Member’s Guide to Temple and Family History Work

Published by
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
Salt Lake City, Utah

© 2009 by Intellectual Reserve, Inc.
All rights reserved
Printed in the United States of America

English approval: 8/02
Translation approval: 8/02
Translation of Member’s Guide to Temple and Family History Work
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Introduction

Welcome! You are about to embark on a fascinating journey that will take you back into history and forward into the eternities.

Never has there been a more exciting time to do temple and family history work. Many more temples are being built worldwide than ever before. Technological advances continually increase our ability to locate and search records and to communicate with others. People around the world are researching, compiling, and publishing family histories in print and on the Internet.

President Thomas S. Monson said:

“In this work, no lock will open without [the key of faith]. I testify that when we do all we can to accomplish the work that is before us, the Lord will make available to us the sacred key needed to unlock the treasure which we so much seek. . . .

“My brothers and sisters, do not be weary in well doing. If you feel your contribution is small or insignificant, remember that the worth of souls is precious in the sight of God. Our opportunity is to prepare the way, and to accomplish the ordinance work, after faithful research, that these souls may prepare for the glory which is their divine opportunity” (“The Key of Faith,” Ensign, Feb. 1994, 5, 7).

The primary purpose of family history work is to find ancestors’ names and perform temple ordinances for ancestors. This work involves a simple process:

Gather information to identify your ancestors.

Record information about your ancestors to link them into families.

Perform temple ordinances for your ancestors who have not yet received them.

The process often leads to information about others of your ancestors—the parents, children, and siblings of those you have found—and the process begins again.

This guide will help you use the process to identify your ancestors and bless them through temple ordinances. You will also learn about resources that can help you in this process, including the FamilySearch Internet site, which is found at new.familysearch.org.

If you already have experience in doing temple and family history work, you can adapt your use of this guide to your experience. Activities to enrich your experience and additional resources to study are suggested at the end of each chapter. You can also visit the Help Center at new.familysearch.org to find more resources to help you continue learning.

You may find that this guide is all you need to get started, or you may want the additional help of a family history consultant. Family history consultants can use this guide to help individuals and families in their homes. This guide is also the basis for a Temple and Family History course that can be taught during Sunday School, as determined by local priesthood leaders.

As you participate in temple and family history work, you will be blessed with a stronger testimony of its importance, a greater appreciation of the Lord’s love for His children, and a motivating desire to do temple work for your ancestors. You will have a better understanding of your family origins and an increased love for your ancestors.

Chapter 1

The Purpose of Temple and Family History Work

The Great Plan of Happiness

Before you were born, you lived with Heavenly Father. He wanted you to be happy and to become like Him. He presented a plan for you and for all His children to come to earth and then return to His presence. Your life is intended to be a homeward journey to the presence of God in His celestial kingdom.

This journey would be impossible without the Atonement of our Savior Jesus Christ. The Savior’s Atonement enables us all to repent and be forgiven of our sins and to be resurrected. We obtain the full blessings of the Atonement by receiving gospel ordinances and making and keeping sacred covenants with God.

An ordinance is a sacred act or ceremony performed by authority of the priesthood. Some ordinances are essential for exaltation. These include baptism, confirmation, Melchizedek Priesthood ordination for men, and temple ordinances. Receiving these ordinances should be the goal of every Latter-day Saint. Each of these essential ordinances includes covenants or promises made with God.

President Boyd K. Packer of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles explained the role of ordinances and covenants:

“Ordinances and covenants become our credentials for admission into [God’s] presence. To worthily receive them is the quest of a lifetime; to keep them thereafter is the challenge of mortality. Once we have received them for ourselves and for our families, we are obligated to provide these ordinances vicariously for our kindred dead, indeed for the whole human family” (in Conference Report, Apr. 1987, 27; or Ensign, May 1987, 24).

Eternal Families Are Part of the Plan

Families are essential in Heavenly Father’s plan of happiness. You are part of a heavenly family and an earthly one. President Gordon B. Hinckley taught:

“God is the designer of the family. He intended that the greatest of happiness, the most satisfying aspects of life, the deepest joys should come in our associations together and our concerns one for another as fathers and mothers and children” (in Conference Report, Apr. 1991, 98; or Ensign, May 1991, 74).

You have a knowledge of the gospel of Jesus Christ and have received at least some of the ordinances of the gospel. Not everyone in your family has had the same privilege. Many of your ancestors—and perhaps even some of your immediate family members—have died without hearing the gospel or receiving saving ordinances. Heavenly Father is just and merciful, and He has provided a way for them to have these blessings.

Your deceased ancestors live in a place called the spirit world. There they have the opportunity to hear and accept the gospel of Jesus Christ. However, they cannot receive the ordinances of the gospel for themselves, and they cannot progress until others provide these ordinances for them.

Your privilege and responsibility is to give your ancestors this gift by identifying them and ensuring that ordinances are performed in their behalf in the temple. They may then choose whether to accept the work that has been done.

Your effort in behalf of your ancestors is patterned after the work of the Savior, although on a much smaller scale. The Savior enables all of us to return to Heavenly Father’s presence through the Atonement, and you help your ancestors receive the blessings of the Atonement by making ordinances available to them. You do a saving work for them that they cannot do for themselves.

The Prophet Joseph Smith taught that Latter-day Saints are to become saviors on Mount Zion. He explained:

“How are they to become saviors on Mount Zion? By building their temples, erecting their baptismal fonts, and going forth and receiving all the ordinances . . . upon their heads, in behalf of all their progenitors who are dead, and redeem them that they may come forth in the first resurrection and be exalted to thrones of glory with them” (History of the Church, 6:184; see also Obadiah 1:21).

Temple and family history work unites families. Husbands and wives, parents and children can be sealed through sacred temple ordinances. The goal of this process is that “the whole chain of God’s family shall be welded together into one chain, and they shall all become the family of God and His Christ” (Joseph F. Smith, Millennial Star, Oct. 4, 1906, 629).

The Mission of Elijah

The keys of the welding or sealing power of the Melchizedek Priesthood were bestowed upon Elijah, a prophet of the Old Testament. This priesthood includes the authority to perform ordinances that bind families together eternally.

