution, Grandpa's family relocated to Hachita, New Mexico. Raised to be a cowboy but longing for an urban life, Grandpa ran away to Los Angeles and joined the US Army in 1927. Relocating to The Presidio at San Francisco in 1928, Grandpa stayed there through 2 tours in the US Army. When World War 2 broke out 20 years later, Grandpa enlisted again, this time in the US Navy. He served his country with honor and on January 6, 1944, was part of the first Seamen on the ground at Utah Beach, Normandy, clearing the beach of explosives and other obstacles by hand under enemy fire, so that the following American troops could land safely.

When Grandpa returned home, he immersed his life in his family and became an active participant in his Sanders Family History organization. Fluent in many languages, Grandpa traveled all over the globe in his later years searching for stories. Establishing a Trust with Brigham Young University for genealogical research on his family, he gave his family the drive of pursuing history and uncovering the voices of the past. 

Our legacy of story hunting was fully expressed in Grandpa.

More details of Grandpa's bio will be shared on the Blog.