Samoa Compiled Genealogies

Compiled Genealogies
The term genealogy is used in this Wiki article and in the FamilySearch Catalog to describe a variety of records containing family information previously gathered by other researchers, societies, or archives. These records can include pedigree charts, compiled data on families, correspondence, ancestor lists, research exchange files, record abstracts, and collections of original or copied documents. These can be excellent sources of information that can save you valuable time. Because they are secondary sources of information, however, they must be carefully evaluated for accuracy.

Mulivai Purcell Books
Mulivai Purcell was called in 1970 by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to be the genealogical coordinator for Samoa. He took a tape recorder and cassette tapes to the chiefs of many of the villages in Western Samoa. He asked them to provide the genealogies and histories of the families in their villages. They agreed because he was a respected educator, and they knew him by name. He transcribed the tapes and then oversaw his son type up the transcriptions. Volume 1 provides the genealogies (names only, no dates or places) and histories of 145 families; volume 2, 243 families.
 * Samoan genealogies and ancestral records : gafa o Samoa, v. 1 and 2

Family Group Records Collection
Microfilm of collection at the Laie Branch Genealogical Library in Hawaii. Arranged alphabetically by husband's name or by wife's name when husband is not named. Records of individuals with the same name are filed by birth date. Most of these group sheets are also found in the Family group records collection: archives section.
 * Polynesian family group records collection, 1924-1969

Family Trees

 * FamilySearch Genealogies
 * Ancestry.com Public Member Trees ($)
 * Ancestry.com Public Member Trees ($)

Digital Books

 * FamilySearch Books
 * Google Books
 * World Cat
 * HathiTrust
 * Internet Archive

FamilySearch Catalog
Many family histories can be found on the FamilySearch Catalog by performing a surname search:


 * Go to the FamilySearch Catalog
 * Click on the Surname link
 * Type in the search field the last name of the family that you are researching

OR to filter by location and surname:


 * Go to the FamilySearch Catalog
 * Click on the Keyword link
 * Type in the search field the country of residence and last name of the family that you are researching

Oral Genealogies
Oral genealogies are spoken lineages that are common in certain parts of the world. Oral Genealogies can be especially useful in localities where few if any written records exist and in some cultures are the main genealogical tool for researchers. The following are resources for finding Oral Genealogies for Samoa.
 * For more background information, see Oral Genealogies.

Online Records

 * FamilySearch Genealogies Index. Enter specific names and places in the search fields in the left sidebar.

Cole Jensen Collection
The Cole Jensen Collection: Oral Genealogies and Genealogical Information Collected from the Polynesian Peoples and from the Pacific Islands is a set of compiled and oral genealogies collected by William Cole and Elwin Jensen over a period of 50 years.
 * The collection covers the islands of Hawaii, New Zealand, Samoa, Tonga, Niue, Cook Islands, and French Polynesia, including the Society, Marquesas, Austral Islands, and the Tuamotu Archipelago.
 * It has been digitized and indexed and is available at FamilySearch Genealogies Index and in the FamilySearch Catalog at:
 * , and
 * It is also available on microfilm at the Family History Library in Salt Lake City and the Auckland Libraries in New Zealand.
 * It is also available on microfilm at the Family History Library in Salt Lake City and the Auckland Libraries in New Zealand.

FamilySearch Catalog
Many oral genealogies can be found in the FamilySearch catalog:

Browse a List of Oral Genealogies

 * Samoa Oral Genealogy Interviews (These are mixed in with American Samoa interviews.) Polynesian Oral Genealogies are Ancestral starting with the informant and giving their pedigree or genealogy back to the First Ancestor.

Search by Place

 * Go to Samoa in the FamilySearch Catalog
 * Once there, click on "Places within Samoa"
 * Go to the smallest possible jurisdictional level of your place of interest
 * Click on the "Genealogy" topic

Search by Keyword

 * Go to the FamilySearch Catalog
 * Click on the Keyword link
 * Type in the search field the town of residence, the surname of the family that you are researching, and the phrase oral genealogy interview. The name search will be limited, finding only the name of the person who was interviewed. For a more complete search by name, use the FamilySearch Genealogies Index.