Family History

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Why Family History

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has the largest genealogical library in the world. This alone gives evidence to the importance the Church puts on genealogical work (now more commonly referred to as Family History). The reason for such interest in ancestors comes from doctrines of the Church. Mormonism teaches that after death, a person's spirit still has the opportunity to learn about the gospel, and accept Jesus Christ as their Redeemer. But in order for them to become members of Christ’s Church they must be baptized and have other saving ordinances performed in their behalf. This is the job of those who are still living. In temples, members are baptized, or have other ordinances done, on behalf of those who have passed away (such work is said to be done "by proxy"). This gives that person, if they choose to accept it, the opportunity to become a member of Christ’s Church. This is why genealogical work is so important, because every person that has ever lived has a right to make such an important choice.

The Church also teaches that remembering those who have gone before is vital to our salvation. Malachi 4:5-6 teaches, “Behold, 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 as curse.” This turning of the hearts is family history work and the subsequent work done in temples that unites families across generations.

How the Family History Program Works

The LDS Church gathers genealogical information in two ways; through people who submit names of members of their own families, and from public records (as governments allow). These two ways of gathering information are called submitting names and extracting names. The work in both of these areas has become much easier because of computers and computer programs. People submitting names used to have to fill out by hand long pedigree charts. This can now all be done on the computer. Members of the Church are strongly encouraged to only perform ordinances for people from their own ancestry.

The Church also sends volunteers all over the world to find local history records like parish records, vital records (tax and census), military records, and immigrations records. These volunteers take pictures of the records so that they can be put on microfilm or turned into digital copies and stored. The originals stay where they were found, the master copy goes to the genealogical library in Salt Lake City, Utah and other copies are sent to libraries and individuals all over the world.

Getting Started

Many people outside of the Church are now becoming interested in doing their own family history. So how do you get started? The best way to start is by writing down what you know, then to talk with parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles, or anyone else that would be able to give you information you are missing. After doing this you can visit one of the 3,700 family history centers that the Church provides. You can call any LDS Church in your area to find out when the center is open. There are volunteers that work at the family history center that can help you learn how to use the software and equipment. You can also look for information on the Internet through Family Search[1]. Most of the information stored in the Family History Library can also be found here. You can also begin just by writing your own personal history or histories of close relatives. Doing this is just as important as finding your ancestors.

See also Family Search and Family History Library

External links

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