Lillian Freestone Millett: Seeking Kindred Spirits

Elder John A. Widtsoe must have had someone like Lillian Freestone Millett in mind when he said: “Those who give themselves with all their might and main to this work [of genealogy] receive help from the other side, and not merely in gathering genealogies. Whosoever seeks to help those on the other side receives help in return in all the affairs of life.” (Utah Genealogical and Historical Magazine, July 1931, p. 104.)

Sister Millett has unceasingly devoted her time and talents to uniting her family—those who have been, are, and are yet to come. She has accomplished the sizable task and discovered the immense joy of identifying and then submitting for temple work the names of thousands of her loved ones.

Perhaps much of her spiritual strength comes from the environment in which she was raised and the inheritance which is hers. Both sides of her family represent original pioneer stock. After settling in Utah, her forebears were called by Brigham Young to journey to Arizona with the first groups sent to the Mesa area.

Lillian, a contemporary of Spencer W. Kimball, was the oldest of eight children. She was born in Safford, Arizona, on 15 February 1896. From her mother, Charlotte P. Freestone, she learned kindness, sensitivity, a sense of independent generosity, and the deep comforting spirituality that has guided her throughout her life. Her father, George L. Freestone, a strong and energetic man of inherent goodness, moved his family to Gilbert, Arizona, near the turn of the twentieth century because he had seen Gilbert in a dream and knew he should move his family there.

Lillian married her childhood sweetheart, William Howard Millett, on 29 August 1917. He worked for many years as an inspector for the United States Department of Agriculture in California. He later became a hay and grain broker and also served as a dairy commissioner for the state of Arizona. The family grew to include six children (Howard, Lyal, Teddy, Ethel Mae, Donald, and Richard), twenty-seven grandchildren, and sixty-three great-grandchildren. She considers this immediate family and her extended family the focus of her life. For Lillian Millett, perfecting the Saints begins at home.

At an early age Sister Millett became impassioned with the idea of becoming acquainted with her kindred dead through genealogical research. She has said that she used to “scribble pedigrees in my school books.” After she finished her formal education, her interest in research heightened.

At the age of twenty-one, Lillian received some genealogical records ordered by her grandfather, James Freestone. This event was the catalyst that changed her feeling about genealogy from a passionate interest to an incredibly active involvement. Because of her fervent spirituality and stalwart faith, she began to enjoy success in her endeavors.

She felt on many occasions that divine intercession allowed her work to proceed. Her response to miraculous events is typical of her sweet, humble nature: “When you work with records, there’s a power; there aren’t words to express what you feel.”

Before Lillian’s husband died in 1958, they served as temple workers (beginning a year after the dedication of the Mesa Temple). During this 25-year period, Sister Millett also arranged for members to do baptismal work for the dead at the temple, and her son Richard recalls vividly that he and his brother were baptized for the dead some fifty to one hundred times each on many Saturday mornings.

Sister Millett acknowledges that because of her husband’s foresight, their real estate and other investments have provided the needed funds for her to compile many books of remembrance and other family records.

Lillian taught her children at an early age to keep a book of remembrance to record sacred experiences. To assist others in the Mesa area to do likewise, she pioneered a “Youth in Genealogy” program, entitled “Who Am I?” which was used extensively by many local stakes. She also assisted in the establishment of a branch of the Church Genealogical Library system in Mesa.

With the arrival of the computer age, grandchildren and family members encouraged Sister Millett to make use of modern technology to preserve and expedite use of her astounding collection of records and related materials. She received help from a computer program personalized for her by her grandson Ronald Millett, who has helped create similar software for Churchwide distribution. As a result, at age eighty-eight, not only did Sister Millett rely on a computer, but she also involved her children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren in her newfound technical skill—electronically recording the family’s history and genealogy.

Sister Millett has compared her lifelong commitment to genealogical work at home with preaching the gospel as a full-time missionary. In her mind, the time and expense involved as a full-time genealogist and the concomitant rewards are comparable to those who labor with nonmembers in bringing the gospel to them. And Lillian has not just answered a “call” to a stateside mission. She has made three trips to England. As she says, “In that way, I have become acquainted with the people in Yorkshire, for example, and know how they differ from people in Cambridge.”

Brigham Young University has also benefited from Lillian Millett’s generosity, expertise, tireless energy, and determination. A favorite lecturer at BYU’s Campus Education Week, she has also inspired and instructed thousands at numerous other locations as part of the Churchwide Education Week Program.

As her grandson Timothy Millett described her: “Grandmother is unique. Her will is stronger than iron, and her drive is more powerful than a bulldozer. … Her sense of humor is keen and her laugh contagious. Optimism is Grandmother’s way of life, and a smile has become a permanent feature of her face. You cannot be in her presence without coming away with an uplifted spirit and feeling motivated to do your best.”

She is still going strong today at ninety-one years of age. Throughout her lifetime, she has honored and served her God and has loved and given to others by selflessly preaching the gospel, perfecting the Saints, and redeeming the dead.

Photography by Jeff Richards