Has anyone used Mormon geneological research tools?

[lak611]

Yes I have! I have been researching my ancestors since 1990. In 1991 someone suggested I visit my local Mormon Church’s Family History Center. I am fortunate that it is only one mile from my home. The people who work there are volunteers, experienced Genealogists who have been so helpful in my search. Most of them are Mormon, but not all of them are. There are wonderful resources there on the premise, and resources that you can send off for too. For example, Salt Lake City has underground vaults that house thousands of documents, films, etc. that you can order for a small fee of about $4.00. They will loan them to your local Family History Center for 3 weeks which gives you plenty of time to view them(you can extend the time for a fee as well) and hopefully get the information you are looking for. In the past I have sent for films from my ancestors town in Italy looking for Marriages in 1901. Of course it was in Italian so I had to have it translated. I have also viewed Baptisms from England during the 1700’s. That one didn’t glean any info for me but it was interesting reading documents from so long ago.
No one from the Mormon Church has ever approached me about their Church, not once. There is a sign up sheet that asks if you belong to that Church, but other than that, no one has ever brought it up. They have been nothing but helpful in my “never-ending” search for ancestors. If you have one near you I would highly recommend them as a tool. They also have a website www.familysearch.org. If you have any questions I will be glad to help in any way that I can. There are other tools to use besides them, like obtaining Birth, Marriage & Death Certificates. You need to know proper names, places & dates. As far as the dates go, if you think the year is 1910 but not sure, a search can be done for three including & before or after that date for an extra fee. Last week I sent to NYC archives & records for my Great-Great-Grandmother’s Death Certificate. It cost $10.00 and is well worth the information I hope to get from it (exact birthplace, parents names etc.). I could go on & on as it is a passion of mine, so once again, I’ll be glad to help if I can. Best wishes, it’s addictive! Also, don’t get discouraged if you come to a dead end. That is normal & I can’t tell you how many times I put it down and in a few weeks or even a month, picked it back up again! It’s sort of like putting a puzzle together.

Wow. It sounds like their sources are exactly what I am looking for.

 

[lak611]

I have used their Personal Ancestry File free downloadable genealogy tracking software for about 7 years now. Great product, easy to use, does not send info back to the church or anything like that, currently supporting over 6000 names in my database, has the capability for extensive notes, multimedia, etc. The base template for entry does include some LDS specific data fields, but those can be easily suppressed, they tell you how to do that. You can also add in customized fields for Catholic specific information if you like. There are options to upload your info to them, but it is something you have to actively choose to do.

That sounds very useful. I would probably add several customized religion fields since I know that their are Lutherans in my family as well as Catholics.

I have also frequently used the www.familysearch.org site to look at the free every-name-indexed online 1880 US census. Wonderful tool. I have a young daughter, so I don’t have the opportunities to get to either of the two FHC in our area (though she is getting older, so that may be a possibility in the not too distant future). Regardless of their goals, they are indeed doing a great service to genealogists everywhere through their efforts.

I registered on the website already.

I have never received any solicitation from the LDS, either in the form of a personal visit, mail, phone call or email, because of my use of or participation in the information. I even have cousins who are Mormon (who live in a different community) who know that I use this and it has not generated any contact. Frankly, I also don’t see that their deciding to posthumously baptize or seal one of my ancestors even if they found out about them has any effect on that person except in the eyes of the LDS.

That is good to know.

 

[puzzleannie]

I . Two members, one Protestant and the other Jewish, mentioned that the Mormons have some great tools for researching geneology (such as census records, death certificates, etc.) that are available at low cost or no cost. Has anyone here done geneology research using these LDS tools? Does use of the geneology tools serve as an invitation to missionaries?

yes they are indeed valuable and no their use does not invite proselytizers. they are expensive so best purchased by local historical or geneoligical research centers. For instance, the Western Reserve Historical Society in Cleveland has access to them. You do not necessarily need to visit a Mormon site to use these tools. They are either on microfilm, CD-ROM or now probably on-line through licensed sites, although use is usually free at Mormon Family History Centers (there is also one in the eastern Cleveland burbs).

 

[lak611]

yes they are indeed valuable and no their use does not invite proselytizers. they are expensive so best purchased by local historical or geneoligical research centers. For instance, the Western Reserve Historical Society in Cleveland has access to them. You do not necessarily need to visit a Mormon site to use these tools. They are either on microfilm, CD-ROM or now probably on-line through licensed sites, although use is usually free at Mormon Family History Centers (there is also one in the eastern Cleveland burbs).

