Tracing Latter-day Saint Ancestors

{| style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; border: none;" The purpose of this page is to review different record types needed to help those researching ancestors who were members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. The types of records to search depends on when the ancestor joined The Church.

Tracing Early Members of the Church
Prior to the organization of the Church in 1830 and the arrival of the first Latter-day Saints in Utah in 1847, membership records for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints are few and scattered. Early membership records contain very little information, but became progressively better after the Saints settled in Utah. A good online resource is the Early Church Information File (ECIF). This file is an alphabetical card index of early Latter-day Saints focusing on the years from 1830 to 1914. This file indexes over 1,200 sources which have an abundance of entries for Latter-day Saints.
 * - an alphabetical index to early Latter-day Saints, for more information about the resources listed, visit the Wiki page

More resources and information on early membership records can be found on the Membership Records of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Wiki page.

Tracing Mormon Pioneers to Utah before 1868
There are many records relating to members of the Church moving to Utah, whether they were coming from Nauvoo, Illinois, or from a European country. Databases have been created to track the migration of the Latter-day Saints. Listed below are a few of these databases.

Mormon Pioneers Crossing the Plains
The Church’s movement to the valley of the Great Salt Lake is the largest organized migration movement in American history spanning from 1846 until 1925. Below are some online databases regarding early Mormon Pioneers coming to Utah. More resources can be found on the Latter-day Siant Emigration and Immigration Wiki page Go to Latter-day Saint Emigration and Immigration Wiki page for more information.
 * Mormon Pioneer Overland Travel 1846-1868: a database of Church members who crossed the plains along the Mormon Trail
 * Pioneer Ancestors Search
 * Early Latter-day Saints: a database of pioneers of the Mormon Trail
 * Tracing Mormon Pioneers - For more information about this database, go to this Wiki page.

Crossing the Ocean - Immigration From Europe
Go to Latter-day Saint Emigration and Immigration for more information.
 * Mormon Migration: a database documenting those Church members who crossed oceans to gather in Utah
 * Tracing Scandinavian Latter-day Saints

Tracing Latter-day Saint Polygamists
Many early members of The Church practiced plural marriage. There are specific research tips and records that can help you research them.

Membership Records
There have been several different types of membership records created by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. After settlement in Utah, membership records improved over time and usually include information about births, marriages, deaths, and Church ordinances. The type of membership records that exist are the journal type (1830-1877), long book form (1877-1900), three-part form (1900-1920), box type (1920-1941) and card type (1941 to present). For more details and examples of what these membership records contain, visit the Membership Records of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Wiki page.

Unfortunately, membership records are only available on microfilm and are not digitized. You must visit the Family History Library in Salt Lake City, Utah to see these records. Some Family History Centers may have copies of membership records for selected wards and branches.

Latter-day Saint Record Finder
Go to the Latter-day Saint Record Finder table to see a list of possible information you may wish to find about your Latter-day Saint ancestor and the corresponding records that may contain the information you seek.

Caution Regarding Genealogies and Life Sketches
Many genealogies and life sketches of members of the Church have been handed down for several generations. Some of these genealogies, family stories, and life sketches were compiled from oral histories and can contain many errors mixed in with factual information. If you are the recipient of one of these genealogies, it is suggested to document this information. Family group records should have sources supporting the information on it. Do not rely on someone else's research, but instead cite sources and find evidence. Careful documentation reduces errors, unwanted duplication, and may help uncover an overlooked ordinance, a missing family members, and other important family events.