This Saturday, May 21, youth from the Denton Texas Stake and from two stakes in Springville, Utah, are teaming up again to work with Brigham Young University’s Record Linking Lab on a project they began last year.
The teens are attaching sources and creating profiles on FamilySearch for all residents of Denton from 1900 to 1940, making sure everyone who lived there up until 1940 has a profile on the family tree.
The project is an opportunity to honor Elder Luke Carter and Elder Eli Fowler, who died in a car crash in May 2021 while serving in Denton, Texas. Elder Carter was from Springville, and Elder Fowler from Pueblo West, Colorado.
Elder Fowler’s family will travel to Denton to help, and Elder Carter’s family will join remotely with their congregation’s youth in Springville, reported a post from churchofjesuschristinnorthtexas.org.
The post explained that the youth are looking forward to celebrating the work that Elder Fowler and Elder Carter accomplished in Denton and are grateful to help continue that work for past and present residents of the county.
Denton resident Elise Stolle, said, “It’s also an incredible way to honor the missionaries who served here and blessed so many while they were here.”
This project continues efforts that began last year, as reported in the Church News. During two weeknight activities in September and November, youth from the Springville Utah Spring Creek South and Springville Utah Spring Creek stakes added more than 4,000 families from Denton census records to the family tree.
Joe Price of Brigham Young University’s Record Linking Lab told the Church News in November 2021 that when youth have a purpose, “they can really do amazing work.”
The project document contains various tasks based on experience level and is open to the public. The hope is that this project becomes a missionary tool in Denton for community members to learn more about their ancestors.
