Family History

FamilySearch records have helped piece together incredible stories of early Latter-day Saint pioneers internationally.

“A friend asked me if I felt any guilt for contributing to an enterprise that was allegedly aimed at capturing deceased souls and ‘baptizing’ them into the Mormon church.”

Read about the heartwarming reasons why this son has been anxiously awaiting the release of the 1950 Census records.

Dale Adams says many people—particularly women—leave almost no mark on genealogical history. He’s here to change that.

The 1950 Census data is about to be released. Here are some ways you can make the most of this valuable family history record.

With over 1,500 free sessions, it can be overwhelming to know which of this year’s RootsTech sessions might be most useful. So here are the top trending videos of the conference:

Anyone who watches The Bonner Family can see straightaway that the performers have natural talent. But what listeners may not know is that the Bonner’s talent doesn’t begin with their generation—it’s a part of their family’s legacy.

Elder and Sister Soares along with six other celebrities from around the world will be the featured speakers at this year’s conference, and nearly 900 sessions will be available in 40 languages.

The identity of her father had been a mystery for almost 49 years. And now it was no longer a mystery. It was simply a name.

Justin Bean has often been told he looks like “The Fighting Preacher,” his ancestor Willard Washington Bean. And after collision with a teammate during a game last week, the resemblance might be growing.

FamilySearch offers dozens of virtual webinars every month to help both novice and experienced piece together their family histories.

This week, FamilySearch International announced that it will participate in the 1950 U.S. Census Community Project.

After the 1950 US census records are released on April 1, beginners and experts alike will all have access to search and review the treasure trove of data!

RootsTech 2022, the largest family history event in the world, will be held virtually again in 2022.

One researcher has discovered that baby books are rich in history, but many parents see them as a source of stress. Here are some high- and low-tech solutions to help with the job.

A rare genetic condition has never kept Michelle from doing what she wants. Still, no one expected how massive the results would be when she accepted the call to be a family history indexer.

Even though we might miss family members who have died, Latter-day Saints understand that we can see our loved ones again, and taking time to remember them doesn’t need to be a sad or mournful experience.

No matter your heritage, new FamilySearch activities can help bring a new element to your Halloween-time traditions

Forget about scrolling through endless pedigree lines to find an ancestor. Now you can use FamilySearch’s new Discovery Search to find any specific ancestor with one quick query.

The records of more than 11 billion people will be available to anyone with a computer.

There are lots of firsts for RootsTech in 2021, which will be held February 25–27. Although the event is typically hosted in person in Salt Lake City, this year marks the first virtual-only gathering due to COVID-19. And for the first time, nearly 2,000 on-demand sessions will be available for free for 365 days.

Elder David A. Bednar, Elder Gary E. Stevenson, and Elder Dale G. Renlund will host a training focused on the theme “Hear Him Through Temple and Family History Work.” The training can be viewed on-demand beginning Thursday, February 25, 2021, on ChurchofJesusChrist.org/family-history, the Church broadcast page and in the Gospel Library app. Languages will include English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, Italian, German, Korean, Japanese, Chinese, and Swedish.

Many Latter-day Saints attend the temple to find reprieve from the fear and anxiety life can sometimes bring. But even though temples have been closed through months filled with more than their fair share of anxiety, the Lord has not left us without help.

In this week's episode of This Is the Gospel, Jeff says he only knew three things about his grandfather George growing up. One, he was born in the former Yugoslavia in a country that is now called Montenegro. Two, George was raised in Worland, Wyoming. Three, he had changed his last name from Mijušković to Marks. That was all. Any other attempt to get any information regarding family history from his grandfather led to a command to, "Shish." But after a chance encounter on a humanitarian aid trip to Haiti, Jeff slowly began finding breadcrumbs that led to his Mijušković line. And so after a killer deal on airfare, Jeff found himself in his family's homeland armed with a letter written in Montenegrin and an unquenchable desire to discover his own family history.

It was such a small moment in general conference you may have missed it. President Russell M. Nelson discussed how “unusual times can bring unusual rewards,” noting that “family history work has increased exponentially.”

FamilySearch has announced that RootsTech 2021 will be held in February as a free, virtual event.

The following excerpt from The Holy Temple originally ran on LDS Living in October 2016.

Most people would agree that journaling is important, especially during such a unique time in history, but sometimes it can be difficult to know what aspects of your life to write about. FamilySearch.org recently shared a list of 16 creative and approachable journal prompts that will have you eager to get started.

The Family History Library in Salt Lake City temporarily closed its doors as a health precaution against COVID-19. But the closure of the building hasn’t stopped the Church from making the library's resources available. On the contrary, the Family History Library and FamilySearch have used this as an opportunity to make innovative changes to the services they can offer people around the world.

For 10 years, RootsTech has inspired family history connoisseurs with attendees from all over the world. The 2020 event saw nearly 30,000 attendees, according to Church Newsroom.

