Early Church Information File (ECIF): Difference between revisions

The Early Church Information File (ECIF) is an alphabetical card index of Latter-day Saints (Mormons) along with some of their neighbors. It focuses most on the years from 1830 to 1914. This file indexes over 1,200 sources which have an abundance of entries for Latter-day Saints. The ECIF contains 1,091,919 cards. Each person found in the ECIF is listed on about one to a dozen-or-so cards. Each card for an individual cites a different source document. Most source documents contain further details about that person. Cards for any one individual may be scattered under variations of his or her name. This file contains cards for most, but not all, Latter-day Saints from 1830-1914.  

Several major indexes are also referenced in the Early Church Information File. For example, the card in example three refers to {{FHL|212999|title-id|disp=''Mormons and Their Neighbors''}}, an index to hundreds of books and microfilms. Other indexes in this file include:  

Entries in the file often refer to an event such as a person's birth, marriage, or death. Entries may also refer to a biographical sketch. The Early Church Information File usually gives a person's name, the date of the event, and a source reference and library call number for the source. The original record may supply additional family history information as well.  

You can use the Early Church Information File to:  

The Early Church Information File does not include:  

Four Steps to Follow When Using the Early Church Information File  

Microfilm numbers for the Early Church Information File are listed in {{FHL|480808|title-id|disp=this Family History Library Catalog link}}. Names are listed alphabetically by surname and given name. For example, if you want to find index references to Perrigrine SESSIONS, the catalog shows you would look in microfilm 1,750,712.  

[[Image:{{ECIF1b}}]] [[Image:{{ECIF2b}}]] [[Image:{{ECIF3b}}]]Once you have located the appropriate microfiche, or film, locate the name you are searching for in the Early Church Information File. Names may be typed in any order, but the cards are always arranged alphabetically by surname. For example, a name may appear as Perrigrine Sessions or Sessions, Perrigrine. An individual in the Early Church Information File may be listed on one card or on many cards depending on how much is written on the individual and how much of that material has been indexed.<br><br> ''On the right are three example cards found in the'' Early Church Information File ''for Perrigrine Sessions.''

Study and copy the information shown in the Early Church Information File. Although cards may appear in a variety of formats, the name is always near the top. Call numbers for sources listed on the cards are usually on the left or at the bottom of the card. Most sources are described in detail.  

If you are at the Family History Library, use the call number listed in the Early Church Information File to find the actual source. If the call number is not listed on the card, refer to the section below titled "Can't Find The Source On The Card?"  

NOTE: Cards listing the source as ''Utah County Marriage Book 8'' from November 1919 to 1938 are really for Sanpete County marriages. They are located on microfilm 481,512.  

Marriage records for three counties indexed in the Early Church Information File are not available through the Family History Library. You must contact the county clerk for the county marriage records of these counties:  

Before concluding that your ancestor's name is not in the Early Church Information File or in LDS records, consider the following: