Last year I went to visit my mother in Ohio. She is elderly and physically not strong. She often feels like she can’t contribute to life as she wants. It was during this visit that the 1950 census came out on FamilySearch. I had the impression to look at the census and index names as she napped or rested.  

As I began indexing, I realized that there was an option of just “Reviewing Names” that were indexed previously. It was simple to do. You didn’t need to look at multiple lines, but just the lines with the first and last name to make sure the names were correct. I was impressed to teach my mother how to open her iPad and review the names for Ohio’s index. She fell in love with doing this work. She commented that before the new Cleveland temple opened, she wanted to make sure that Ohio was 100% was indexed. 

In just one month, after I left Ohio, she had indexed 38,000 names! As I talked to her daily to check in, she told me just how much indexing had given her something to do and made her feel like she was contributing to others.

– Melissa Schaefer, Granite View Stake

The “Reviewing Names” feature on FamilySearch can now be accessed by clicking on the “Get Involved” tab and then scrolling down to “Name Review.” A prompt will come up to select a country, a surname and a specific place. If you’re lucky, you may have the opportunity to review your own ancestor! After you select your options, you will be assigned 20 names to review. This can be done very quickly, in a just a matter of minutes.

The “Name Review” tool can also be found on the FamilySearch “Get Involved” app, so you can review names wherever you are, using your mobile phone.