Family Group Records Collection

The Family Group Records Collection has about 8 million family group records that were created by members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The collection is divided into two sections

Archive Section
The original family group records in the Archive Section were submitted between 1942-1969 for temple work. Five million family group records were submitted during this time period. The records are now on microfilm.

Patron Section
Three million family group records were submitted to the Patron Section between 1926-1979. The purpose was to share genealogical information and identify others working on the same lines. Temple work was not requested.

The family group records often included a brief list of the sources used to compile the record. Some records also included biographical histories for the family members listed on the form.

If members of the LDS Church participated in the Three Generation or Four Generation record submission programs, their original submission would now be found on microfilm.

Converting Old Microfilm Numbers to New Numbers
The Family History Library has used a number of systems over the years to identify and label its book and microfilm collections. When microfilming began, a combination of letters and numbers was used to number the films. Later, a system of serial numbers with part numbers was used. Finally, a straight numbering system was used beginning with film number 000001. Each time, the existing films were renumbered. Today there are more than 2,400,000 microfilms in the library's collection.

The data sources listed on the family group records often include old film numbers. In order to find a source on film, you must convert the old film number to a new film number. The library has a resource called the "Microfilm Number Index: Changed film numbers." This resource is in the process of being added to the Wiki and will shortly be available.