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Ancestry Magazine
3/1/2001 - Archive
| March/April 2001 |
Vol. 19 No. 2 |
Latter-day Saint Records
EDITOR'S NOTE: This article is the third of our special religion articles that appeared in the March/April 2001 issue of Ancestry Magazine: "Religious Records: A Closer Look".
On 6 April 1830, the Church of Christ (now The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, also known as the LDS Church or Mormon Church) was organized by Joseph Smith, Jr., in Fayette, New York. Due to an extensive proseletizing program, church membership increased significantly over the next few years, and scattered members began to settle together.
In the first decade after the Church’s organization, its members experienced persecution and financial difficulties; the headquarters of the Church changed from New York to Ohio, then Missouri, and finally Illinois. Church members were forced to migrate again following the martyrdom of prophet-leader Joseph Smith and his brother Hyrum. Under the direction of Brigham Young, who succeeded Joseph Smith in Church leadership, most of the Latter-day Saints settled the Salt Lake Valley and other western communities beginning in the late 1840s. Today the church that began with only six members in 1830 now has more than 11 million members worldwide.
The Church has a doctrinal practice of performing temple ordinance work for family members, both dead and living; because of this doctrine, it has emphasized gathering and maintaining genealogical records from around the world. The Church maintains the largest genealogy library in the world–the Family History Library–located in Salt Lake City, Utah; more than 3,400 Family History Centers; and over 2 million rolls of microfilm stored in the Granite Mountain Records Vault. In May 1999, the Church also launched its free FamilySearch Internet genealogy service at familysearch.org.
There are many LDS resources of interest to genealogists. The Church keeps records of infant blessings, baptisms, confirmations, marriages, and deaths, but tracing an LDS family’s history is also effectively accomplished using other sources. From its beginnings, the Church has encouraged members to keep individual records. Early records include newspapers, periodicals, temple records, membership records, journals and other personal accounts, and Church history. Also, most of the following resources have been microfilmed or are available on microfiche or compact disc from the Family History Library, any of the Family History Centers, or through FamilySearch.org.
Biographies
Many printed sources and original records contain biographical details and life sketches of LDS Church members. Sketches may appear in major printed publications, such as Andrew Jenson’s Latter-day Saint Biographical Encyclopedia, or they may appear in journals and diaries. Many early LDS biographical sketches are indexed in the Early Church Information File.
Church Census, 1914—60
The LDS Church first took a census of its members in 1914. Between 1920 and 1960, this special census was taken every five years, except in 1945, during World War II. Although not every member was listed, the census showed the name of each person in the family, his or her gender, priesthood office (for men), marital status, birth date, and birthplace. The census has been microfilmed, but the filming is incomplete.
Church Histories
Manuscript and printed histories of LDS Church units describe the early history of that unit. Names of early Church members are often included. General histories are also available.
Diaries, Journals, and Personal Accounts
Many Latter-day Saints have kept diaries, journals, family Bibles, and other personal accounts since the Church was organized in 1830. These can be found in major libraries and in state and local historical societies.
Early Church Information File
The Early Church Information File (ECIF) was compiled to identify names of early Church members, but it also includes details about other people as well. It is an alphabetical card index of individuals that was taken from some 1,200 sources, including: LDS membership records, journals, local histories, missionary and priesthood records, immigration records, biographies, marriage records, and many others. The records date from 1840 to about 1941 (most records date to 1914).
Emigration/Immigration/Migration Records
LDS European mission registers, passenger lists and departure records, journals and personal accounts, census records, newspapers, and passports are just a few of the sources that can be used to help identify names of immigrants to the United States from foreign countries, as well as names of immigrants who migrated to Utah from eastern states. Two important immigration indexes are the European Emigration Card Index (also known as the "Crossing the Ocean Index"), which covers the time period 1849—1925, and the Utah Immigration Card Index (the "Crossing the Plains Index"), which covers 1847—68.
But the most complete reference for this topic is the Mormon Immigration Index, which is available on compact disc from the Family and Church History Department. This CD identifies some 93,000 LDS Church members and others who immigrated to America between 1840 and 1890. It serves as an index to passenger lists, personal accounts, and other immigration records.
Family Group Records Collection
Since 1924, the LDS Church has requested copies of family group records from its members and others who wished to submit them. Containing some 8 million family group records, these records have been compiled into what is known as the Family Group Records Collection (FGRC). The original records are available at the Joseph Smith Memorial Building (JSMB) in Salt Lake City. They are also on microfilm at some Family History Centers. There is an Archive Section (records submitted between 1942 and 1969) and a Patrons Section (records submitted between 1924 and 1979). The Temple Records Index Bureau serves as a partial index to the Archive Section. The accuracy and completeness of the records varies. Users should first check the Ancestral File for more up-to-date information. Pedigree charts are also available at the Family History Library.