Ancient prophets foretold the return of Elijah before the Second Coming of Jesus Christ. The Lord Himself shared this prophecy with the Nephites: “I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord; and he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse” (3 Nephi 25:5–6; see also Malachi 4:5–6; D&C 2:1; Joseph Smith—History 1:38–39). This prophecy was also one of the first messages that Moroni gave to young Joseph Smith.

President Henry B. Eyring of the First Presidency taught:

“It is important to know why the Lord promised to send Elijah. Elijah was a great prophet with great power given him by God. He held the greatest power God gives to His children: he held the sealing power, the power to bind on earth and have it bound in heaven. . . . And the Lord kept His promise to send Elijah. Elijah came to the Prophet Joseph Smith on April 3, 1836, just after the dedication of the Kirtland Temple, the first temple built after the Restoration of the gospel” (in Conference Report, Apr. 2005, 80; or Ensign, May 2005, 78).

When Elijah appeared to the Prophet Joseph, he said, “Behold, the time has fully come . . . to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the children to the fathers. . . . Therefore, the keys of this dispensation are committed into your hands” (D&C 110:14–16).

Since that time, the sealing power has been conferred on men as authorized by the President of the Church. These priesthood holders use the sealing power to perform ordinances in the temple for the living and the dead. Elijah’s return marked the beginning of a worldwide interest in genealogical research that continues to grow.

Elder Russell M. Nelson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles taught that an outpouring of the Holy Ghost accompanied Elijah’s return:

“Elijah came to turn the hearts of the fathers to their children and the children to the fathers. With that, natural affection between generations began to be enriched. This restoration was accompanied by what is sometimes called the Spirit of Elijah—a manifestation of the Holy Ghost bearing witness of the divine nature of the family. Hence, people throughout the world, regardless of religious affiliation, are gathering records of deceased relatives at an ever-increasing rate.

“Elijah came not only to stimulate research for ancestors. He also enabled families to be eternally linked beyond the bounds of mortality. Indeed, the opportunity for families to be sealed forever is the real reason for our research” (in Conference Report, Apr. 1998, 43; or Ensign, May 1998, 34).

The Blessings of This Work

President Thomas S. Monson emphasized that great blessings come to those who participate in temple work:

“Today is a day of temple building. Never before have so many temples been erected and dedicated. . . . Temples will bless all who attend them and who sacrifice for their completion. The light of Christ will shine on all—even those who have gone beyond” (in Conference Report, Apr. 1999, 76; or Ensign, May 1999, 56).

Temple and family history work can bless and protect you and your family. President Boyd K. Packer promised:

“The Lord will bless us as we attend to the sacred ordinance work of the temples. Blessings there will not be limited to our temple service. We will be blessed in all of our affairs. We will be eligible to have the Lord take an interest in our affairs both spiritual and temporal. . . .

“Our labors in the temple cover us with a shield and a protection, both individually and as a people” (The Holy Temple [1980], 182, 265).

As you prepare your family history and go to the temple for your ancestors, you will feel the influence of the Holy Ghost more powerfully in your life. You will be strengthened to do this work and the other tasks of your life more efficiently. As you do the work of the Lord, you will know Him better and become more like Him.

Assignments

Talk to your bishop or branch president if you have not yet received your own temple ordinances. He can explain what you need to do to begin preparations to go to the temple and receive these sacred ordinances.

Study additional scriptures associated with temple and family history work, including Doctrine and Covenants 127:4–10; 128:15–18; 138; and Malachi 4:5–6.

“Pray unto the Father with all the energy of heart” (Moroni 7:48) that you may be filled with the pure love of Christ for your ancestors.

If you are taking the Temple and Family History course, prepare for the next class by reading chapter 2.

Additional Resources

Boyd K. Packer, “The Family and Eternity,” Ensign, Feb. 1971, 7–11.

“Plan of Salvation,” in True to the Faith: A Gospel Reference, 115–17.

Ezra Taft Benson, “What I Hope You Will Teach Your Children about the Temple,” Ensign, Aug. 1985, 6–10.

J. Ballard Washburn, “The Temple Is a Family Affair,” Ensign, May 1995, 11–12.

Chapter 2

Getting Started

Where to Get Help

There are many ways you can get help as you gather family history information. In this section you will learn to use the resources that are available to you.

The most important thing you can do is to seek and follow the guidance of the Holy Ghost. You can also seek help from family history consultants and family history centers. The FamilySearch Internet site is a powerful resource that can be a great help to you as you gather and record information and prepare names for temple ordinances.

Follow the Guidance of the Holy Ghost

In your temple and family history work, you will be most effective when you seek and follow the guidance of the Holy Ghost.

Your efforts to gather family information can be compared to the efforts of Nephi to obtain the brass plates, which contained information about his genealogy. Like Nephi, you have the responsibility to obtain information about your family. Like Nephi, you may need to press forward, “not knowing beforehand the things which [you] should do” (1 Nephi 4:6). If you humbly rely upon the Lord to prepare a way for you to gather records, He will bless you with the increased guidance of the Holy Ghost.

The Holy Ghost may inspire you to know how best to begin family history work, what ancestor or family lines to focus on, where to find useful records, or which family members to contact for family information.

The Holy Ghost may communicate to you by:

Speaking to your mind and heart and giving you impressions or ideas (see D&C 8:1–2).

Directing others to give you inspired counsel (see Exodus 18:13–24).

Helping you feel peace (see D&C 6:23).

Bringing something to your remembrance (see John 14:26).

Remember to rely on the promise of the Lord: “Whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my name, which is right, believing that ye shall receive, behold it shall be given unto you” (3 Nephi 18:20).

Family History Consultants

Family history consultants are called and set apart by the bishop or branch president to assist with temple and family history work. Consultants may teach family history classes and provide one-on-one help. They can help you get started, answer your questions along the way, and help you use the FamilySearch Internet site and other resources.

Family History Centers

The Church has established thousands of family history centers throughout the world. Most centers have a small collection of published resources. Many centers have computers for access to the FamilySearch Internet site and other family history Web sites. They may also have machines for reading microfilm.

Staff members can teach you how to use the center. They can answer your questions and help you use resources and order microfilms from the Family History Library in Salt Lake City, Utah. If microfilms need to be ordered, the films will usually take a few weeks to arrive.