Thanks for the link to the WRHS. I will probably use the Mormon Family History Center, though, because it is free, but WRHS charges $50 a year for membership and $8 to park each time one goes to the library or museum.

 

[anamchara]

i’ve gone to the local family history center to do research.

about 3 years ago, i slept and breathed my family tree
i was going to the FHC a couple times a week for 6 months.
not once did anyone try to convert me or anything like that.

the closest i got to even talking about mormonism was when the director of the center asked if anyone in my family was mormon. i said no, and then added ‘not that i know of’. and he said something to the affect of ‘right, you never know’

i was pretty ignorant of the teachings of mormonism at the time, but the people manning the center weren’t missionaries at all.

the director at my FHC has since changed, and isn’t as friendly, but i don’t believe that the non-missionary aspect has changed.

the centers are VERY useful tools to genealogists. i highly recommend using the service.

I have used them and so has my mother, they are VERY useful. No one has ever tried to convert us either. I even had some friendly Mormons drop off a nice folder they put together for me that gave me a great start.

 

[KarenNC]

yes they are indeed valuable and no their use does not invite proselytizers. they are expensive so best purchased by local historical or geneoligical research centers. For instance, the Western Reserve Historical Society in Cleveland has access to them. You do not necessarily need to visit a Mormon site to use these tools. They are either on microfilm, CD-ROM or now probably on-line through licensed sites, although use is usually free at Mormon Family History Centers (there is also one in the eastern Cleveland burbs).

Which tools do you mean when you say they are expensive?

 

[snowgarden]

I was in Utah at BYU for several years but never took advantage of their genealogical tools…Years later I go to work at the Archdiocese in my state and my boss, a priest, pulls out a binder with his genealogy done by a Mormon researcher!

 

[lak611]

Which tools do you mean when you say they are expensive?

The Western Reserve Historical Society is expensive. Membership is $50 a year. Otherwise, there is a fee to use the library. There is a parking fee each time one goes there. From their website:

Library Rules & Procedures

Admission Information

Hours - 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Tuesday through Saturday. Closed on Monday and Sunday.
Fees - WRHS members free with valid membership card. Adults - $ 8.50 per day Student three month pass - $ 10.00 Seniors - $ 7.50 per day Students, daily ( 6 yrs. + ) - $ 5.00

Microforms Room Procedures

Patrons must register (with the volunteer) at the desk in the microform room before using a reader.
A one-hour waiting list will be imposed when necessary.
Patrons may retrieve their own microforms. Patrons are limited to TWO rolls of microfilm. Place used microforms on wooden book cart for reshelving.
Two reader-printers are available for copying from microforms. This is a self-service, coin-operated machine. WRHS does not guarantee the quality of copies. Cost: $ 0.50 per page.

Copying Services

Materials that are not likely to be damaged in the process may be photocopied for patrons by the reference staff. Cost: $ 0.35 per page.
Photographic reproductions, including prints and slides, are available. See Fee Schedule for information.
Limited microfilming services are available. Consult a Reference Librarian.

That is why I am going to the Mormon Family History Center instead.

 

[Joe_Kelley]

I have never found the Mormons to be aggressive proselytizers. I have had many pleasant conversations with them; both here and when on vacation in Utah. I tell them that I don’t think either of us will convince the other on differences; so we discuss what we have in common. I particularly remember when my daughters were young and one was crazy about horses. A rodeo rider and his girl friend stopped by our camp site to water his horses. She was just back from her missionary time in Taiwan. She discussed it a bit and answered our questions without pushing any belief. He thrilled the girls by letting them ride on his horses.

 

[puzzleannie]

Thanks for the link to the WRHS. I will probably use the Mormon Family History Center, though, because it is free, but WRHS charges $50 a year for membership and $8 to park each time one goes to the library or museum.

if you join their Gen Society you get a reduction on fees and parking (or used to) and access to more resources outside the library. in general Gen done right is not cheap, and membership in WRHS or any of its sister orgs admits you to many others as well, such as Cincy Historical, Ohio Historical and a wider network. Check it out.

 

[lak611]

if you join their Gen Society you get a reduction on fees and parking (or used to) and access to more resources outside the library. in general Gen done right is not cheap, and membership in WRHS or any of its sister orgs admits you to many others as well, such as Cincy Historical, Ohio Historical and a wider network. Check it out.

