The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

Organization of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (sometimes abbreviated as LDS) was officially organized on 6 April 1830 in Fayette, Seneca County, New York, United States with Joseph Smith Jr. as leader and prophet. Although the church was first established in New York, members (also known as “Mormons”) collectively migrated towards the western United States during the mid-19th century. Currently, the headquarters for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is in Salt Lake City, Utah, although Church members live all over the world. Members are organized into geographic congregations called “Wards” (or “Branches” if they are small in numbers). Those congregations then make up “Stakes” (or “Districts” if the member population is few). To learn more about the history of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, go to their official Church History page. To learn more about the basic beliefs of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, go to their website, ComeUntoChrist.

Church Records
Church records of the The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints include membership records, census records, template records and various other records. For a more information, go to the Church Records Wiki page

Research Strategy Resources

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

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 Archives and Libraries of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

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