Mormon Genealogy
Mormon Genealogy
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS) are also referred to as "Mormons" because of their belief in the Bible as well as "The Book of Mormon". Mormon genealogy has the largest family history library in the world. In the 20th century, the LDS church began a large-scale program of copying all genealogy records onto microfilm. The Church also began compiling an index from all the the submissions from its members.
The two Mormon genealogy projects resulted in two huge databases: The International Genealogical Index (IGI), and the Ancestral File (AF). THe IGI represents transcriptions of filmed civil and ecclesiastical records from around the world. The IGI has genealogy records taken from birth and marriage records which were microfilmed by Mormon Church members. There are hundreds of millions of records of people who lived between 1500-1900 (mostly in the US, Canada and Europe). The Ancestral File is made up of the contributions of Church members and some of the records are duplicated within the IGI.
Mormon genealogy resources include the Family History Library in Salt Lake City, Utah -- which contains the original microfilms and microfiches. The Family History Library also has over 4,000 branches around the world. These branches are called Family History Centers -- and genealogists and family history researchers can use on-site resources for free. FamilySearch -- one of the Mormon genealogy resources -- is an interactive internet site where you can get access to research guides and databases for free.
You do not need to be LDS (a member of the LDS church) to use the family history resources provided. Simply look in the phone book for an LDS church in your area, and find out where the family history center is located in your area. There are always friendly and helpful workers there to help you in your research.
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