The Akron ward has recently had several activities, classes, and projects designed to help ward members increase their understanding of the meaning and power of family history and their desire and ability to engage in it.
Our ward is urging members to work on their 4-generation information. Temple and Family History consultants and ministering brothers and sisters are being asked to help, where possible. A beginners’ FamilySearch class was held, with Brother and Sister Peugh, Stake Family History Consultants, giving a great introduction for several ward members.
We use the weekly newsletter to make members aware of what “nearby” temples are open and what family history events are scheduled in the area. We also encourage members to use the Church News to find this information.
Adults in the ward were invited to sign in to RelativeFinder.org and join the ward Relative Finder group that we initiated. Close to 50 did sign up and discovered that they were related to many ward members, usually in more than one way. Most were about 6th cousins or farther, but it did give new and special meaning to the concept of us all being brothers and sisters. This site also shows relationships to famous current and historical musicians, presidents, inventors, etc.
After reading in the History of the Church that on April 19, 1834, Joseph Smith had stopped for lunch at Joseph Bosworth’s home in Copley, the Relief Society decided to research the event and have a Bosworth luncheon on April 19. They discovered where Bosworth likely lived at that time and asked permission from a gas station to have a picnic on that property. Historical documents were passed out during the get-together, and attendees were asked to formulate questions, study the document, and come up with some likely scenarios. One sister was handed, as her document to study, a list of members of the church in the New Portage branch at that time. She saw Joseph Bosworth on the list, but she also discovered her fourth great-grandfather, David Evans. She knew he had lived in Nauvoo but had not known that he had lived in this area earlier. She immediately called her grandfather to verify the information and discovered that Brother Evans had also attended the school of the prophets. Our sister felt things had come full circle with this connection, as she and her family live here now, having recently moved into this area. In addition, another sister lives on Bosworth Drive, a fairly new Copley street, named after Joseph’s family.
We recently had a YW family history night to help the YW log onto and explore the FamilySearch site. They had fun looking up famous relatives, uploading their faces to see which ancestors they resembled, and using the relative finder feature. They also talked about other ways to do family history, such as collecting family recipes or writing their own histories. Hopefully, the activity got them a little more curious about family history.
The ward organized a family history booth for the annual Copley Heritage Day Festival. The focus was to interest and encourage people who do not (yet) know about temple work. Attendees could do a variety of activities at the booth, including:
▶ Present a great-grandparent’s name and be shown a census or cemetery record about them
▶ Sign up with FamilySearch and learn a bit about it
▶ View family history projects completed by ward members (hand-crafted items, family trees, scrapbooks, photo organizing, family books, journaling ideas, family reunion ideas, family-made games, etc.)
▶ Discuss family history they had already done and find ways to continue it
▶ Participate in children’s activities
▶ Mark on a world map the cities or countries their ancestors had lived in
▶ Draw to win DNA testing kits, journals, etc.
Individuals and families were invited to participate in two different Family History Exploration months. Each month, we presented ideas, general and specific, simple and complex, to discover our past, enrich our present, and prepare for our family’s future. Have you ever:
- Made a jigsaw puzzle out of an ancestral photo?
- Written down what you predict each family member will be doing in 2040?
- Visited an ancestor’s cemetery?
- Found an ancestral couple married over 40 years?
- Created a Word Search or Crossword puzzle with family names?
- Found an ancestor who looked a lot like you?
- Written a memory of something you like(d) to do with a grandparent?
- Recited one ancestral line back to the 1800s (without peeking)?
- Made a family cookbook?
- Learned to index?
- Found an ancestor with a cool hairstyle or beard, then shared it on social media?
We hope that we are helping our members strengthen family connections (past, present, and future), prepare to pass on family values and history, and feel and live the Spirit of Elijah.
Akron Ohio Stake News 