To find a family history center, you can talk to a family history consultant.

Begin with the FamilySearch Internet Site

To simplify your temple and family history work, the Church has developed an Internet site, found at new.familysearch.org. You can gather family information there, record ancestors’ names and other information, and prepare names for temple work. As you begin your temple and family history work, the first thing you should do is register on the site and find what information is available about you and your family.

To register, you will need your Church membership record number and the date you were confirmed a member of the Church. Your ward or branch clerk can retrieve this information for you from your membership record or your Individual Ordinance Summary.

If you have Internet access, go to new.familysearch.org and register as a new user by entering your membership record number and confirmation date to identify yourself. Once you have completed the registration process, you can begin using the site.

If you do not have Internet access, you can go to a family history center, where access is likely available. Or you can speak to a family history consultant, who may be able to print for you any information the FamilySearch Internet site has about you and your family. If your family history consultant is unable to print the information for you, you can record information on family group records and pedigree charts. Samples of these forms are available in appendix A.

Add information or change incorrect information in the site. If you do not have Internet access, you can make additions and corrections on a copy of the information printed from the site or on a family group record and pedigree chart. Then you can give the changes to a family history consultant, who can type them into the site. (See chapter 4 of this guide for more details about recording family history information.)

Prepare ancestors’ names for temple work if you have sufficient information about them to perform temple ordinances. (See chapter 7 of this guide for details about preparing names for temple work.)

The FamilySearch Internet site can also help you coordinate family history efforts and temple work with other family members, exchange family history information, and find distant family members, especially those who may already be researching your ancestors.

Visit new.familysearch.org for more detailed instructions on how to use the site.

Assignments

Register on new.familysearch.org to see what you can find about yourself and your family. If you do not have access to a computer or need help with registration, you can ask a family history consultant for help or visit the nearest family history center.

Print a family pedigree and family group records for your family. If the FamilySearch Internet site contains information about multiple generations, print records for just a few generations.

If you are taking the Temple and Family History course, prepare for the next class by reading chapter 3. Bring to class any records you have printed from the FamilySearch Internet site.

Additional Resources

Boyd K. Packer, “The Candle of the Lord,” Ensign, Jan. 1983, 51–56.

“Holy Ghost,” in True to the Faith: A Gospel Reference, 81–84.

“Family History Work and Genealogy,” in True to the Faith: A Gospel Reference, 61–64.

Chapter 3

Gathering Information from Home

You can gather family history information from many sources. Some are easier to access than others. You may make more effective use of your time by gathering information from sources that are close at hand before you go to sources that are less accessible. For example, your own memory is an excellent source of family history information. Also, you may find important family information in records that exist around your home. Follow the promptings of the Holy Ghost as you decide where to begin gathering information.

Use the FamilySearch Internet Site

The FamilySearch Internet site, found at new.familysearch.org, may already contain some information about your ancestors. Review this information at the beginning of your search to avoid duplicating work that may already have been done.

Record Information from Your Memory

Your memory is the most readily available source of information about your family. Record the names you can remember and the dates and locations of births, marriages, deaths, and other important events in the lives of your ancestors. You can write this information on family group records and pedigree charts or in a research notebook, or you can record it in the FamilySearch Internet site (see chapter 4 of this guide). Be sure to verify your information by comparing it with information you find in other sources. Memories fade and are not always accurate.

Gather Information from Home Sources

Your home is an important source of family history information. Spend some time looking for records that exist in your home. You may find:

Family group records, pedigree charts, books of remembrance, or ancestral tablets.

Family Bibles.

Journals, diaries, and letters.

Personal histories and life sketches.

Family histories.

Old photographs.

Obituaries and newspaper clippings.

Birth, marriage, and death certificates.

Household registers and tribal registration papers.

President Boyd K. Packer of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles suggested one simple way to gather such items:

“Get a cardboard box. Any kind of a box will do. Put it someplace where it is in the way, . . . anywhere where it cannot go unnoticed. Then, over a period of a few weeks, collect and put into the box every record of your life, such as your birth certificate, your certificate of blessing, your certificate of baptism, your certificate of ordination, and your certificate of graduation. Collect diplomas, all of the photographs, honors, or awards, a diary if you have kept one, everything that you can find pertaining to your life; anything that is written, or registered, or recorded that testifies that you are alive and what you have done” (“Your Family History: Getting Started,” Ensign, Aug. 2003, 15).

The same process can be followed for gathering information about your ancestors. As you locate records that might contain family information, put everything you can find about yourself into one box, pile, or folder. Put everything about the families of your parents or grandparents into separate boxes, piles, or folders.

Within family groups, you can organize the information according to each individual in the family group. For each individual, you can organize information chronologically, putting information into three categories—childhood, adolescence, and adulthood. The family history consultant in your ward or branch may have additional ideas about how to organize your family history information.

As you gather information from the records you find in your home, record it in the FamilySearch Internet site or on the appropriate paper forms (see chapter 4 of this guide).

Assignments

Prayerfully choose a family or an individual ancestor to learn more about. Give special attention to individuals who need to have temple ordinances performed for them.

Begin gathering information you have at home about that family or individual.

If you are taking the Temple and Family History course, prepare for the next class by reading chapter 4. Bring to class some of the information you have gathered.

Additional Resources

Boyd K. Packer, “Your Family History: Getting Started,” Ensign, Aug. 2003, 12–17.

Dennis B. Neuenschwander, “Bridges and Eternal Keepsakes,” Ensign, May 1999, 83–85.

Constance Palmer Lewis, “Starting from Scratch,” Ensign, Feb. 2008, 42–45.

How Do I Start My Family History? (32916; one-page guide).

Chapter 4

Recording Family History Information

The Importance of Keeping Records

In this chapter you will learn how to record the family information you have gathered. You will find it most helpful to record information as you gather it. The process of gathering information from a variety of sources and then recording it will be repeated many times as you strive to learn about your ancestors.

In the time of Adam and Eve and their children, a “book of remembrance was kept,” and a “genealogy was kept of the children of God” (Moses 6:5, 8). The value of these records and other records is shown by the Lord’s commandment to Lehi and his family to obtain the brass plates. Lehi’s family needed the plates because these records contained their genealogy and the teachings of the prophets. From the plates, the Nephites taught their children about the gospel and about their ancestors. (See 1 Nephi 3:3–4; 5:14–16.)

