Priesthood Records of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

In the early days of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, only adult males were ordained to the Aaronic or Melchizedek priesthood. In 1908, young men began to be ordained to the offices in the Aaronic priesthood in preparation to receive the Melchizedek priesthood. In 1978 all worthy males over age 12 were given the priesthood.

Priesthood holders meet with other members holding the same priesthood office in a group called a quorum. Depending on the quorum, they could be organized at either the ward, stake, or church wide level. Some priesthood quorums kept records of their members separate from their regular Church membership records.

Priesthood Quorum Records
Each priesthood quorum record may show the member’s birth date, birthplace, parents, baptism, confirmation, ordination, and when they moved in or out of the quorum. Originals and microfilms of priesthood records and quorum minutes are now available only at the Historical Department. Some of these records were once at the FamilySearch Library but have been removed.

General Index.
Only a few priesthood quorum records are indexed. The cited fully in the "Biography" page. Indexes selected quorum records for seventies and high priests before 1876. This index is available on microfilm at the FamilySearch Library and available to Family History Centers. The microfilms it indexes are available only in the History Department—Archive Search Room.

Elders
The records are usually organized at the ward or stake level. Some early Elders Quorum records are indexed in:

Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Kirtland Elders Quorum. . Distinctive Mormon Documents Series. Provo: Grandin, 1985. (FS Library book 977.1334/K1 K2c). This includes meeting minutes by date, and biographical notes on over 280 participating members. It has a name and subject index. Also indexed in the

Seventies
Before 1877, Seventies records were organized by church-wide quorums no matter where the Seventy lived. These records often give the residence of quorum members. After 1877 the Seventies quorums were organized by ward or stake. These records often contain genealogical and biographical information. Some Seventies records are indexed in:

Black, Harvey B. Seventy Quorum Membership, 1835–1846: An Annotated Index of Over 3,500 Seventies Organized in the First Thirty-Five Quorums of the Seventy in Kirtland, Ohio, and Nauvoo, Illinois. Provo, Utah: Infobases, 1996. Lists birth, parents, wives, quorum, Nauvoo civil data, Nauvoo Church data, post-Nauvoo Church data, and sources. This is included in the.

Nauvoo Restoration Incorporated. Nauvoo Seventies Index. [Salt Lake City, Utah: Nauvoo Restoration, 198-?] This index is only available in the Historical Department—Archive Search Room. It is an alphabetical list of names, with birth date and place or age, parents, residence, source, baptism, and ordination information.

The only priesthood quorum records available in the FamilySearch Library are:

. Salt Lake City: Genealogical Society of Utah, 1996. (FS Library film 1750806). Indexed in the .

High Priests.
The records are usually organized at the ward or stake level. For early High Priest records and index see:

Nauvoo Restoration Incorporated. High Priests of Nauvoo and Early Salt Lake to 1872. N.p., [198-?] This is an alphabetical index to the records of early High Priests in Nauvoo and Salt Lake City. It lists name, birth date and place, parents, ordination dates and places, and source information. This index is only available in the Historical Department—Archive Search Room.

Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Salt Lake Stake (Utah). , Salt Lake Stake of Zion. Salt Lake City, Utah: Genealogical Society of Utah, 1974. (FS Library film 924617 item4). Records contain name, date and place of birth, names of parents, baptismal dates, date and place ordained a High Priest, and residence. Dates as late as 1899 are included. Some records are incomplete. Indexed in the.

Other Ordination Information Sources
You can also find priesthood ordination information in these sources:

Certificates.
The ward or stake clerk prepared an official ordination certificate and gave it to the newly ordained member shortly after he received the priesthood. These certificates are usually only available among the records in the member’s home.

Church Census Records.
Church censuses give the office of each priesthood holder. Censuses were taken in 1914, 1920, 1925, 1930, 1935, 1940, 1950, 1955, and 1960. See Church Censuses for details.

Church Membership Records.
Each priesthood ordination is included on a man’s membership records up to 1983. After 1983 a man’s membership record only shows his current priesthood ordination. See the Membership Records.

Deceased Members File.
For men who died between 1941 and 1983 this file shows each priesthood ordination. After 1983 it only lists a man’s most recent priesthood ordination. See Latter-day Saint Vital Records.

Early Temple Records.
Some early temple records show priesthood ordinations. In the early days of the Church, men were often ordained to the Melchizedek priesthood when they went to the temple to receive their endowment. The endowment registers have a column labeled "Ordained." If a man was ordained to an office of the Melchizedek priesthood, the name of the man who ordained him appears in the column. The column also notes if he was ordained to an office other than elder. The Endowment House, and early St. George, Logan, Manti, and Salt Lake temple registers contain these ordinations. The record of a man’s endowment may be the only place where his priesthood ordination is recorded. See Temple Records for more information.

Membership Department.
If the Church has proof of a man’s death in 1976 or later, the Membership Department will provide the man’s most recent priesthood ordination. Telephone 801-240-3500 for more information.

Missionary Records.
Missionary records in the Church History Library often include priesthood ordinations. The missionary indexes at the FamilySearch Library do not have priesthood ordination records. See Latter-day Saint Missionaries for more information.

Priesthood Line of Authority
These records are usually found in the personal records of priesthood holders. The lineages may have been prepared by the members themselves or by Church employees at the request of the priesthood holder.

A line of authority can be requested for any Melchizedek Priesthood holder living in the same household as the requester, a young man currently serving a full-time mission, or a deceased ancestor. A request may not be completed for someone who has been excommunicated from the Church.

To request a line of authority send an email to [mailto:Lineofauthority@churchofjesuschrist.org lineofauthority@churchofjesuschrist.org]. To receive the request form in English, type the letters "PLA" in the subject line. For the Spanish form, type the letters "PLA SP" and for the form in Portuguese, type "PLA PT." A reply will be sent with instructions for completing the form and receiving the line of authority.