The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

Major Records Types
Below are major record types regarding researching Latter-day Saint ancestors. More topics are found on the right sidebar on this page and each of these pages.
 * LDS Census gives information about censuses taken by the Church to locate and count Church members.
 * LDS Emigration and Immigration describes the records of Saints who emigrated from Britain, Europe, and Scandinavia, and the journey of the pioneers to Utah.
 * LDS Membership Records explains how to find the local branch, ward, stake, or mission documents that show the births, blessings of children, baptisms, confirmations, marriages, move-ins and move-outs, and deaths of Latter-day Saints.
 * LDS Missionaries gives information about indexes and records of members who served full-time missions for the Church.
 * LDS Patriarchal Blessings discusses how to find copies of blessings given by Church patriarchs, and explains their genealogical value.
 * LDS Priesthood Records explains what quorum records are, how to find them, and how to trace priesthood lineages.
 * LDS Temple Records describes how to locate official documents created by temple recorders showing living and proxy priesthood ordinations, endowments, sealings to parents, and sealings to spouse.
 * Ward Membership Records

Research Strategy Resources

 * Tracing Latter-day Saint Ancestors
 * LDS Church Records Class Handout - Detailed article on Latter-day Saint Church Records

Archives and Libraries

 * The Family History Library has all of the genealogical records described above. The associated Family History Centers have access to the Library's microfilms.
 * The Church History Library collects the Church's historical records from around the world.

Other major repositories holding records which can be used for documenting Latter-day Saint ancestors are described in LDS Archives and Libraries.

Latter-day Saint Organizations

 * Mormon History Association; future Conferences

Family History and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints began collecting family history records since 1894. During this year, the articles of incorporation were approved for the creation of the Genealogical Society of Utah. The collection started with a donation of 300 books. Today the collection has more than 2.4 million rolls of microfilmed genealogical records; 742,000 microfiche; 310,000 books, serials, and other formats; 4,500 periodicals; and 700 electronic resources.

The following Websites give additional information about the Church’s family history purposes and activities.


 * Why Family History Is Important
 * Family History, Genealogy in Encyclopedia of Mormonism