The Prophet Joseph Smith taught the importance of record keeping. He declared: “Let us present in his holy temple . . . a book containing the records of our dead, which shall be worthy of all acceptation” (D&C 128:24).

The records you preserve of your ancestors’ lives and of your own life—including journals, personal histories, and other family history records—can bless your ancestors, descendants, extended family members, and others.

Using the FamilySearch Internet Site

Family history information may be handwritten or recorded by computer, but before temple ordinances can be done for your ancestors, their information must be entered into the FamilySearch Internet site at new.familysearch.org. When your family history information is entered into this site, the system will:

Show what information has already been gathered about your family.

Show which temple ordinances have been completed and which ordinances need to be done.

Provide a way for you to print Family Ordinance Request forms that can be taken to the temple.

Allow other researchers to use your family history information to help them in their research.

Help you find and communicate with extended family members who are also searching for your ancestors.

You can enter your family history information directly into the FamilySearch Internet site, or you can give your handwritten information to a family history consultant, who can help you enter the information or do it for you.

Entering the Information Yourself

Register or log on to new.familysearch.org. If you are using the system for the first time, you will need your Church membership record number and your confirmation date to identify yourself.

Enter the family history information you have gathered, including details about how and where you obtained the information. Correct any incorrect information that your research may have discovered. The system will prompt you about what to enter and let you know if more information is required before you can perform temple ordinances for your ancestors.

Working with a Family History Consultant

If you do not have access to the Internet or do not know how to use a computer, you can record your family history information on forms. Then you can work with your family history consultant to get the information entered into the FamilySearch Internet site.

The FamilySearch Internet site allows you to print pedigree and family group information for the family you are researching. Your family history consultant or the staff at a family history center can help you print your family information from the site. As you gather additional family history information, you can record it on these printouts. If you are unable to obtain printouts, you can use blank pedigree charts and family group records (see appendix A for copies of these forms).

After you have written your family history information on printouts from the Internet site or on pedigree charts and family group records, take the forms to your family history consultant, who can help you enter the information into a computer. If Internet access is not available in your area, the family history consultant can help you send copies of your forms to a family history center or some other location where the information can be entered into the FamilySearch Internet site.

How to Record Information on Forms

Pedigree charts show extended family relationships across generations. The pedigree chart shows the direct ancestors of a single person, whose name is recorded on the left side of the chart. Use completed family group records and other information you have gathered to fill out a pedigree chart.

Write the name of the first individual on line 1 of the pedigree chart. Fill in the details about the individual. If the individual was married, fill in the details about the spouse. Mark the boxes for ordinances the individuals have received. If you are filling out your first pedigree chart, you will probably start with your own name in line 1.

Write the names of ancestors, starting with the father and mother on lines 2 and 3 of the pedigree chart. Fill in the event details, and mark the boxes for any ordinances. Continue this process for as many ancestors as you can. Make sure you have a family group record for each couple shown on the pedigree chart.

Provide your contact information on the back of the form. This will allow you to share your family history information with other researchers.

Family group records show detailed information about a single family unit. Use a family group record to organize key information about each family group for which you have information.

Record information about the husband and wife, including their names and as many dates and places as you can for the events listed.

Record information about each child, including name, gender, and event information.

List the sources of the information. Sources may include personal knowledge, family possessions, public records, information from Internet sites, and published information.

Provide your contact information on the back of the form. This will allow you to share your family history information with other researchers.

A family history consultant can help you fill out these forms. Consultants can also help you enter the information from your forms in the FamilySearch Internet site .

Information Needed for Temple Work

As you record information, remember that in order for temple ordinances to be performed, individuals must be deceased for at least one year. You must provide at least the given name or the surname of your ancestor, the person’s gender, and enough information to uniquely identify the person. This information may include dates, places, and names and relationships of other family members. For a sealing to a spouse, you will also need the given name or the surname of the spouse. For a sealing to parents, you will need to know the given name or the surname of at least the father.

Guidelines for Record Keeping

As you identify ancestors, record as much information about them as you can. For example, find the day, month, and year an event occurred, if possible. These details can provide clues to help you discover more information about your ancestors. Use the following guidelines as you record family history information.

Names

Provide names that are as complete as possible. Below are some examples of complete names:

Elizabeth Blackshaw

Matthew William Harman Jr.

Juan Angel de la Cruz Vasquez Ovalle

Ah-Yueh Chen

If you do not know the full names of your ancestors, record as much of the names as you know.

Gender

Indicate whether your ancestor is male or female.

Relationships

Record as much information as possible about the family members of your ancestors. Try to include information about the following family members of your ancestors:

Spouse

Parents

Children

Siblings

Dates

General guidelines. Record the date as completely as possible. For example:

23 Mar 1842

May 1901

When you are recording the date on a paper form, be sure to write the date so that the day and month can be clearly distinguished. If you enter a date into the FamilySearch Internet site that cannot be interpreted, you will see some date options from which you can choose.

Other calendars. The FamilySearch Internet site correctly interprets dates from the lunar calendars used in China, Japan, and Korea if you record the dates in Chinese-based characters. If you cannot record dates in Chinese-based characters, convert dates to the Gregorian calendar.

If you have a date that does not correspond to a calendar that the FamilySearch Internet site supports, you can use one of these strategies:

If possible, convert the date to the Gregorian calendar. Record at least the year.

If you cannot convert the date to the Gregorian calendar, record its original form.

Approximated dates. If an exact year is not known, it can be approximated. Use the words before, after, or about before the approximated year. For example, you may know only that an ancestor died during World War I. The death date could be approximated as 1916 and recorded as “About 1916.”

Calculated dates. Some dates can be estimated from other known dates. For example, if a person was two years old when a census was taken in 1860, the birth year can be calculated as 1858. Since the actual year could be different from what was calculated, use the word about with the year.

Unknown dates. If you do not know a date, do not try to make up the information. The FamilySearch Internet site allows you to leave the fields blank. If a relative died within the last 110 years but a death date cannot be found, record an approximated date that is based on the best information available. This will allow temple ordinances to be done.

