What does an 8-year-old do after he has completed his schoolwork for the day and has some free time? Explore FamilySearch of course! What would you do? While spending time with his mother at the FamilySearch center as she served as a stake family history consultant, Trevor ’s interest in his ancestors was sparked. He couldn’t help but want to learn more about the people she was finding he was related to. Along with his love of geography and the stories he would hear at his grandparents’ house about his ancestors, he couldn’t wait until he turned 8 and could have his mom set up an account in his name.
How It All Began
Trevor learned to navigate through the fan chart in his parents’ trees and participate in some of the activities provided through FamilySearch.org. Then his mother introduced him to the games found online through the BYU Family History Technology Lab website. He would sit and play those games while his mother took care of her responsibilities at the center. Now when they play together as a family, Trevor always comes out on top.
Creating His Own Information
As a kindergartner before he was able to have his own FamilySearch account, Trevor wanted to keep track of some of his important relatives, so he started his own personal notebook. He compiled a list of the names of all the US Presidents that are in his family tree, and there are plenty of them, all of whom he discovered for himself (with a little help from FamilySearch.org).
When Trevor learned to type and turned 8 years old, his mom set up a personal account for him on FamilySearch.org. (Children 8 years and older can have a free FamilySearch account with parental permission. Learn how to create a free account for a child.)
Family History Activities
Trevor also loves geography, so when he discovered the Birth Places function on the fan chart on FamilySearch, he was inspired to create a collection of more sticky notes. Each new ancestor he discovered was recorded. Trevor says, “I always want to see if they put in a new country. Whenever I get on FamilySearch, I always keep track of which countries I find my ancestors are from.” Trevor can’t put an exact number on how many ancestors he’s discovered, but he can show you in what part of the world they lived or died. “It makes me feel pretty good because it lets me feel like I’m closer to that ancestor,” he said.
Among others, Trevor is a descendant of early Latter-day Saint pioneers. In the latter part of the 19th century, his ancestors were among the saints sent from Utah and from the Southern and Eastern parts of the United States by President Brigham Young, to settle in the San Luis Valley, in Colorado, where Trevor and his family still live today. Sunday evenings are often spent with family, getting together at Trevor’s grandparents’ house with aunts, uncles, and cousins; the conversation often turns to stories about family—stories of faith and love, as well as stories of hard work and recreation. In addition to stories passed down about those gone before, stories are told about personal experiences that his parents and grandparents had with their grandparents and great-grandparents. Trevor proudly shared part of one of those stories about an ancestor, which no doubt will be shared by him with his children and grandchildren. Keeping the link between generations alive:
“My great-great-grandfather, Luther Norland Bagwell was called on a mission to the Eastern States on May 13, 1919, by the Prophet Heber J. Grant. At the time, he was married and had 4 little kids.”
On the FamilySearch site, you can learn more about your missionary ancestors by signing in and looking at this activity page. If your family tree doesn't have missionaries marked, you can also search for ancestor names in the Church History Biographical Database.
Time with Dad and Mom
In addition to time spent with extended family and playing soccer, which is Trevor's sport of choice, Trevor also appreciates the time he spends alone with his dad. He said, “Many times Dad and I would go to the cemetery and walk around. I would discover names and make connections as dad would tell me stories about each deceased relative, the ones he knew and the stories of those he had heard.” On one of these walks through the cemetery, Trevor found the 3x great-grandfather that he is named after.
Trevor’s father said, “I think it is so important to study our family history, and anybody in the past, to learn from them. Like Trevor said, as we walk through the cemeteries and see those dates and those names, there’s just so much that comes back to me. For example, the things they taught me, their hardships, their weaknesses, there are many things we can learn from people that have gone through this life, some from their mistakes and some from their triumphs.”
In addition to the local cemeteries they would visit, Trevor and his mother would sit at the computer and make virtual visits to cemeteries through websites like Find a Grave that they couldn’t visit in person and look for ancestors that might be buried there.
Help with the 1950 Census
Trevor also likes to find new technology that makes doing family history fun. It’s even better if it is fun and it helps him to make new discoveries about his ancestors. In 2022 when the 1950 census was released, the Family History Department was looking for volunteers to help digitize the information. Trevor wanted to contribute. He sat down at the computer and, with his parents’ help, indexed parts of the census from the locations where his ancestors lived in 1950, indexing several of his own ancestors in the records he was assigned.
The Young Missionary
Back to that 8-year-old doing family history work after his schoolwork was completed—while he sat and worked on his Chromebook, his friends became curious as to what he was doing. It wasn’t long before Trevor had introduced them to FamilySearch and what could be found. Soon his friends were bringing him the names of their ancestors to look up. They would sit together, and Trevor would show them how he would find his ancestors. One friend was interested enough to get a DNA test. All of this, of course, was done with parental permission and under parental supervision.
Trevor’s excitement is contagious. It spreads throughout his friends at school, and to anyone who asks him about it. It goes to show that family history can be exciting at any age, and that family history is for everyone. Do you have a friend that might be interested in learning about their ancestors? Try sending them to FamilySearch. Like Trevor says, “It’s fun!”
Tip: If you have a FamilySearch account already, be sure to sign in and refresh the Activities page. Some special activities might appear that relate to your ancestors specifically!