It would still be expensive because I would still need to pay the $50 membership fee just for the WRHS. I may pursue WRHS in the future once my finances are better, but at the present time the Mormon Family History Center is a less expensive way to get started.

 

[lak611]

I got my account activated at the website and already looked up some of my family members. The only thing that was weird was a request to “not share the site” and “keep my credentials confidential”.

 

[KarenNC]

I got my account activated at the website and already looked up some of my family members. The only thing that was weird was a request to “not share the site” and “keep my credentials confidential”.

This is on the www.familysearch.org website? I have not had to activate an account to use the information (I think I did for downloading the software, can’t remember). Maybe they have added features I haven’t used before?

 

[lak611]

This is on the www.familysearch.org website? I have not had to activate an account to use the information (I think I did for downloading the software, can’t remember). Maybe they have added features I haven’t used before?

They sent me an email that said that after I activated my account. They do have some new features that are being tested. I guess I’m one of the “testers”. I don’t know what it used to look like since I just found out about it last week.

 

[KarenNC]

They sent me an email that said that after I activated my account. They do have some new features that are being tested. I guess I’m one of the “testers”. I don’t know what it used to look like since I just found out about it last week.

Ah, if they are beta-testing new features, I can see why they wouldn’t want you to share the site or share your credentials (I am guessing they mean the info you use to access those new features?) at this point. They are likely simply not set up to support a large number of folks accessing those features at this point. As I understand it, for beta-testing, you let a specified group of folks work with the system “live” in order to see if there are bugs that your in house testers haven’t found or already fixed before you go “live” to the entire system. Saves a lot of very large scale headaches.

 

[lak611]

Ah, if they are beta-testing new features, I can see why they wouldn’t want you to share the site or share your credentials (I am guessing they mean the info you use to access those new features?) at this point. They are likely simply not set up to support a large number of folks accessing those features at this point. As I understand it, for beta-testing, you let a specified group of folks work with the system “live” in order to see if there are bugs that your in house testers haven’t found or already fixed before you go “live” to the entire system. Saves a lot of very large scale headaches.

Thanks for your explanation. That makes sense to me now.

On on another note, last month I was selected to be a Nielsen ratings person. I called them back and told them that I do not have cable or an antenna and have not watched TV for over 5 years, other than renting out DVD’s. They still made me answer every question even though I explained they would all be “no”, as I do not watch TV shows. It was funny because nobody else in my family, nor any of my friends or neighbours who actually watch TV were chosen. They picked me, and I don’t even watch the thing! :whacky:

 

[Kristine1957]

In all fairness to the LDS faith ( I’m Catholic) they do have a great website and have excellent geneology center in Salt Lake City. My motherinlaw (who is not Mormon but lived in Salt Lake City) went there all the time to get information on her family. It is now available via internet and I have used it several times.

 

[NMJenny]

Some years ago the local LDS church had a booth at our State Fair, offering computer access to their basic records. Out of curiosity I had them enter my great-grandfather’s name (he died when I was a teenager, but I had very little information about him). Only his marriage was listed, but interestingly enough it turned out that my father was born on his grandparent’s thirtieth wedding anniversary!

The LDS church never made any attempt to contact me in any way…

 

[KarenNC]

Thanks for your explanation. That makes sense to me now.

On on another note, last month I was selected to be a Nielsen ratings person. I called them back and told them that I do not have cable or an antenna and have not watched TV for over 5 years, other than renting out DVD’s. They still made me answer every question even though I explained they would all be “no”, as I do not watch TV shows. It was funny because nobody else in my family, nor any of my friends or neighbours who actually watch TV were chosen. They picked me, and I don’t even watch the thing!

I believe part of the value of the Neilsen ratings is that they are supposed to represent the actual viewing habits of the public so that advertisers know how well their messages are reaching the desired target. You are part of the public and I guess your answers represented the part of the public that doesn’t watch TV (which includes us–we haven’t had cable or antenna for a couple of years either ) and shows advertisers that if they want to reach you, they will need to find another avenue.

Did they ask you about the dvds you watched? If you rent dvds, advertisers who use product placement within movies and shows would still want to know that you are seeing their message on the dvd, so knowing which shows and movies folks are choosing to rent or buy is also valuable information.

 

[brotherhrolf]

I actually spent an entire afternoon in the Salt Lake City center. It is a massive complex and the folks there were very polite and very helpful. They have massive amounts of information on microfilm and an extensive library.

If you’re near or in your state capitol, another source that is good is your state archives.