Tales from the Work Lulls: Genealogy Sleuth

My second week of working full-time (and my first week of working on an engagement) is about to end (tomorrow, I have to fly to tax entry training, so it’s not even like I get any rest, whooo). While this week has certainly been busy (I just got home from my first 12 hour day…why did it have to be a Saturday?), there are some times in the day when there are lulls. Maybe the client hasn’t sent a file…maybe my supervisors just haven’t gotten my next assignment prepared. Whatever the case, I find ways to preoccupy myself.

At some point during the week, I noticed that another person on my team had the last name Monson. Being the dork that I am, I thought…hmm, what a coincidence.

I wonder if he’s Mormon?

At that point, I put on my hardboiled detective hat…It was time for some genealogy sleuthing.

I want to try to rationalize my thought process…so it doesn’t sound so random or crazy, but honestly, at the time, this was just a random and crazy suspicion. I don’t really know how common the name Monson is, and I don’t know how represented it is in the church. Obviously, the prophet is a Monson…but that doesn’t necessarily mean that Monson is an LDS dynasty family.

Anyway, today, as I mentioned before, the team had to work on a Saturday. Everyone (other than me) was wearing casual clothes to the client site — I didn’t get the memo, so I was wearing a white shirt and tie. -_-

I noticed that my Monson-monikered coworker was wearing a BYU shirt.

This guy has to be Mormon.

I guess I will explain my rationalizations now: for some reason, just like Mormons love being dentists, Mormons also love being accountants. I guess it’s because BYU has a really awesome accounting program, so if you’re going to BYU to get your money’s worth, then you can’t really go wrong with accounting.

So yeah, a guy with a BYU shirt and the last name Monson? Has to be Mormon, right?

I googled for said coworker between assignments. I found his linkedin page. Ahh! Yep, one of his previous “jobs” was as a “representative” of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

…I got kinda excited upon validating my suspicions, I’m not going to lie.

Of course, there was/is one nagging question that probably will remain unresolved for now: are Mormon Monsons all related? How likely is it that this guy is meaningfully (as in, probably has a chance to see at family reunions) related to the Prophet?