Tracing Latter-day Saint Ancestors: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 11:55, 6 April 2019

This page contains resources for individuals researching ancestors who were members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.

Key Latter-day Saint Research Links[edit | edit source]

Mormon Places: an interactive gazetteer of thousands of places of interest to the history of the Church
Mormon Migration: a database documenting those Church members who crossed oceans to gather in Utah
Early Church Information File (ECIF): an alphabetical index to early Latter-day Saints, for more information visit the wiki page on the index
Mormon Pioneer Overland Travel 1846-1868: a database of Church members who crossed the plains along the Mormon Trail
Pioneer Ancestors Search
Early Latter-day Saints: a database of pioneers of the Mormon Trail
WorldVitalRecord LDS databases genealogy, marriages, cemeteries, military, land, and priesthood records
Fold3.com Utah Territorial Case Files criminal and civil
Fold3.com Mormon Battalion Pension Files affidavits, letters
Mormon Battalion Association Muster rolls
Ancestry.com ($) LDS databases biographies, petitions, military
Tracing Scandinavian Latter-day Saints

Caution Regarding Genealogies and Life Sketches[edit | edit source]

Many genealogies of members of the Church have been handed down for several generations. Some of these genealogies, family stories, and life sketches were compiled from oral histories and can contain many errors among true information. If you are the recipient of one of these genealogies, it is suggested to document this information. Family group records should have sources supporting the information on it. Don't rely on someone else's research, but instead cite sources and find evidence. Careful documentation reduces errors, unwanted duplication, and may help uncover an overlooked ordinance and other family stories.

Featured content[edit | edit source]

The Perpetual Emigration Fund - With the creation of the new Perpetual Education Fund, some members have expressed interest in finding out about their ancestor's participation in the historical Perpetual Emigration Fund. This article will help you discover if your ancestors were assisted by the fund during their immigration to Utah.

New articles that might be of interest in your research:

Did you know?[edit | edit source]

The Center for Family History and Genealogy at Brigham Young University has a project devoted to members of the Church who were originally from Wales: http://welshmormon.byu.edu/
The Tracing Mormon Pioneers website has indexed several sources related to searching for your ancestors who were members of the Church. Included on the site is a tutorial that will help walk you through the steps to locating records about your pioneer families. Read the Tracing Mormon Pioneers article for more information.

Handcart Pioneers
Kirtland Pioneers
John E Forsgren Company (Forest Monarch) 1853
LDS Record Finder
LDS Research Sources at Ancestry.com
LDS Research Sources at WorldVitalRecords.com
Mormon Pioneer Overland Travel, 1847–1868
Mormon Battalion Ancestors
Nauvoo Pioneers

Sources related to British converts
Sources related to Scandinavian converts
Sources related to Welch converts
Timeline
Utah
Websites for LDS Research
Winter Quarters Pioneers

