GENEALOGY LIBRARY RESEARCH SOURCES
1. IGI (International Genealogical Index) Computerized Index of
various records. Lists births, christenings and marriages of more than 88
million deceased persons from many countries and time periods. Printed on
microfiche. At BYU. Also S.L. Genealogical Library. Or any Branch Library.
A MUST for searching. The Church is currently working on an updated Indei
that will have 115 million names.
Indexed by Locality. Then alphabetically within that locality by
Surname.
2. Family Records Collection.
1. Archive Section. Contains Family Group Record forms
submitted for temple work between 1942 and 1969. Contains
official LDS ordinance dates. Also at BYU.
2.THE PATRON SECTION contains Family Group Record forms
submitted to the library between 1924 and 1979 for filing.
Microfilmed. At BYU. Filmed according to the years the
forms were submitted.(1962-1965-1966-1967, etc.)
This is where you will find the four generation sheets submitted by yourself and relatives on your lines.
3. TEMPLE RECORDS. These are filmed from the actual temple
records. You need some kind of a date to look for, to use these
records effectively. Requires a temple recommend to search.
Also AT BYU.
4. T.I.B. (Temole Index Bureau.) Contains records of all endowments done in any of the temples. On Microfilm. Search
by surname. Important: Read information at the first of the
film which tells how surnames are grouped. Temple
recommend required. AT BYU.
5. FAMILY REGISTRY. An aid to help you find others who
are working on your same surnames. Individuals and
family organizations have submitted the names of those
they are researching to this registry. Also at BYU.
6. GLC: The BYU Library also contains a microfiche coov of the
card catalogue of the Salt Lake Genealogical Library.
Arrangements can be made to borrow films from the S.L.
Library to use at BYU.
CENSUS RECORDS. The BYU has all the US Census records that are at
the S.L. Genealogical Library except for the 1910 census. If you have an
ancestor who was still alive in 1900, the month and year of birth appear in
this census. The place of birth of the father and mother of the person listed
as Husband and Wife on the 1900 census is also given. Several of the US
census records have been indexed. Check with the information counter at
the library you are visiting to see which censuses have indexes. These
indexes give the page, etc. of the original record, making finding the
information contained in the original record much easier.
The ENGLISH AND CANADIAN CENSUS FOR 1851 and 1861 are at the
BYU Library and indexes are available for these censuses. Know where your
English ancestors came from? Alive during these years? An excellent
finding tool.
LPS BRANCH AND WARD RECORDS. Also at BYU. These are the
primary source for LDS baptisms. The blessing records also are a primary
source for birth statistics. If you use Branch or Ward records for birth dates,
make certain that you search the ward record where your ancestor s family
was living at the time he or she was bom. Sometimes a later transcription
of the original blessiang entry is inaccurate.
LDS Censuses are another source to search. Available at any
genealogical library is Jaussi and Chaston s splendid resource book on
Records of the LDS Church and Genealogical Records of Utah. The first is
used as the index to Ward and other LDS records at the libraries.
The Branch Genealogical Library located on the fourth floor of the BYU
Library offers all kinds of free genealogical courses to help you get started.
A list of those offered in February and March was in the Ward Newsletter
for Feb 13. (last week) Lists of courses offered are also available at the
library itself.
FORMS. Yes, there are new forms for the Pedigree Chart and the
Family group sheet. These follow the format for the sheets produced on the
computer programs. However, the genealogical society will accept any of the
forms which have ever been published. If you are just starting and do not
have any forms, by all means get the new forms. If you have old forms on
hand, by all means use them. The Church is trying to make it as easy as
possible to do your genealogy. They will accept almost anything. You may
want to submit your finished sheet to the ward genealogical consultant
(Ida-Rose) before you submit it to the Society. However, this is optional.
The advantage (hopefully) is that it may save getting your sheet back for
correction.
If you have a computer, by all means get the Church program for
your computer (IBM or Apple 2E). There are courses offered by BYU and by
the Utah County Genealogical Association to help you learn these PROGRAMS.
The Genealogical Society has lifted one of its "No! Nos! Namely it will
now accept "estimated" birth dates. If you have exhausted all records and
cannot even CALCULATE a birthdate for an ancestor, you may now use ABT.
The following rules should be followed in making an ESTIMATED date.
(The difference between a calculated and an estimated date is that a
calculated date is made from a "known" date, such as a burial date.)
Example: John Doe is buried Jan 3,1707, at age 45. A calculated birth date
for John, then, would be: Born: 1662. No Abt. is put in front of a calculated
date.
RULES FOR APPROXIMATING DATES:
L Needed: Wife's birth date. Consider wife to be be 4 years younger
than husband. If the husband's date is unknown use one of the below
methods of calculating his birth year, and then calculate the wife's
birth date from his calculated date.
2. Subtract 25 years from marriage year to get Husband's Abt. birth
year.
3. If no mg. year is had subtract 26 years from date of first child's
birth year for husband's Abt. birth year.
4. If you know the child is an "only child" of if you know of no other
brothers or sisters, subtract 32 years from the only child's birth year
for husband s ABT. birth year.
Anytime you use an ABT. date a family group sheet must be
submitted as an ABT. date cannot appear on an individual or
Marriage entry.
If you do not know where a Husband or Wife were born, use the place
of birth of the first child in these "unknown" birth blanks.
ONE NEW THING THAT MUST APPEAR ON EVERY SUBMITTED SHEET
WHETHER YOU SUBMIT ON A NEW OR ON AN OLD FORM IS THE STAKE UNIT
NUMBER. THIS NUMBER IS 0502170.
Your friendly genealogical consultant (me) will be glad to help you at any
time. If you are 65 or older, did you know you can ride the bus to S.L. for 25
cents? Now what's your excuse? A time schedule for the Bus can be
obtained at BYU.