Places

General guidelines. Record as much as you can of the name of a place where an event occurred. If possible, record all the levels of the name, such as city, county, region, district, prefecture, province, state, and so on. For example:

Chicago, Cook, Illinois, United States

Ixhuacán de los Reyes, Veracruz, México

Maugerud, Flesberg, Buskerud, Norway

If you do not know all the levels of a name, the FamilySearch Internet site will likely give you a list of complete place-names you can choose from.

Use the following guidelines as you record place-names:

Include the name of the country whenever possible.

Put a comma and a space between the levels of the name.

Record the levels of a place-name as is customary in your language. In English and other languages that use a Roman alphabet, record the smallest government level first and then move to the largest—for example, start with the town and end with the country. For place-names recorded in Asian writing systems, start with the largest government level and then move to the smallest—for example, start with the country and end with the village.

You can spell the place-name in your own language or in the native language of the region where the place is located.

Incomplete places. When all the levels of a place-name are not known, record what is known. The FamilySearch Internet site will help you fill in the missing levels. For example:

Ohio, United States

Dafen, Carmarthen, Wales

Abbreviations. When writing place-names on paper forms, do not abbreviate them. If you record them in the FamilySearch Internet site, the site will help you clarify the complete place-names.

Assignments

Begin recording information you have gathered from home. If you have access to the Internet, record the information directly in new.familysearch.org. If you do not have Internet access, record the information on paper forms.

Use the guidelines in this chapter to help you record names, dates, and places correctly.

If you are taking the Temple and Family History course, prepare for the next class by reading chapter 5.

Additional Resources

Spencer W. Kimball, “The Angels May Quote from It,” New Era, Feb. 2003, 32–35.

“Keeping Family History Records,” lesson 17 in Young Women Manual 2 (1993), 60–64.

“Family and Personal Histories,” lesson 19 in The Latter-day Saint Woman: Basic Manual for Women, Part B (2000), 152–59.

Preparing a Family History for Publication (36023; resource guide).

Chapter 5

Gathering Information from Family

A Family Endeavor

Because temple and family history work is done for families, it is often done most efficiently by families. The blessings of temple and family history work increase when families work together to identify their ancestors. If you do not have immediate family members who are able and willing to assist you, you may discover others, including friends and extended family members, who can help.

Family members will often have information to share, or they may be willing to help you look for information. Your relatives and others who knew your ancestors may remember important events and dates that have not been recorded. They may have family heirlooms, records, mementos, photographs, and other valuable items. They may have interesting family stories to tell, and they can sometimes direct you to others who knew your ancestors or to other relatives you may not know.

Interviewing Family Members

A personal interview may be the best way to glean family history information from your relatives. Conduct the interview in person if possible. If you cannot do this, contact relatives by phone, by letter, or by e-mail. Use the following information to help you conduct the interview.

Contact the Family Member

Tell the person who you are and how you are related to him or her.

Explain that you are doing family history or genealogical research. Tell the person which families or family members you would like to learn about and what you would like to know. If the person is not a member of the Church and asks why you are gathering family history information, you may want to share your belief that family relationships can last forever, not just for this life. You could explain that Latter-day Saints try to identify their ancestors and bless them through work done in temples, which joins families together forever.

Set a time when you can conduct an interview with the person. Allow the person sufficient time to find papers or records or to think about what he or she can remember.

Prepare for the Interview

Write down the questions you want to ask. Questions that require more than a “yes” or “no” response are usually most effective. See appendix B for sample questions.

Gather the information you already have about the family or person you want to learn more about, such as completed family group records and pedigree charts. Plan to share this information and ask if it is correct.

If you plan to visit in person, prepare any supplies or equipment you might need. Plan to record what you learn using pencil and paper, a tape recorder, a camera, or a video camera.

If you are interviewing an oral historian or a village elder, learn the proper ways to work with him or her.

Conduct the Interview

Bring or send family photographs, and ask the person if he or she can identify any people in the pictures who are unfamiliar to you.

Don’t be in a hurry. Give the person time to think about what he or she wants to say. Let the person respond at his or her own pace.

Ask about family records, certificates, or photographs. As you are told about them, write down the information. Ask for permission to make copies of records. Take photographs or video footage of the items if you can.

If the person is the closest relative of any of your deceased ancestors who were born in the last 95 years, ask the person’s permission for the ancestors to receive temple ordinances.

Express appreciation for the information you have received. Be prepared to come back later or to send additional correspondence.

Use the Information

Update your records with any new information.

Make a transcript or report of your interview, being sure to record the date and place of the interview. Ask the person you interviewed to read the report and make corrections. Ask for permission to copy the report and distribute it to family members. Give a copy to the person you interviewed.

Contact other relatives you learned about.

See if you have enough information to perform temple ordinances.

Assignments

Make a list of family members who might have information about your ancestors. Contact one or more of them during the coming week and see if they have information that could be added to your records.

Record new information in new.familysearch.org or on paper forms.

If you are taking the Temple and Family History course, prepare for the next class by reading chapter 6.

Additional Resources

Lorie Nicoles-Davis, “That Happened to You?” Ensign, Aug. 2003, 26–29.

Barbara Jean Jones, “Idea List: Making History,” New Era, May 1999, 15.

James E. Faust, “The Phenomenon That Is You,” Ensign, Nov. 2003, 53–56.

Chapter 6

Gathering Information from Public Records

More Than Your Own Strength

Once you have gathered and recorded the family history information readily available from your home and family, you may need to search public records to find more information. As your research becomes more challenging, remember the words of President Henry B. Eyring of the First Presidency:

“After you find the first few generations, the road will become more difficult. . . . You will be tempted to stop and leave the hard work of finding to others who are more expert or to another time in your life. But you will also feel a tug on your heart to go on in the work, hard as it will be.

“As you decide, remember that the names which will be so difficult to find are of real people to whom you owe your existence in this world and whom you will meet again in the spirit world. . . . Their hearts are bound to you. Their hope is in your hands. You will have more than your own strength as you choose to labor on to find them” (in Conference Report, Apr. 2005, 82; or Ensign, May 2005, 79–80).

Public Records to Search

There are many kinds of public records that you can search. Governments and churches often keep records of specific life events. These records may record events that occurred hundreds of years ago. In many cases the records were very carefully maintained. Examples include:

Vital records. Vital records often contain the dates and places of births, marriages, and deaths, which are important for temple ordinances. Vital records are usually found in government offices and churches near the places where your ancestors lived. In some countries, vital records are also called civil registration records.

Census records. Census records are a rich source of information about individuals and families. These records often list names, ages, relationships, birthplaces, and occupations. Thousands of census records have been filmed and made available for easy use on the Internet and in family history centers throughout the world.

Immigration records. Immigration records were created when an individual or a family arrived in a new country. These records are helpful in finding names and birthplaces of family members and dates of arrival in the new country. Many collections of immigration records can be found on the Internet and in family history centers throughout the world.

Newspapers. Newspapers may include articles about your ancestors and often include obituaries announcing the deaths of local citizens. Obituaries often contain valuable details about a person, including information about birthplace, birthdate, family members, religion, and burial.

Church records. Church records may provide information not available in other types of records. Churches often kept records of births, marriages, and deaths when local governments did not. These records can play an important role in your search for family information.

Cemetery records. Cemetery records, such as tombstone and sexton records, may give birth and death dates, age at death, name of spouse, names of children, and maiden names. Birthplaces are occasionally mentioned. Tombstones may have symbols or insignia suggesting military service and social, fraternal, or religious affiliations.

Gathering Information from Public Records

Pray for guidance. You will have many choices to make, including choices about which ancestors to focus on, what information to look for, what records to search, and where to obtain those records. Ask the Lord to guide you and help you make the right decisions.

Choose an ancestor. You will be most effective if you focus on gathering information about a single ancestor or family. You may also want to identify the specific event—such as birth, death, or marriage—about which you want to seek information.

Use the Record Selection Table. After you have decided what information you want to find, use the Record Selection Table in appendix C to help you decide which records you should search. If necessary, ask your family history consultant for help.

Find the record. Visit or contact the place where the record is kept. You can visit in person, or you can write, call, e-mail, or use the Internet to inquire about the records. Useful records could be stored in family history centers, libraries, archives, churches, courthouses, and on Internet sites. A few of these places are described below:

Family history centers. The Church has microfilmed public records from all over the world. Digital images of many of these records can be viewed online at www.familysearch.org. Some of these records are available only on microfilm. You can order copies of these microfilms at a family history center for a small fee and then use the films at the center for several weeks at a time. Ordering films from a family history center is an easy and less-expensive way to search through record collections without having to travel long distances.

Internet sites. Your family history consultant may be able to recommend Internet sites for you to search. National, state, provincial, and county offices across the world publish their record collections on the Internet. You can check these Internet sites for vital record collections, newspapers, local history records, and church records. Some of these sites allow users to view their record collections at no cost. Many family history Internet sites are available at your local family history center at no cost.

Archives and libraries. National, state, provincial, and county archives store records created by government organizations. Public libraries also store many valuable records, such as newspapers and obituaries. If you cannot find the records of your ancestors on the Internet, you may want to visit government archives or local libraries in areas where your ancestors lived. Ask your family history consultant to help you plan your visits to these organizations.

Keeping Notes on What You Find

A research log is a record of where you have looked for family history information and what you have found. A sample research log is included in appendix A. Research logs help you organize your work and keep you and others from repeating research that has already been done. Record the following information in your research log:

Who. Write the name of the person you are researching and the contact information for people who can help in your search.

What. Record your research objectives, the kinds of sources you use, and what you discover, even if all you discover is a dead end.

Where. Record the location or call number for each source and the places where events occurred in the lives of your ancestors.

When. Include the date when you use a particular source, and record the dates of important events in the lives of your ancestors.

Assignments

Use the Record Selection Table in appendix C to identify a type of record that might contain additional information about an ancestor.

Contact the place where the record is kept. You can visit the place in person, or you can write, call, e-mail, or use the Internet to inquire about the records. See what information you find on the records.

Record the results of your search in your research log (see appendix A). Record any new information in the FamilySearch Internet site or on paper forms.

If you are taking the Temple and Family History course, prepare for the next class by reading chapter 7.

Additional Resources

Henry B. Eyring, “Hearts Bound Together,” Ensign, May 2005, 77–80.

Alan E. Mann and Marvin R. Zautcke, “Family History via the Internet,” Ensign, July 2000, 50–55.

Sally Johnson Odekirk, “Putting the Puzzle Together,” New Era, Nov. 2006, 18–22.

A Guide to Research (30971).

Chapter 7

Providing Temple Ordinances

Awaiting the Blessings of the Gospel

This chapter describes how to make temple ordinances available to your ancestors.

Consider how it would be to accept the gospel but be unable to receive baptism, the gift of the Holy Ghost, and the ordinances of the temple. Vincenzo di Francesca was someone who had that experience. In 1910 he found and read a copy of the Book of Mormon from which the cover and title page had been torn. Convinced of the book’s truthfulness, he searched for many years for the religion to which the book belonged. He finally found the Church and was baptized in 1951. To the man who baptized him, he said, “I have prayed daily for many years for this moment. . . . I know that you have led me through the door that will eventually bring me back to my Heavenly Father, if I am faithful” (“I Will Not Burn the Book!” Ensign, Jan. 1988, 21).

You have ancestors in the spirit world who, like Vincenzo di Francesca, have accepted the gospel message and wait to receive the ordinances of salvation. As you consider what your ancestors must feel, you may begin to understand the urgency of temple and family history work. You may come to know why President Joseph F. Smith described missionary work in the spirit world as proclaiming “liberty to the captives” (D&C 138:31).

Policies for Preparing Names for Temple Work

Generally, you may perform temple ordinances for deceased persons one year or more after the date of death without regard to the person’s worthiness or cause of death. If you have questions, please contact your bishop or branch president.

Before you perform ordinances for a deceased person born within the last 95 years, obtain permission from the closest living relative. Relatives may not want the ordinances performed or may want to perform the ordinances themselves. The closest living relatives are, in this order: a spouse, then children, then parents, then siblings.