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-{{Latter-day Saint-sidebar}}{{breadcrumb
+{{LDS-sidebar}}{{breadcrumb
 | link1=[[United States Genealogy|United States]]
-| link2=[[United States Church Records|U.S. Church Records]]
+| link2=[[United States Church History|U.S. Church History]]
-| link3=[[The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints|The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints]]
+| link3=
 | link4=
 | link5=[[Tracing Latter-day Saint Ancestors|Tracing Latter-day Saint Ancestors]]
-}}
+}}This page contains resources for individuals researching ancestors who were members of [http://www.mormon.org The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints].
+=== Key Latter-day Saint Research Links  ===
 {| style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; border: none;"
-|<div id="fsButtons"><span class="online_records_button">[[Latter-day Saint Online Genealogy Records]]</span></div>
+| {{Click|Image:LDS_ORP.png|LDS Online Genealogy Records|right}}
-{| style="float:right;
+*[http://carto.byu.edu/mp/ Mormon Places]: an interactive gazetteer of thousands of places of interest to the history of the Church
-|-
+*[http://mormonmigration.lib.byu.edu/ Mormon Migration]: a database documenting those Church members who crossed oceans to gather in Utah
-|{{MormonLDSRemoval}}
+*{{RecordSearch|2078505|Early Church Information File (ECIF)|access=browse}}: an alphabetical index to early Latter-day Saints, for more information visit the [[Early Church Information File (ECIF)|wiki page]] on the index
-|}
+*[https://familysearch.org/search/collection/2517340 Mormon Pioneer Overland Travel 1846-1868]: a database of Church members who crossed the plains along the Mormon Trail
-The purpose of this page is to review different record types needed to help those researching ancestors who were members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The types of records to search depends on when the ancestor joined The Church.
+*[https://familysearch.org/pioneers#/ Pioneer Ancestors Search]
+*[http://www.earlylds.com/ Early Latter-day Saints]: a database of pioneers of the Mormon Trail
+*[http://www.worldvitalrecords.com/contentlisting.aspx?cat=lds WorldVitalRecord LDS databases] genealogy, marriages, cemeteries, military, land, and priesthood records
+*[http://www.footnote.com/documents/27343636/utah-territorial-case-files/?xid=47 Fold3.com Utah Territorial&nbsp;Case Files] criminal and civil
+*[http://www.footnote.com/documents/18708629/mormon_battalion_pension_files/ Fold3.com Mormon Battalion Pension Files] affidavits, letters
+*[http://www.mormonbattalion.com/Original_Muster_Rolls?__prclt=dJBizUhx Mormon Battalion Association Muster rolls]
+*[http://search.ancestryinstitution.com/search/cardcatalog.aspx#ccat=hc%3D25%26dbSort%3D1%26title%3DLDS%26keyword%3D%26 Ancestry.com ($) LDS databases] biographies, petitions, military
+*[https://user.xmission.com/~nelsonb/scand.htm Tracing Scandinavian Latter-day Saints]
-== Tracing Early Members of the Church ==
+=== Caution Regarding Genealogies and Life Sketches ===
-Prior to the organization of the Church in 1830 and the arrival of the first Latter-day Saints in Utah in 1847, membership records for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints are few and scattered.
+Many genealogies of members of the Church have been handed down for several generations. Some of these genealogies, family stories, and life sketches were compiled from oral histories and can contain many errors among true information. If you are the recipient of one of these genealogies, it is suggested to [[Document AS YOU GO!|document this information]]. [[Family group record: roadmap for researchers|Family group records]] should have [[Cite Your Sources (Source Footnotes)|sources]] supporting the information on it. Don't rely on someone else's research, but instead [[Genealogical Proof Standard|cite sources and find evidence]]. Careful documentation reduces errors, unwanted duplication, and may help uncover an overlooked ordinance and other family stories.
-Early membership records contain very little information, but became progressively better after the Saints settled in Utah. A good online resource is the Early Church Information File (ECIF). This file is an alphabetical card index of early Latter-day Saints focusing on the years from 1830 to 1914. This file indexes over 1,200 sources which have an abundance of entries for Latter-day Saints. <br>
-*{{RecordSearch|2078505|Early Church Information File (ECIF)}} - an alphabetical index to early Latter-day Saints, for more information about the resources listed, visit the [[Early Church Information File (ECIF)|Wiki page]]
-''More resources and information on early membership records can be found on the [[Membership Records of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints|Membership Records of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Wiki page.]]''
+=== '''Featured content'''  ===
-== Tracing Mormon Pioneers to Utah before 1868 ==
+The [[Perpetual Emigration Fund|Perpetual Emigration Fund]] - With the creation of the new Perpetual Education Fund, some members have expressed interest in finding out about their ancestor's participation in the historical Perpetual Emigration Fund. This article will help you discover if your ancestors were assisted by the fund during their immigration to Utah.
-There are many records relating to members of the Church moving to Utah, whether they were coming from Nauvoo, Illinois, or from a European country. Databases have been created to track the migration of the Latter-day Saints. Listed below are a few of these databases.
-==== Mormon Pioneers Crossing the Plains ====
+New articles that might be of interest in your research:
-The Church’s movement to the valley of the Great Salt Lake is the largest organized migration movement in American history spanning from 1846 until 1925. Below are some online databases regarding early Mormon Pioneers coming to Utah. More resources can be found on the [[Latter-day_Saint_Emigration_and_Immigration#Crossing_the_Plains|Latter-day Saint Emigration and Immigration Wiki page]]<br>
