FamilySearch Links Jamaican Member to National Hero

“Families Can Be Together Forever” is a well-known hymn of members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Members work assiduously to find their family members going back as far as Adam and Eve. This has led many members to find lineage with famous people who have lived on the earth. One such member is Sister Clevene Clarke (nee Bogle).

Through FamilySearch.org, a website accessible to the general public, Clevene was able to create her family tree by adding all their living and deceased family members. The website also provided other avenues to seek family, including indexing. Memories is a new addition to the FamilySearch website. This allows anyone to add stories, pictures, voice recordings and video recordings of themselves or family members.

For Clevene, FamilySearch has led her to find lineage with Paul Bogle, who is one of Jamaica’s seven national heroes. The information she has received depicts that Paul Bogle is her great great-great-grand uncle. The research and her knowledge of Jamaican history came alive for Clevene as she looked into who Paul Bogle actually was.

She found that at the time that Paul Bogle was living, there was poverty and injustice in the society and lack of public confidence in the central authority. This urged Paul Bogle to lead a protest march to the Morant Bay courthouse on October 11, 1865.

In a violent confrontation with full official forces that followed the march, nearly 500 people were killed, and a greater number was flogged and punished before order was restored.

Bogle was captured and hanged on October 24, 1865, but his forceful demonstration achieved its objectives. It paved the way for the establishment of just practices in the courts and it brought about a change in official attitude, which made possible the social and economic betterment of the people.

Sister Clarke feels very uneasy about not finding all the records for Paul Bogle. Nevertheless, she says “I am very proud to know that I am related to someone who aided in defending the rights of our ancestors. It brings a feeling of sheer respect and awe that such a man was my uncle. I have been blessed with a rich heritage to share with my children and grandchildren. It is truly a marvellous work and a wonder to behold our genealogy, it is almost as if you walk with your ancestors. I am glad to reminisce and walk with Paul back in time.”

Members are eagerly engaged in FamilySearch because it enriches their lives. The more you know about your ancestors, the more knowledge and strength you are encompassed with. The information persons find on FamilySearch are then taken to the temple, where binding ordinances are performed so that these families can be together forever.