Mormon Records

**What Are L.D.S. (Mormon) Records All About??**

Hundreds of thousands of people world-wide use the genealogical records of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints most every day of the year. There is a terrific amount of information which the Family History Library in Salt Lake City, Utah makes available to its Family History Centers all over the world. I am going to just mention two of the sources, the I.G.I. and the Ancestral File.

The I. G. I.

The International Genealogical Index

This index should only be used as a jumping off place for the genealogist. Many a novice genealogist has gotten into real trouble by using this source exclusively. It is a beginning place for research at best, and that is actually all it is supposed to be.
The I.G.I. is a listing of names (world-wide) that have been submitted for Temple Ordinances by members of the Mormon Church. Most of the genealogical data that is included in this index is a birth date and place or a marriage date and place. In the newer additions, there are more and more data from census records, probate records, and other data.
Anyone using the I.G.I. should ask for help from a volunteer at the Family History Center. There are many codes used which can be of great help.
For example, material which is extracted can be considered "safer" than material which was submitted by members. Extracted material is genealogical data that was submitted directly from information in original sources, mostly from various civil and parish records around the world.
There is MUCH material in the I.G.I. which is incorrect! It is best to be warned over and over and over that this material is just a starting point for the researcher ... just another "piece of the puzzle".

The Ancestral File

The Ancestral File is perhaps the most "dangerous" tool to use of the L.D.S. genealogical records. This is material submitted by members of the L.D.S. (Mormon) Church and its intentions are very good. Sadly many members have submitted faulty lines, as most people are not, after all, good research genealogists.
Furthermore, the data which is there can be corrected by computer diskette, and the process, although not difficult, is somewhat "time consuming" (to be polite about it!).
It is perhaps best to use this source just as a starting point or just to find other people who are researching the same family.

We are all human beings, and we all have our faults. One of the faults with some family researchers is to frantically try to find that ancestor who: 1) was a member of a European Royal Family, 2) fought in the Revolutionary War, 3) came over on the Mayflower, or did a host of many other things! Also, many early Mormons wanted desperately to be related to Joseph Smith or Brigham Young.

As a result of this human frailty, there are many "false lineages" in the Ancestral File.
BOTTOM LINE??? DO BE CAREFUL! TAKE THE TIME TO DOCUMENT ALL YOUR WORK!
By the way, your web site editor is a Mormon, so he can talk this way about the I.G.I. and the Ancestral File!

GO to the new LDS Family Search research site! Just click on the family icon below!

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