Elder David A. Bednar, Elder Dale G. Renlund, and Elder Gary E. Stevenson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles will host a training centered on the theme “Ministering to All through Temple and Family History.”

2019 was a big year for FamilySearch. According to an article released by FamilySearch, new tools helped users index 123.6 million new records and upload 850 million new images of historical records. Growth was not only seen in records uploaded and indexed but by the number of new people added to the FamilySearch Tree: 46.9 million. Within the report, FamilySearch thanks its 318,000 volunteers for serving a total of 15.4 million hours.

When you hear the words family history, do you go into a coma? Believe me, until a few years ago, I could have matched my coma with yours any day.

The following article has been adapted and republished with permission from evalogue.life.

With more than 1 billion indexed records available, FamilySearch now offers users the ability to edit online the indexed names of their ancestors.

Turn the hearts of your children—without twisting their arms.

Family history work is an important part of the gospel and brings not only salvation for the dead but salvation for ourselves. But sometimes there are those moments in family history that deserve a good chuckle.

Interested in DNA testing? Genetic genealogist Diahan Southard answers the most frequently asked and most timely questions regarding this popular trend.

With thousands packed into the Salt Palace Convention Center, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints kicked off the ninth annual RootsTech family history and technology conference by announcing a $2 million donation to the forthcoming International African American Museum Center for Family History.

At 99 years old, there aren’t a lot of things Nellie Leighton hasn’t seen or experienced.

I still remember the day I was called to be a patriarch. The stake president came and sat on the stand just before I began conducting sacrament meeting. After the closing song, he asked if my wife and I would meet with him.

I remember the first time I went through the temple like it was yesterday. I remember taking the temple preparation classes and talking to my parents about the process, but I was still so unsure of what was coming. As I entered the temple doors and the front desk worker scanned my freshly-signed recommend, I felt immediate peace. I just knew that was where I needed to be at the time, and the rest of my experience followed a similar pattern.

Throughout his service in the Church, President Nelson has provided profound insight into family history work, the spirit of Elijah, and redeeming our kindred dead. Here is a small portion of those insights, excerpted from the new book Teachings of Russell M. Nelson.

“The thing is, each family Bible has a story,” Joseph Kerry says. Learn more about his incredible work returning Bibles back to the families whose genealogy is recorded inside.

Leaders from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints presented Rt Hon Jacinda Ardern, Prime Minister of New Zealand, with a two-volume family history today in her Wellington office.

Some people think they can’t write an interesting family history. “My ancestors were boring,” they say. There’s nothing to tell.” Others find too much drama in the past and find it painful or embarrassing to record. Still others haven’t taken interest in writing their family stories at all.

Answers to prayer usually come in quiet ways to mortals through the mediation of the Holy Spirit and through the intervention of other mortals. There are times, however, when God chooses to do the unusual—to give visions or dreams, to send angels from the courts of glory, in short, to minister to our needs in truly spectacular ways. Nephi explained that on certain occasions God “hath heard my cry by day, and he hath given me knowledge by visions in the nighttime. And by day have I waxed bold in mighty prayer before him; yea, my voice have I sent up on high; and angels came down and ministered unto me” (2 Nephi 4:23–24).

The value of preserving and sharing ancestral stories was recently verified by researchers who were trying to understand why some people, including children, are better able than others to cope with serious, even disabling stress and trauma. One study found that “the more children knew about their family’s history, the stronger their sense of control over their lives, [and] the higher their self-esteem.” This factor was indeed “the best single predictor of children’s emotional health and happiness.” Those with “the most self-confidence” had what one researcher called “a strong ‘intergenerational self.’ They know they belong to something bigger than themselves" (Bruce Feiler, “The Stories That Bind Us,” The New York Times, March 15, 2013).

“Family history is something that’s really tender to all of us because it’s about family and we know how much our own families mean to us,” said Professor Jill Crandell, director of BYU’s Center. “We actually become attached to those families and there is a certain amount of inspiration involved when working on these cases.”

Pianika Duncan is a mother of two and a Latter-day Saint from a small town called Ngaruawahia in New Zealand. She wrote a song called "Bring Mana to Your Name," which was inspired by her love for family history. Duncan explains the word "Mana" means pride and strength. She incorporates Maori, the native language of New Zealand, and English into the song.

Same-sex relationships, including same-sex parents and same-sex couples, will soon be provided in FamilySearch Family Tree.

Former president of Germany Joachim Gauck praised the Church for its missionary work and the commitment of its members as he received his personal family history from Elder Uchtdorf.

When I telephoned my 82-year-old mother to ask if I could write a novel about her early life, she erupted in objections. “My childhood isn’t interesting at all,” she insisted. “I can’t remember dates and places anymore, and there just aren’t enough memories to write about.” After calming her down, I persuaded my mother to let me come for a visit to explore the feasibility of the project. The dismal, wet drive from Springville, Utah, to Boise, Idaho, offered no hint of the miraculous year and a half that lay ahead.

Family history—if there is one hobby Mormons are known for, it's our love of finding our ancestors.