Determining Which Names to Submit

You are responsible to submit names of the following individuals for temple work (the individuals must have been deceased for at least one year):

Immediate family members.

Direct-line ancestors (parents, grandparents, great-grandparents, and so on, and their families).

You may also submit the names of the following individuals who have been deceased for at least one year:

Biological, adoptive, and foster family lines connected to your family.

Collateral family lines (uncles, aunts, cousins, and their families).

Your own descendants.

Possible ancestors, meaning individuals who have a probable family relationship that cannot be verified because the records are inadequate, such as those who have the same last name and resided in the same area as your known ancestors.

Do not submit the names of persons who are not related to you, including names of famous people or names gathered from unapproved extraction projects, such as victims of the Jewish Holocaust.

You may submit the names of individuals with whom you shared a friendship. This is an exception to the general rule that members should not submit the names of individuals to whom they are not related. Before performing ordinances for a deceased individual who was a friend, you should obtain permission from the individual’s closest living relative.

Determining What Ordinances to Perform

Use the following policies to help you know what ordinances need to be performed:

When ordinances are not needed. The FamilySearch Internet site will indicate when ordinances are not needed for a person, such as in these situations:

Children who are born after their mother has been sealed to a husband are born in the covenant. They do not need to receive the ordinance of sealing to parents.

Temple ordinances are not performed for stillborn children. However, a child who lived even briefly after birth should be sealed to his or her parents. In some countries, particularly in Europe, children who died shortly after birth were often recorded as stillborn. Children listed as stillborn on records from these countries may be sealed to their parents. The FamilySearch Internet site will let you know if a sealing ordinance needs to be performed for a child who was recorded as stillborn. You should record all births, indicating any stillborn children.

No baptism or endowment is performed for a child who died before the age of eight. Only sealings to parents are performed for such children. If the child was sealed to parents while he or she was living or if the child was born in the covenant, no vicarious ordinances are performed.

Sealing couples with undocumented marriages. You may have a deceased couple sealed to each other if they lived together as husband and wife, even if the marriage cannot be documented. You can use the FamilySearch Internet site to prepare these names for temple ordinances without any other approval process.

Deceased women married more than once. You may have a deceased woman sealed to all men to whom she was legally married. However, if she was sealed to a husband during her life, all her husbands must be deceased before she can be sealed to a husband to whom she was not sealed during life.

Deceased persons who had mental disabilities. Temple ordinances for deceased persons who had mental disabilities are performed the same as for other deceased persons.

Persons who are presumed dead. You may have temple ordinances performed for a person who is presumed dead after 10 years have passed since the time of the presumed death. This policy applies to (1) persons who are missing in action or lost at sea or who have been declared legally dead and (2) persons who disappeared under circumstances where death is apparent but no body has been recovered. In all other cases of missing persons, temple ordinances may not be performed until 110 years have passed from the time of the person’s birth.

Other policies. Please see your bishop for information about the following:

Temple ordinances involving living people.

Temple ordinances to seal the living to the dead.

Any policies not covered above.

Submitting Names to the Temple

If you have a computer with Internet access, go to the FamilySearch Internet site and select the temple ordinances that need to be provided for your ancestor. Select only as many ordinances as can be done in a reasonable amount of time. Then print a Family Ordinance Request form. The FamilySearch Internet site allows you to request that someone other than yourself take the Family Ordinance Request to the temple and perform ordinances for your ancestor. (Refer to the Help Center at new.familysearch.org for detailed instructions on how to use the Internet site.)

If you have filled out paper forms, ask a family history consultant to help you obtain a Family Ordinance Request for the temple ordinances that need to be provided for your ancestor. You will need to provide your Helper Access Number. (This number is the last five digits of your Church membership record number. You can get this number from your ward clerk.)

Give your family group records to the family history consultant, who will arrange to have the information on your forms typed into the FamilySearch Internet site. After the information has been entered into the computer, the consultant will give you a Family Ordinance Request, which you can take to the temple.

You may do ordinance work only for persons of your own gender. Those who do baptisms and confirmations at the temple must be at least 12 years old, must be baptized and confirmed, and must have a current temple recommend. Males must hold the priesthood. Those who do other temple ordinances must be endowed and have a current temple recommend.

Performing Temple Ordinances

Scheduling a Visit to the Temple

At some temples you will need to schedule a time to do ordinances. At others, you can simply go whenever the temple is open. If you have any questions, contact the temple as you plan your visit. Your bishop or branch president can tell you how to contact the temple.

Baptism and confirmation.

Priesthood ordination for males and initiatory ordinances.

Endowment.

Sealings. (The marriage sealing should be done after both the husband and the wife have received the endowment. Children may be sealed to parents after the parents have been sealed to each other.)

At the Temple

Take the Family Ordinance Request form with you to the temple. There, a temple worker will print ordinance cards for you, and you can use the cards to do ordinance work.

Whenever possible, you should enter your family history information into the FamilySearch Internet site before attending the temple, either from home or from a family history center. If you cannot do this, temple workers at some temples may be able to help you enter the information and print ordinance cards if you bring the family group records you have prepared. Contact the temple before you go to see if this service is provided.

After Attending the Temple

If you have a computer with Internet access, go to the FamilySearch Internet site and sign in to the system. Review the information about yourself and your ancestors, and verify that the ordinance work was recorded correctly.

If you do not have access to the Internet, ask a family history consultant to print a family group record from the FamilySearch Internet site showing the ordinances completed for your family members.

Blessings of Temple Work

Latter-day prophets have consistently emphasized the importance of performing temple work for our ancestors. President Thomas S. Monson taught:

“The work of seeking out our dead and ensuring that the ordinances of exaltation are performed in their behalf is a mandate from our Heavenly Father and his Beloved Son. They do not leave us to struggle alone but rather, in ways which are sometimes dramatic, prepare the way and answer our prayers” (“Happy Birthday,” Ensign, Mar. 1995, 58).

President Gordon B. Hinckley said:

“In a spirit of love and consecration, we must extend ourselves in the work of redemption of the dead through service in the temples of the Lord. This service more nearly approaches the divine work of the Son of God, who gave his life for others, than does any other work of which I know” (in Conference Report, Apr. 1983, 8; or Ensign, May 1983, 8).

