Issue 30.17
The Higgs family crowds around the biggest window in the living room, the smell of barbeque wafting through the air. There are about 36 papers taped to the window in six different categories, and underneath each category are numbers: 100, 200, 300, and so on, much like a board from the classic game show Jeopardy.
The kids are eager for a chance to win this year’s competition. The grand prize changes every year, but the promise of bragging rights remains an enticing constant.
The day’s activities start with the hymn “Come, Come, Ye Saints,” accompanied by granddaughter Grace’s guitar. When the song ends, Stephen Higgs stands up in front of the group and says, “Are you all ready for ‘Pioneer Jeopardy’?”
The crowd cheers.
Stephen reminds everyone of the rules as his wife, Melissa, splits up the teams, and then the competition begins! Each team gets the chance to answer questions based on key facts from their ancestor’s lives (like “Who was your pioneer ancestor who survived the tragic incidents of the Martin Handcart Company?”) and the two teams compete for points.
The Higgs family has been getting together to celebrate the 24th of July, Pioneer Day, for over ten years. When they first started the tradition, they would celebrate by sharing different stories about their pioneer ancestors, but after noticing that not everyone in the family was getting involved, Stephen and Melissa decided to start some new family traditions to engage the entire family.
“We were just trying to figure out how to involve as many in the family as we could,” Stephen said. “So, we thought maybe a game might be the best way to do that.” After much creative thought, Pioneer Jeopardy was born.
They started creating questions for the game by speaking to their own family members to gather whatever history had already been compiled. They also searched for stories and information through FamilySearch, the BYU library, and the Church History Library. You can also try looking in the Mormon Pioneer Overland Travel database.
This research helped Stephen and Melissa to make special discoveries about their ancestors. Many of these stories have even become a source of personal strength and inspiration for the two. “One of Stephen’s relatives brought a paisley scarf with her across the plains in the Martin Handcart Company,” Melissa said. “[She] brought this precious scarf with her and it survived all these years. . . . It’s just so fun to have a tangible piece of history of somebody who loved the Lord that much. I can’t even imagine how hard that would have been for them. When I read stories about them I think, ‘Okay, if they can do it, I can do it.’”
They also discovered a connection through Stephen’s occupation as a fire chief. Two of his ancestors, Thomas and James Higgs, built an early firefighting apparatus within Salt Lake City, the same city Stephen works for today. This information inspired a closeness with his ancestors.
Thanks to Sydny Terry for sharing her story.
For more information, contact Shanna Jones shannasjones@msn.com