-*{{RecordSearch|2517340|Utah Mormon Pioneer Overland Travel Database, 1847-1868}}: a database of Church members who crossed the plains along the Mormon Trail
-*[https://www.familysearch.org/campaign/pioneers#/ Pioneer Ancestors Search]
-*[http://www.earlylds.com/ Early Latter-day Saints]: a database of pioneers of the Mormon Trail
-*[https://user.xmission.com/~nelsonb/pioneer.htm Tracing Mormon Pioneers] - For more information about this database, go to this [[Tracing Mormon Pioneers|Wiki page]].
-''Go to [[Latter-day Saint Emigration and Immigration#Crossing_the_Plains|Latter-day Saint Emigration and Immigration Wiki page]] for more information.''
-==== Crossing the Ocean - Immigration From Europe ====
+*[[Members of the United Brethren Baptized by Wilford Woodruff|Members of the United Brethren Baptized by Wilford Woodruff]]
-*[http://mormonmigration.lib.byu.edu/ Mormon Migration]: a database documenting those Church members who crossed oceans to gather in Utah
+*[[Finding the Source of IGI Batch Numbers|Finding the Source of IGI Batch Numbers]]
-*[https://user.xmission.com/~nelsonb/scand.htm Tracing Scandinavian Latter-day Saints]
+*[[LDS Family History Suite 2|LDS Family History Suite 2]]
-''Go to [[Latter-day_Saint_Emigration_and_Immigration#Crossing_the_Ocean|Latter-day Saint Emigration and Immigration]] for more information.''
+|}
+=== '''Did you know?'''  ===
-== Tracing Latter-day Saint Polygamists ==
+*The [http://familyhistory.byu.edu/ Center for Family History and Genealogy] at Brigham Young University has a project devoted to members of the Church who were originally from Wales:&nbsp;[http://welshmormon.byu.edu/ http://welshmormon.byu.edu/ ]
-Many early members of The Church practiced plural marriage. There are specific [[Latter-day Saint Polygamy Research|research tips and records]] that can help you research them.
+*The [http://www.xmission.com/~nelsonb/pioneer.htm Tracing Mormon Pioneers] website has indexed several sources related to searching for your ancestors who were members of the Church. Included on the site is a tutorial that will help walk you through the steps to locating records about your pioneer families. Read the [[Tracing Mormon Pioneers|Tracing Mormon Pioneers]] article for more information.<br><br>
-== Membership Records ==
+{| width="66%" border="0" class="FCK__ShowTableBorders"
-There have been several different types of membership records created by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.  After settlement in Utah, membership records improved over time and usually include information about births, marriages, deaths, and Church ordinances.  The type of membership records that exist are the journal type (1830-1877), long book form (1877-1900), three-part form (1900-1920), box type (1920-1941) and card type (1941 to present).
+|-
-For more details and examples of what these membership records contain, visit the [[Membership Records of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints|Membership Records of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints]] Wiki page.
+| valign="top" |
+*[[Handcart Pioneers]]
+*Kirtland Pioneers
+*[[John E Forsgren Company (Forest Monarch) 1853]]
+*[[LDS Record Finder|LDS Record Finder]]
+*[[LDS Research Sources at Ancestry.com|LDS Research Sources at Ancestry.com]]
+*[[LDS Research Sources at WorldVitalRecords.com|LDS Research Sources at WorldVitalRecords.com]]
+*[http://www.lds.org/churchhistory/library/pioneercompanysearch/1,15773,3966-1,00.html Mormon Pioneer Overland Travel, 1847–1868]
+*[http://www.mormonbattalion.com/Original_Muster_Rolls?__prclt=dJBizUhxs Mormon Battalion Ancestors<br>]
+*Nauvoo Pioneers
-Unfortunately, membership records are only available on microfilm and are not digitized. You must visit the [https://www.familysearch.org/en/library/ FamilySearch Library] in Salt Lake City, Utah to see these records. Some [https://www.familysearch.org/centers/locations/ FamilySearch Centers] may have copies of membership records for selected wards and branches.
+| valign="top" |
+*Sources related to British converts<br>
+*Sources related to Scandinavian converts
+*Sources related to Welch converts
+*Timeline<br>
+*[[Utah Genealogy|Utah]]
+*[[Websites for LDS Research|Websites for LDS Research]]
+*Winter Quarters Pioneers<br>
-== Latter-day Saint Record Finder ==
+|}
-Go to the [[Latter-day Saint Record Finder|Latter-day Saint Record Finder table]] to see a list of possible information you may wish to find about your Latter-day Saint ancestor and the corresponding records that may contain the information you seek.
-== Caution Regarding Genealogies and Life Sketches ==
-Many genealogies and life sketches of members of the Church have been handed down for several generations. Some of these genealogies, family stories, and life sketches were compiled from oral histories and can contain many errors mixed in with factual information. If you are the recipient of one of these genealogies, it is suggested to [[Document AS YOU GO!|document this information]]. [[Family group record: roadmap for researchers|Family group records]] should have [[Cite Your Sources (Source Footnotes)|sources]] supporting the information on it. Do not rely on someone else's research, but instead [[Genealogical Proof Standard|cite sources and find evidence]]. Careful documentation reduces errors, unwanted duplication, and may help uncover an overlooked ordinance, a missing family members, and other important family events.
+__NOTOC__ {{Place|LDS}} {{USChurch}}
-__NOTOC__ {{Place|Latter-day Saint}}
+[[Category:Tracing_LDS_Ancestors]] [[Category:LDS]]   [[Category:FamilySearch_Help_Center-Historical_Records_Strategies]]
-[[Category:Tracing Latter-day Saint Ancestors]] [[Category:The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints]]   [[Category:FamilySearch_Help_Center-Historical_Records_Strategies]]
-|}