About 4 years ago I started uploading old family photos to Family Search. My then 26 year old daughter Aubrey helped me as we spent many hours together editing and uploading numerous old family photos to Family Search. As Aubrey helped me learn how to edit and upload photos, I taught her about her ancestors. 

During this time Aubrey became engaged to a man named Sam Cookson. Sam’s father Bennett Cookson had passed away when Sam was young. Aubrey looked up Sam’s father, Bennett, on Family Search and discovered that there were no pictures of him on Family Search.  I showed Aubrey how to download the Family Tree app to her phone, and taught her how to take pictures on her phone and upload them to Family Search with the Family Tree app. The next time Aubrey went to Sam’s house, he found four photos of his father Bennett Cookson, which she took pictures of on her phone, then uploaded to Family Search. Aubrey was happy that she was able to post pictures of her soon to be father-in-law on Family Search, and has continued to use the Family Tree/Family Search app to do research on her husband’s family. 

Aubrey and her husband, now live in California near Sacramento. where she is a nurse at Mercy Hospital in Folsom, California. About a month ago while Aubrey was at work a fellow nurse, Lisa (who is African American) started to ask Aubrey some questions. Lisa had heard that Aubrey was from Sandy, Utah and that she was a “Mormon.” She asked Aubrey if Sandy was near Cottonwood Heights, Utah, and Aubrey explained that her family’s house was right next to Cottonwood Heights. Aubrey learned that Lisa’s great, great grandpa was buried in Cottonwood Heights and that he was a “Mormon Pioneer”. When Lisa had attended her grandmothers funeral several years earlier, she recalled that “lots of Mormons” had come to the funeral. 

Aubrey showed Lisa the Family Tree app, and helped her download it to her phone. By using this app, Lisa could learn about her ancestors. With help from Aubrey, Lisa was able to find her great, great grandfather “Green Flake”. On his person page, Lisa found Green Flake’s life history telling how while Green Flake was a slave in Mississippi, his master, James Madison Flake and his family were converted to the Gospel and baptized. Green Flake was also converted to the Gospel and was baptized on April 7, 1844. Shortly after being baptized, the Flake family moved from Mississippi to Nauvoo, Illinois to be with other Latter-Day Saints. When the Saints were driven out of Nauvoo, the James Madison Flake family and his slaves went with the Saints to Winter Quarters, Nebraska. 

In April 1847, the strong nineteen year old, Green Flake was chosen by Brigham Young to leave Winter Quarters with Brigham’s vanguard group of 147 pioneers and set out for the Salt Lake Valley. Green Flake and Orson Pratt were on the first wagon to enter the Salt Lake Valley that summer.

Lisa was amazed to learn about her great, great grandfather, and to see pictures and read stories about him on Family Search. Lisa was able to read all of the stories about Green Flake and share them with her mother. Aubrey called me the next day and told me how she had helped Lisa, and how Lisa had learned so much about her “Mormon Pioneer” great, great grandfather, Green Flake. 

I told Aubrey that I knew where there was a plaque with details about the “Cottonwood Heights Black Pioneers.” I also looked up Green Flake on Family Search and found out that he is buried in the Union Pioneer Cemetery in Cottonwood Heights. Since the cemetery is only about 10 minutes from my house, I promised Aubrey that I would go find the plaque, and locate the grave.

That afternoon I was able to locate the plaque which contained a lot of useful information about Green Flake. Afterward, I went to the Union Pioneer Memorial Cemetery and found Green Flake and his wife Martha Flake’s headstone. It was decorated with many flowers and the American Flag. Green Flake had died in 1903. I took photos of the plaque and headstone, and sent them to Aubrey. 

When Aubrey and Lisa worked together a few days later, she showed Lisa the pictures that I had taken. Lisa loved them and had Aubrey forward them to her, so she could share them with her mother. 

Later I found an article that was published in the Deseret News about a movie that is being made about Green Flake called “Green Flake – From Southern Slave to Western Hero.” I sent the article to Aubrey and she forwarded it to Lisa. Lisa couldn’t believe it! A movie was being made about her great, great grandfather Green Flake, someone Lisa had known very little about until she found Green Flake on the Family Tree app. Lisa shared the article with her mother about the movie, and they are excited to see it when it is released. 

All this started because my daughter, Aubrey shared the Family Tree app with her friend. Aubrey and I are hoping that Lisa will feel her great, great Grandfather Green Flake’s humble spirit and his testimony of the gospel of Jesus Christ as she learns more about him. 

–Alison Van leeuwen, Temple and Family History Consultant, Willow Creek Stake.