LDS AND UTAH RECORDS
©2009 by Donald R. Snow
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This page was last updated 2009-07-25.
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INTRODUCTION
- Instructors are Donald R. and Diane M. Snow ( snowd@math.byu.edu
and dms34@juno.com ) of Provo and St. George, Utah.
- These notes with active Internet links are posted on the Utah Valley PAF Users
Group website http://uvpafug.org
under Class
Outlines , Don's Listings , along with many other class notes for family history.
- Browsing tip: In the browsers Mozilla Firefox and Windows Explorer 8, holding down the CTRL key when clicking on a link opens the link in a new window, so you can keep these notes opened in the original window to come back to them whenever you want. Click on the new tab to see the new website.
- This presentation will discuss sources to find and verify LDS and Utah genealogy from vital records, burial and cemetery records, newspapers, LDS Church records (temple records, missionary records, ward and branch records), compiled records, journals and diaries, Church and Utah history books, biographies, court records, and others.
MAJOR WEB SITES FOR LDS AND UTAH RECORDS
- FamilySearch and FamilySearch Wiki -- updated pamphlets of Utah and LDS and hundreds of links
- Early LDS Members database from 1830 to Utah
period -- http://earlylds.com -- 53,000 names
- There is an introduction in the file itself -- search for "Intro" as the Given Name and read the notes for that "individual"
- Snows still have much more data to add and correct
- Family History Library Catalog -- http://www.familysearch.org/eng/Library/FHLC/frameset_fhlc.asp -- is now scanning and posting online entire volumes
- Harold B. Lee Library and BYU Online Collections
- To find your ancestor in all digitized FH's at the BYU HBLL, go to
http://contentdm.lib.byu.edu/cdm4/search.php and
search for your key words in all of the Family Histories collections, each
of which contains several hundred volumes, so the FHL has already digitized thousands of FH books -- all completely word-searchable
- Can search all of their digitized books or just separate collections by searching Family Histories 1, for example
- To see how many books there are in each collection do a search for something like "." which will be in each book -- Family Histories 1 has at least 285 items
- All such books appear in the FHLC with the words "To view a digital version of this book click here." in red
- Trails of Hope: Overland Diaries and Letters, 1846-1869 web
site: http://overlandtrails.lib.byu.edu/search.html
- Mormons and Their Neighbors -- http://www.lib.byu.edu/Ancestry/ --
searchable with references to more than 100,000 individuals
- FH Archives: http://www.lib.byu.edu/fhc/
- 19th Century Mormon Publications Online -- http://relarchive.byu.edu/MPNC/
- Search engine for entries in Church Chronology, Encyclopedic History of the Church, LDS Biographical Encyclopedia, and Progressive Men of Eastern Idaho -- http://www.lib.byu.edu/dlib/misc/
- Studies in Mormon History and Culture -- http://mormonhistory.byu.edu/screens/infoabout.html
- BYU Idaho Family History Center -- http://abish.byui.edu/specialCollections/fhc/FamilyHistory.htm
Mormon Trek Westward (1847-1868)
- Mormon Pioneer Overland Travels
(1847-1868)
on LDS Church web site http://www.lds.org/ -- click on Church
History > Church History Library > Mormon Pioneer Overland Travel -- is being
added to regularly and has many journals, documents, etc. -- try searching
for an ancestor's surname (numbers in parentheses are the ages at that
time) -- parts of the Nauvoo databank (see below) are being added
- For maps of the Mormon Trek
Westward go to http://www.lds.org/ , then About the
Church/Church History/History of the Church/The Pioneer Story/Start the
Trail from the Beginning -- The 3 boxes at the upper left show the 3 parts
of the Mormon Trail
- For history of the Mormon Trek Westward see
About the Church/Church History/Church History in the Fulness of
Times/Chapter 26
Marie Taylor's web site -- http://www.warnes.net/Teslacorp/GenealogyLinks
or try http://genealogy-links.org
- Many LDS/Utah references including information on
history, genealogy, immigration, and much more - The "Cyndi's List of LDS
records", but website is frequently down.