President Boyd K. Packer of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles spoke of the blessings that come to those who engage in this work:

“Family history work has the power to do something for the dead. It has an equal power to do something to the living. Family history work of Church members has a refining, spiritualizing, tempering influence on those who are engaged in it. . . .

“Family history work in one sense would justify itself even if one were not successful in clearing names for temple work. The process of searching, the means of going after those names, would be worth all the effort you could invest. The reason: You cannot find names without knowing that they represent people. You begin to find out things about people. When we research our own lines we become interested in more than just names or the number of names going through the temple. Our interest turns our hearts to our fathers—we seek to find them and to know them and to serve them. In doing so we store up treasures in heaven” (“Your Family History: Getting Started,” Ensign, Aug. 2003, 17).

Continuing Your Efforts

The Prophet Joseph Smith taught the eternal consequences of temple work. In 1842 he wrote a letter urging the Saints to do baptisms for their deceased ancestors:

“Brethren, shall we not go on in so great a cause? Go forward and not backward. Courage, brethren; and on, on to the victory! Let your hearts rejoice, and be exceedingly glad. . . . Let the dead speak forth anthems of eternal praise to the King Immanuel, who hath ordained, before the world was, that which would enable us to redeem them out of their prison; for the prisoners shall go free” (D&C 128:22).

This guide has helped you become familiar with temple and family history work. You have studied the doctrines that pertain to the redemption of the dead. You have learned how to gather and record family history information. You have learned how to provide the treasured blessings of the temple for your family.

Refer to this guide as often as needed. You can ask a family history consultant for help when you need it. Continue your efforts to find and redeem your ancestors. Go forward with the promise that through your efforts they “shall go free” (D&C 128:22).

Assignments

Prepare the names of one or more ancestors for temple ordinances.

Print a Family Ordinance Request form to take to the temple. If you are using printed family group records, work with your family history consultant to submit the names.

Continue gathering family information during the coming months, and continue to submit information to the temple for ordinance work.

Additional Resources

Russell M. Nelson, “Personal Preparation for Temple Blessings,” Ensign, May 2001, 32–35.

Howard W. Hunter, “A Temple-Motivated People,” Ensign, Feb. 1995, 2–5.

“Ordinances,” in True to the Faith: A Gospel Reference, 109–10.

“Temples,” in True to the Faith: A Gospel Reference, 170–74.

Doctrine and Covenants 128.

Appendix

Appendix A

Appendix B

Questions for Interviewing Family Members

Below is a list of questions you can use as you interview family members. These questions focus on obtaining genealogical information that will help you complete your pedigree charts and family group records and submit names to the temple. You can ask those questions that apply and modify the questions as appropriate.

As you ask these questions, you will hear stories about family members and events. Record and preserve these stories for other family members and for your own children. These stories will help you turn your heart to your relatives and ancestors.

What is your full name?

When and where were you born?

Who is your mother?

When and where was your mother born?

What can you tell me about your mother’s relatives?

Who is your father?

When and where was your father born?

What can you tell me about your father’s relatives?

What are the full names of each of your brothers and sisters?

When and where were each of your brothers and sisters born?

What memories do you have of each of your brothers and sisters?

What schools did you and your brothers and sisters go to?

Whom did your brothers and sisters marry?

Whom did you marry?

What are the full names of each of your children?

When and where were your children born?

Whom did your children marry?

Who are your grandchildren?

What memories do you have of extended family members, such as aunts, uncles, cousins, and grandparents?

Where did some of these extended family members live?

What can you remember about births, marriages, and deaths of other family members?

Where are family members buried?

Did you or any of your relatives serve in the military?

Which wars did you or other relatives fight in?

Will you share some of their war stories with me?

What jobs do you remember your parents and other family members doing?

What religion or religions were practiced in your home?

What are some important spiritual experiences you have had?

Was anyone in the family interested in family history?

Are there any family members who kept a journal or who wrote a historical account of your family? Who are they? Are any of these accounts available for me to read?

Are you aware of any ancestors who emigrated from their home country to this country?

Does anyone in the family own a family Bible, a family history, or genealogical records of any kind? Who are these family members, and where do they live?

Will you show me some of your old family documents or artifacts?

Will you show me some of your old family photographs?

Appendix C

Record Selection Table

Use this table to determine which records would be useful in finding information about your ancestors. The first column lists important types of information about your ancestor and events in your ancestor’s life. The second and third columns show groups or organizations that may have created records about your ancestor. Check for records listed in the second column before checking for records listed in the third column.

Event | Look for These Records First | Then Look for These Records
Birth | Government: Vital recordsFamily: Bible recordsChurch: Parish records, membership recordsOther: Cemeteries | Government: Census, military, taxationNewspaper: Obituaries
Birth, foreign | Government: Census, emigration, immigration, naturalization, citizenshipFamily or library: Bible, biography, genealogy | Church: Parish records, membership recordsNewspaper: ObituariesLibrary: Histories, maps, gazetteers
Death | Government: Death, probate Newspaper: ObituariesChurch: Parish records, membership recordsOther: Cemeteries, funeral homes, hospitals | Newspaper: ArticlesGovernment: Military, court, land and property
Marriage and maiden name | Government: Vital recordsChurch: Parish records, membership recordsNewspaper: Announcements, obituariesFamily: Bible records | Government: Military, probate, land and property, nobilityFamily or library: Biography, genealogyOther: Cemeteries
Divorce | Government: Court records, divorce records | Newspaper: ArticlesGovernment: Vital records
Immigration, emigration | Government: Immigration, emigration, naturalization, citizenshipFamily or library: Genealogy | Government: CensusLibrary: BiographyNewspaper: ArticlesChurch: Membership records
Family members | Government: Vital records, census, probateChurch: Parish records, membership recordsNewspaper: Obituaries | Family: BibleGovernment: Immigration, emigration, land and property
Place of residence | Government: Census, land and property, military, vital recordsFamily or library: History, genealogyChurch: Parish records, membership recordsOther: Directories | Government: TaxationNewspaper: Obituaries
Religion | Church: Parish records, membership recordsLibrary: History, biographyGovernment: Civil registration | Family or library: Bible records, genealogyNewspaper: ObituariesOther: Cemeteries