Latter-day Saint Compiled Genealogies

The term genealogy is used in this outline and in the Family History Library 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 sources can save time, but because they are compiled from other sources, they must be carefully evaluated for accuracy.

Nationwide Indexes

You will find information about some Latter-day Saints in the following genealogical indexes described in the United States Research Outline (30972), in the sections indicated.


 * Ancestral File ("Genealogy" section. Also available on the FamilySearch™ Internet Genealogy Service.)
 * FamilyFinder Index ("Census" section. Also on the Internet at www.familytreemaker.com/allsearch.html.)
 * Family History Library Catalog Surname Search ("Introduction" and "Genealogy" sections. Also available on the FamilySearch™ Internet Genealogy Service.)
 * International Genealogical Index ("Genealogy" section. Also partially available on FamilySearch™ Internet Genealogy Service.) The Ordinance Index which is closely related to the International Genealogical Index, but contains more information and is explained in the "Temple Records" section of this outline.
 * Old Surname Index File ("Genealogy" section.) This is an index to biographies.
 * Pedigree Resource File consists of unedited, lineage-linked pedigrees submitted over the Internet to the Family History Department since 1999. It also includes the associated family groups, descendancy charts, and sometimes notes or sources. It is available for purchase at the Family History Library for use on personal computers.
 * Periodical Source Index (PERSI) ("Periodicals" section. Also available on the Internet at www.ancestry.com/search/rectype/periodicals/persi/main.htm for a subscription fee.)
 * Social Security Death Index ("Vital Records" section.) This index is also available on the Internet at http://ssdi.genealogy.rootsweb.com/, or on compact disc from several companies. The Internet version sometimes includes a few more recently reported deaths than compact disc versions. For details about the FamilySearch compact disc version see U.S. Social Security Death Index Resource Guide (34446).
 * U.S. Military Death Index lists deaths of service men and women in the Korean and Vietnam conflicts. It is available at most Family History Centers as part of FamilySearch. For details see the Military Index Resource Guide (34540).

These indexes are available at the Family History Library and many libraries with family history collections.

Web Sites About Your Family

Search the Internet for family history web sites about your surname. Use the "Search for Ancestors" feature of the FamilySearch™ Internet Genealogy Service at www.familysearch.org/default.asp to help you find such sites.

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. It is divided into two sections: the Patrons Section and the Archive Section.

The original family group records in the Archive Section (1942–1969) and the Patrons Section (1962–1977) are filmed. The Patron Section (1926–1962 and 1978–1979) are only available on microfilm.

Patron Section. This part of the collection contains three million family group record forms that were submitted to the Church to share genealogical information and identify others working on the same lines. Temple work was not requested. Each section has some names found in no other filming:

Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Genealogical Society. Family Group Records Collection; Patron Section, 1962–1977. Salt Lake City, Utah: Genealogical Society of Utah, 1988–1990. (FHL films 1558711–961). Surnames A to KERSEY only. The filming was stopped when it was discovered 80 percent of the sheets were already in the Ancestral File.

Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Genealogical Society. Family Group Records Collection; Patron Section, 1962–1979. Salt Lake City, Utah: Genealogical Society of Utah, 1966–1980. (On 1165 FHL films starting with 428056). 80 percent of these sheets are in the Ancestral File. No single filming of all years of the Patron Section exists. The set from 1978 to 1979 comprising films 1281028–89 are not available in the binders at the Family Search Center.

Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Genealogical Society. Family Group Records Collection; Patron Section, 1924–1962. Salt Lake City, Utah: Genealogical Society of Utah, 1965–1966. (On 614 FHL films starting with 412088).

Archive Section. This section of the Family Group Records Collection contains 5 million family group records submitted by members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints between 1942 and 1969 for temple work. The microfilms are listed under:

Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Genealogical Society. Family Group Records Collection, Archives Section 1942–1969. Salt Lake City: Genealogical Society of Utah, 1977, 1993. (On 1998 FHL films beginning with 1273501). In 1993 the microfilms of the Archives Section were checked against the original family group records and found 18,000 sheets that had not been microfilmed. These records were photocopied, and filmed as an addendum (FHL films 1750758–64 items 1–6).

For further details about most of the family group records listed in this section of the outline see:

Nichols, Elizabeth. "Family Group Collections of the Family History Library." Genealogical Journal 24 (Winter 1996): 11–27. (FHL book 973 D5gj). This also describes the relationship of the Temple Records Index Bureau Endowment Index, the Ordinance Index, and Ancestral File to the family group records.

Miscellaneous Family Group Records

The Family History Library has other collections of family group records:

Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Spanish-American Mission. Family Group Records: Collected and Compiled by the Former Spanish-American Mission. Salt Lake City, Utah: Genealogical Society of Utah, 1973, 1980. (On 8 FHL films beginning with film 940001). Most of these records were submitted by members of the Spanish-Mexican Mission, which included Mexico and the Spanish-speaking Saints in Arizona, California, Colorado, New Mexico, and Texas.

Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Genealogical Society. Polynesian Family Group Records Collection, 1924–1969. Salt Lake City, Utah: Genealogical Society of Utah, [197-?]. (FHL films 1901843–69). This is a film copy of the Polynesian collection at the Laie Family History Center in Hawaii. Most of these sheets are also found in the Archives Section above.

Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Genealogical Department. ''Piedmont Project Family Group Sheets. Salt Lake City, Utah: Genealogical Society of Utah, 1968''. (FHL films 472230–81). To assist members with Italian ancestry, the Genealogical Department filled out family group sheets from sources found in sixteen Protestant parishes in the Province of Torino, Italy.

Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Genealogical Department. Branch Library (Johannesburg, Transvaal). Four-Generation Pedigrees and Family Group Sheets, 1700–1983. (FHL film 1367174). These are arranged alphabetically by the surname of the Church member descendant in South Africa. This set is incomplete.

Julius Billeter did research for many Church members with ancestors from Switzerland and a few from Germany. Tens of thousands of his family group records were microfilmed. For the call numbers, look in the Surname Search of the Family History Library Catalog under the family surname, or look in the Author/Title Search under Billeter, Julius.

Pedigree Charts

The Family History Library has several collections of pedigree charts submitted by members of the Church.

Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Genealogy Society. Pedigree Charts Submitted to the Church Record Archives (Indexed), 1924–1962. Salt Lake City, Utah: Genealogical Society of Utah, 1962, 1972. (The card index is on FHL films 820089–115; the pedigrees are on FHL films 271430–63). These charts go with the family group record forms submitted to the Patron Section from 1924 to 1962. The card index lists every name shown on the pedigree charts with code numbers you can use to find the person on the appropriate pedigree chart. The index number at the bottom of each index card consists of the binder number, the chart number within that binder, and the person’s number on the chart

Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Genealogy Society. Pedigree Charts Submitted to the Church Record Archives (Alphabetized), 1962, 1965. Salt Lake City, Utah: Genealogical Society of Utah, 1962, 1965. (FHL films 281745–81 for 1962 and 399912–46 for 1965). This source is actually two collections of pedigree charts. In each section the pedigrees are arranged alphabetically by the name of the first person on each chart. No index to the other names on the charts is available.

Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Genealogical Society. Record Examining Department. Pedigree Charts, Submitted to the Record Examining Department, 1942–1969 ; Index. Salt Lake City, Utah: Genealogical Society of Utah, [1970?]. (FHL films 537565–704). The index to these charts includes all individuals mentioned on the pedigrees. The charts are arranged by name of the patron who submitted the chart and who was requesting genealogical research. Women are usually listed by their married name. With the name of the requester, you can quickly access the Research Department Patron Files described next.

Research Department Patron Files

Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Genealogical Society. Research Department. Research Department Patron Files, ca. 1928–1966, and Indexes. Salt Lake City, Utah; Genealogical Society of Utah. 1965–1970, 1976, (On 4018 FHL films starting with 540714). From 1928–1966, the Genealogical Department conducted paid research for Latter-day Saints. These files contain correspondence, documents, pedigree charts, and family group records. This collection includes files as of 1966. They are arranged by the name of the person requesting the research. Check the files carefully because a requestor’s name may appear on several different films.

You can quickly find all the listings for a requestor using the FamilySearch Family History Library Catalog (compact disc edition).

There are also several other specialized indexes which are not easy to use. For instructions read the introduction in this outdated register:

Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Genealogical Society. Research Department. Register of Research Department Patron Files. Two volumes. Salt Lake City, Utah: [Genealogical Society of Utah], 1967, 1989. (FHL book 929.1 R311r; Volume 1 on fiche 6031501 [set of 6], and Volume 2 on fiche 6072505 [set of 2]). Includes directions on how to use the special indexes to the files.

Proxy Baptisms

Baptisms for the dead are one of the better sources to use to extend the pedigree of a member who was alive anytime before 1958. Proxy baptisms usually show several relatives being baptized at the same time.

Look through the records you already have about your family. Search your family group records, the Ordinance Index, the Ancestral File, and the Pedigree Resource File to find proxy baptisms. Then look up the original proxy baptism records. Old baptism records will list who the heir is and give his relationship to the deceased.

Heir indexes to proxy baptisms list the name of the heir and each page where temple work for the heir’s ancestors can be found. Remember to check indexes that cover several time periods in the same temple, and also check other temples that were open at the same time.

For more information see the "Heir Indexes" part of the "Temple Records" section of this outline.

Genealogical Surveys

Genealogical surveys were two-or four-page forms. The forms requested biographical information about the person and his or her children, brothers, sisters, parents, and ancestors.

Genealogical Surveys of LDS Members: Autobiographies and Ancestors. 34 Volumes. Salt Lake City, Utah: Genealogical Society of Utah, 1924–1929. (FHL book 289.3 G286g; films 1059454–63). These are indexed in the Early Church Information File.

''Ogden Stake Relief Society. Genealogical Charts and Biographical Sketches of Members of the L.D.S. Church'', Ogden Stake. 26 Volumes. [Ogden, Utah: Stake Relief Society, Genealogy Committee], 1915–1920. (FHL book Q 979.288 D2o; film 564276–85). The records are arranged by ward and then alphabetized by married surname. These are indexed in the Early Church Information File.

Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Utah Stake. Genealogical Committee. Personal Histories, ca. 1917. Two Volumes. N.p., [1917?] (FHL book Q 979.224 D3c; fiche 6031600 [set of 12]). These forms were filled out by members in the Utah Stake in Utah County, Utah. These are indexed in the Early Church Information File.

Eldredge, Jane Jennings. Records &amp; Historical Sketches of Residents of Davis County, Utah. Nine Volumes. Typescript, 1916. (FHL book Q 979.227 D2e; film 1059485 items 5–13). These forms were filled out by members in Davis County, Utah. These are indexed in the Early Church Information File.

Genealogical surveys for other areas are listed in the Subject Search of the Family History Library Catalog under

MORMONS — BIOGRAPHY