Utah and US Government and Archives
Portals for Utah (lists of links) -- some free, some commercial
Ancestral File Submission Sheets -- 606 microfilms of the hard copy submissions of notes and sources to the Ancestral File -- see the submission to get the
film number, if it was microfilmed -- lots of LDS family history data here
LDS InfoBase collection -- early Church publications, periodicals, General Conference talks -- http://ldsinfobase.net/index.html
LDS-Hist: Historical Resources on the Internet -- http://lds-hist.hplx.net/lds-hist/Links.html
Utah Censuses indexed --
http://www.xmission.com/~nelsonb/census_search.htm
UTAH, ARIZONA, AND IDAHO VITAL RECORDS
- General information
- Births
- Utah births are mostly recorded by counties - early ones are on film at FHL -- many are also available in the State Bureau of Vital Records
- Arizona births from 1855-1933 are online with index and scanned images of certificates -- http://genealogy.az.gov
- Marriages
- Deaths and burials
LDS CHURCH RECORDS
- See https://wiki.familysearch.org/en/Tracing_LDS_Families for
much information and many links
- Many LDS Church records are listed in Utah Statewide Indexes and Collections in Family History Library Catalog
- Membership of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints 1830-1848 by Susan Easton-Black (FHL #6031596, 95 fiche -- many FHC's have this set)
- Early Church Information File
- Descriptive brochure online at Early Church Information File (#34544, Free)
- Card file of 1.5 million references to early Church members from histories, journals, etc.; filmed on 75 rolls of microfilm in 1991 -- additions since then are only available in the FHL -- these are the references only, not the articles themselves
- To find the index film you need see the Film Notes in Early Church Information File in FH Library
Catalog ; or go to the FHLC and enter Early Church Information File in the Keyword Search and then click on View Film Notes
- Deceased Membership Records since 1941 -- can sometimes get information by phone from Deceased Membership Office (1-801-240-3500)
- Some records have been filmed and are available in the FHL, but not in FHC's -- you can transcribe anything, but no photocopies allowed
- All deceased membership records and temple data are being entered into the IIGI, so it will contain all proxy and deceased member data
- If needed, can get an LDS Church Birth Certificate -- phone number is 801-240-3577
- Early Ward and Branch Records -- old "Form E's" from each unit, listed members; have been filmed and are being extracted into IIGI
- Church Census Records -- on 651 FHL films starting with #25708
- 1914, then every 5 years from 1920 to 1960, except for 1945
- Arranged alphabetically by head of household
- Member Autobiographies
- 4-page form that all Church members were asked to complete in 1924-1929
- In hard copy in FHL and on 10 microfilms (FHL #1059454-1059463)
- Patriarchal Blessing Index (1830's-1993)
- Two indices: 1833-1993, fiche (FHL #6334933, 68 fiche) and 1833-1963, film (on 66 films starting with FHL #392631)
- Can obtain copies of patriarchal blessings of all your LDS ancestors 4 at a time -- info on http://lds.org/churchhistory/archives/pbinfo
- Be sure to check index with various spellings of names and under maiden and married names -- many members received 2 or 3 patriarchal blessings
- Church Historian's office has a computerized index that is easier to search, but you have to go there to use it
- Missionary Index, 1830-1979 -- fiche (FHL #6334932, 8 fiche)
- Missionary records in Church Historian's Office
- Temple Records
- IGI and IIGI -- details are discussed in other classes
- Archive Section of Family Group Sheets (1942-1969, used to be available on 4th Floor of JSMB, but now only available on film)
- Family group sheets submitted for temple work -- is a primary source for temple work done, if it has the ordinance date stamped, not typed nor hand written
- Endowment Index (1846-1969) -- sometimes called the Temple Index Bureau Card File or TIB -- card file with 30 million cards with endowment data primarily; filmed on 3081 films; temple data in it has already been extracted from original temple records and put into IIGI, but there may be more genealogical data on the cards, so it's worthwhile to check
- Nauvoo Temple Endowment Register -- fiche (FHL #6051326, 3 fiche) and typescript index in hard copy at FHL
- Patron Section Family Group Sheets (1962-1979, used to be available on 4th Floor of JSMB, but now is only available on 4,018 FHL films starting with #540714)
- Family group sheets submitted to share information -- take with a grain of salt
- Filed alphabetically by husband's surname
- Histories of the Church, the Seventies, and Local Church Units
- Mormon Battalion records -- records available in book, on film, and on CD of daily happenings taken from journals -- do a Google search for "Mormon Battalion"
- Selected Collections from the Church Historians Office -- graphics images on 74 DVD's