Genealogies and Family Histories
LDS Church members and other individuals have compiled numerous genealogies. These show biographical details; dates and places of births, marriages, and deaths; parents’ names; names of children; and other genealogical details. Some genealogies are documented, while others are not; they are available in unpublished manuscript form, and many have been printed. Genealogical "surveys" of members were taken at various times throughout the twentieth century.
Journal History of the Church, 1830—1973
This reference tool is a chronological, day-by-day accounting of events in LDS Church history taken from newspaper clippings, journals, histories, and other sources. Many pioneer immigration rosters are also abstracted. The history has a separate card index.
Membership Card Index
This unique card index, often known as the "Minnie Margetts File," indexes selected LDS Church records, primarily in the United States and England, from the time period 1839—1915.
Membership of the LDS Church, 1830—48
The fifty-volume Membership of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 1830—48, compiled by Church historian Susan Easton Black, contains biographies and genealogical details for hundreds of early LDS Church members. This is one of the first sources to check when seeking early Latter-day Saints.
Membership Records
Records of individual LDS Church members and units have been kept since the 1830s and 1840s and have been organized in several journal formats. Contents include baptisms, marriages, deaths, priesthood ordinations, and other details. Most records show the member’s name, birth date, birthplace, baptism date, and other personal details. An annual report from local Church units was kept beginning in 1907. Recent records have been computerized. The Membership Card Index ("Minnie Margetts File"), discussed above, serves as an index to early Church members, and some individual Church units are indexed, such as the "Scandinavian LDS Branch Membership Card Index, 1850—1900."
Missionary Records
Missionary records date from 1830 to 1979 and give the name of the full-time missionary; his or her birth date, birthplace, and parents’ names; the date he or she became a missionary; and other personal details. The records are indexed.
Newspapers and Obituary Indexes
Obituaries and death notices from the Deseret News, Salt Lake Tribune, Ogden Standard Examiner, and other Utah newspapers are useful genealogical sources. Other newspapers have been indexed as well. Early indexes date from 1848. Recent obituaries are available on the Internet. The "Deseret News Obituary Index" covers the time period 1850—1970 and has been microfilmed.
Periodicals
Historical and other periodicals have been published by the LDS Church and other organizations. Most of the early issues have been indexed in the Early Church Information File. A few sample Mormon historical periodical titles include BYU Studies, The Journal of Mormon History, Mormon Historical Studies, and Utah Historical Quarterly. The Utah Genealogical and Historical Magazine also published many genealogical and LDS Church articles (1910—40). And The Genealogical Journal, published quarterly by the Utah Genealogical Association, is a valuable title that frequently publishes articles describing LDS genealogical collections.
Perpetual Emigrating Fund
The Perpetual Emigrating Fund, a Church financial fund, known as the PEF, was used to assist some 30,000 LDS converts to migrate from foreign countries to Utah. Its records cover the time period 1850—87.
Priesthood Records
Records maintained by various priesthood groups since the nineteenth century have been kept by Church units. In addition to finding each man’s name, one may find his birth date, birthplace, biographical details, and priesthood advancement (called ordination) information.
Temple Records
Records of living and proxy temple ordinances, such as baptisms for the dead, have been recorded since the Nauvoo Temple was constructed in the 1840s. Most of these records are restricted to LDS Church members in good standing, to be searched on microfilm at the Family History Library in Salt Lake City. Ordinance information is indexed in the Ordinance Index.
Temple Records Index Bureau
The Temple Records Index Bureau (TIB), a 3 x 5-inch card index to names of more than 30 million individuals, was begun in 1927 and was for many years the largest genealogical index of its type. It includes names of both living and deceased individuals. References to births, christenings, and marriages date from the sixteenth century to 1970, when the TIB was replaced by the Computer File Index, (later the International Genealogical Index (IGI) and now the Ordinance Index). Access to the TIB is restricted to LDS Church members in good standing.
Web Sites
All About Mormons
Cyndi’s List of LDS and Family History Centers
FamilySearch Internet Genealogy Service
LDS Biographical Encyclopedia
LDS Church (official Web site)
LDS Church and the Family History Library
LDS Member Name Index, 1830—45
Further Reading
Deseret News 2001-2002 Church Almanac. Salt Lake City: Deseret News, 2000.
Garr, Arnold K., Donald Q. Cannon, and Richard O. Cowan, eds. Encyclopedia of Latter-day Saint History. Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 2000.
Ludlow, Daniel H., ed. Encyclopedia of Mormonism. 4 vols. New York: Macmillan, 1992.
Kip Sperry, CG, CGI, AG, FASG, FNGS, FUGA, is an associate professor of family history at Brigham Young University. He is the author of Abbreviations & Acronyms: A Guide for Family Historians, Reading Early American Handwriting, Genealogical Research in Ohio, and other works.
Return to the Ancestry Magazine March/April 2001 Table of Contents.
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