- LDS Church Almanac -- published by Deseret News about every two years in December
- Latest one is 2009 Almanac printed in Dec 2008
- The 1997 Church Almanac for the LDS Sesquicentennial has list of companies crossing the plains and
their leaders
- Annotated Record of Baptisms for the Dead 1840-1845, Nauvoo, Hancock County, Illinois -- by Susan Easton-Black and Harvey Bischoff Black,
2002
- 7 volumes, including index volume
- Includes information on proxies and work done in baptisms for dead in Mississippi River
- Nauvoo Databank -- see Class Notes on Nauvoo Databank at http://uvpafug.org, Class Outlines, Don's Listings
- Electronic collection of hundreds of journals, biographies, documents, records, and Church information
- Available in Nauvoo, Illinois; Kirtland, Ohio; and at a few FHC's in Utah
- Parts are also posted on the Internet now -- see links in Class Notes on Nauvoo Databank
- LDS immigration records
- Mormon Immigration Index -- on CD (#50174, $6),1841-1890 -- includes date of immigration, ship, plus journals of fellow passengers -- is being updated from 1890 to 1924 and will be posted online at http://www.lds.org
- LDS to Zion -- http://www.warnes.net/Teslacorp/GenealogyLinks/index_html?Tab=8-LDS%20to%20Zion (website frequently down)
- LDS Danish and Scandinavian immigration -- see http://www.ida.net/users/really/
- Tracing Mormon Pioneers web page -- http://www.xmission.com/~nelsonb/pioneer.htm
- Names of Persons and Sureties Indebted to the Perpetual Emigrating Fund Company from 1850 to 1877 Inclusive -- film (FHL #25686) -- a printed and online pdf copy is in Mormon Historical Studies, Vol.1, No. 2, Fall 2000, 141-242
- Crossing the Plains Index Database, Melvin L. Bashore, Church Historian's Office -- see Mormon Pioneer Overland Travels (1847-1868) on LDS Church web site and http://www.xmission.com/~nelsonb/resources.htm
- Mormon immigration info, passenger lists, ships, etc. -- http://www.xmission.com/~nelsonb/pioneer_search3.htm
LDS FAMILY HISTORY SUITE CD
- Commercial CD's by Ancestry.com -- LDS FH Suite and LDS FH Suite 2 -- many FHC's have copies
- Marie Taylor's web site shows links to the parts of these CD's that are online (see her web site under 7-LDS Ancestors/LDS Family History Suite)
- The CD's contain many records, volumes, histories, and much family history
- Susan Easton-Black: Membership of the Early LDS Church, 1830-1858 -- also on some of the older LDS Infobase CD's and is now online at http://www.worldvitalrecords.com, a commercial site, but available free at all FHC's
- Andrew Jenson: Church Chronology, Biographical Encyclopedia, Encyclopedic History of the Church
- Davis Bitton: Guide to Mormon Diaries and Autobiographies
- Frank Esshom: Pioneers and Prominent Men of Utah -- includes text and pictures
- Marvin Wiggins: Mormons and Their Neighbors -- updated version available online at http://www.lib.byu.edu/Ancestry/
- Pioneer Heritage Library -- includes many LDS history books and databases such as the Daughters of the Utah Pioneers book series
- These are Folio 3 databases and standard setup doesn't work on a Windows XP machine, but they can be installed in Windows XP by using the setup program in one of the subfolders on the CD
- Web site for Infobase information about LDS FH Suite -- http://seamons.com/projects/infobase_tech/
MISCELLANEOUS -- BOOKS, HISTORIC WEBSITES, PHOTOGRAPHS, MAPS
- Other online LDS/Utah publications
- Sons of the Utah Pioneers and Daughters of the Utah Pioneers
- Pioneer Women of Faith and Fortitude, International Society Daughters of the Utah Pioneers, 4 volumes, 1998 -- biographies and photos of many pioneer women -- http://www.dupinternational.org/
- Conquerors of the West: Stalwart Mormon Pioneers, compiled by Florence C. Youngberg, Sons of the Utah Pioneers, 4 volumes, 1999 -- biographies and photos -- http://historypreserved.com/Sons_of_Utah_Pioneers.htm
- Both the above plus many more biographies of LDS pioneers are indexed in Godfrey Memorial Library Catalog -- go to http://godfrey.org , then click on Search/Online Catalog
- Search the Daughters of the Utah Pioneers History Card Index under History Department -- http://www.dupinternational.org/
- DUP book series -- Our Pioneer Heritage, Heart Throbs of the West, etc. -- in printed form and in electronic form on LDS FH Suite CD's, on Ancestry.com, and on Nauvoo Databank (see above)
- SUP and DUP combined website -- http://www.onlineutah.com/pioneerssons&daughters.shtml
- Miscellaneous historical items and websites
- Pictures and images
- Good maps on http://www.maps.google.com -- Search for keywords such as LDS, Mormon, Church of Jesus Christ
ASSIGNMENT
- Find the information on someone in the online Utah US GenWeb website (e.g. the Utah Burials Index or Obituary Index).
- Find the information on someone in the Early LDS database.
- Find an online photograph of the St. George Temple by doing a Google Images search for St. George LDS Temple. How many hits do you get?
Return to the Utah Valley PAF
Users Group Home Page , or Don's Class Listings Page .