Genealogy, Family History & Temple Work

A census is a periodic count of a population. Whether it be human, plant, animal or other. In the genealogical context of course we are referring to a count or enumeration of the human population.

The first known census was taken by the Babylonians in 3800 BC and thereafter are a relatively small number of other known census takings until the practice became more common in more areas in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. One old but widely known reference to a census taking is found in Luke, Chapter 2, Verse 1"And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus, that all the world should be taxed."

Taxed, meaning to be enrolled or registered. Though many early censuses were implemented largely for the purpose of collecting taxes, they could also be used to identify men of an eligible age for service in the military or work for the government. Though because of the desire to shirk these responsibilities, many censuses, even those considered more modern may often contain incorrect information.

Today census data is useful for general population statistics, economic statistics which may influence economic policy, and social and housing information which is useful to the government at all levels.

To ensure adequate privacy, census information is not released to the public for a number of years. Though this may not be the case in all countries. The United States of America has enacted a 72 year privacy law, meaning that census information will only be released to the general public 72 years after it was first taken. Censuses released in the U.S. span 1790-1930. The 1940 census will be released in 2012 and many genealogist's anxiously await it's arrival as they did the 1930 census which was released in 2002.

The census is one of the most widely used sources for genealogical information. And it can give you a variety of information on your ancestors that may vary from year to year. Some census information includes years of birth and death, how many years they've been married, how many children have been born, where each person was born, what occupation a person followed, the birth place of a persons father and mother, native language and more. In upcoming posts we will be talking about the censuses available from different countries and the valuable information they can give you in your search to know more about your family roots.

Most genealogists have this in common - The excitement they feel from finding a new ancestor is so exhilarating and empowering that they want to share that feeling. Thus there are many genealogists doing volunteer work, hoping to help others find out more about their ancestors and to feel that same thrill of discovery. In the next little while we will be taking an in-depth look at some of the main volunteer resources on the web and how best to navigate and use them.

So far we have discussed RAOGK.org and Rootsweb Books We Own (BWO).

Today we'll be looking at two obituary look up resources that can be used hand in hand. The first is Obituary Lookup Volunteers. This site is "...an all-volunteer web site and mailing list dedicated to providing obituary lookups all over the world. "

It is important to read their guidelines for making a request. The volunteers who search for these obituaries can only do so with a decent amount of information. You must provide at least the name of the individual, the date of death and the general location.

Volunteers can be found by clicking the link inside the table at the bottom of the main page which reads, LIST OF VOLUNTEERS. Volunteers are indexed by states within the U.S. and then counties. There is also a list of international volunteers on the List of Volunteers page. This site is free to use and volunteer for.

The second resource we'll take a look at today is the Obituary Depot. In the web site's own words: "Obituaries are a wonderful source for genealogical clues by revealing highlights of your ancestor's life. Several years ago we launched the Regional Obituary Indexing Project and our database now contains over 460,000 citations from newspapers around the world."

Once you are on the main page of the Obituary Depot you will see three links listed under Online Directories. These links are: United States Obituaries, Canadian Obituaries and Australian Obituaries. Clicking on each link will take you to a page indexed by state/province/territory. I will use the United States page as an example.

Once you have clicked on the state of your choice you will be taken to a page with a search bar. You will type the surname of the ancestor in question into that search bar and click the GO button. You will then be taken to a results page, where you will see names that you can click on. Clicking on one of these names will take you to an obituary citation for that person. Using the citation information you can then visit a site like Obituary Lookup Volunteers discussed above, to request a copy of the actual obituary.

I first learned what genealogy was, when my grandmother gave my mom a gift. It was a large blue binder and I wondered what it could hold that might be gift worthy. When I was told it was a binder filled with names of our ancestors, I wasn't entirely sure what that meant. But I wanted to look through it and to understand. Partly because the name ancestor struck some chord within me. It sounded special, important. And partly because I loved learning, and binders signified learning to me, as I used them in school.

I distinctly remember running my hand over the smooth plastic cover, so nice and new and then opening the binder. The first thing I saw was a letter from my grandmother detailing the contents of the book. And after that, pages and pages of pedigrees and family group sheets filled with names. As I turned each page, hearing name after name roll off my tongue, a fire was kindled in my fourteen year old heart. Every blank line on a pedigree chart called to me, begging to be filled with a name. Twelve years later, my desire to find those names and learn about their lives has only increased.

Not everyone is filled with that desire upon first learning about genealogy. For some, it seems a difficult task, and therefore not an enjoyable one. Learning to do genealogy can seem like learning a new language, or for me, like trying to understand math. But it is doable, and the satisfaction that comes from comprehension or discovery is so much greater after working hard to attain it. But we don't have to learn it all on our own.

In an earlier post I quoted the following scripture and I'd like to quote 1 Nephi 3:7 again: "And it came to pass that I, Nephi, said unto father: I will go and do the things which the Lord hath commanded, for I know that the Lord giveth no commandments unto the children of men, save he shall prepare a way for them that they may accomplish the thing which he commandeth them."

For Mormons, doing Family History is a commandment, and one that if they take up they will have divine help in so doing. Even members not of the church may have the blessing of divine guidance in seeking out their kindred dead. The Lord hears all prayers. And prayer should not be forgotten in carrying out, "the greatest responsibility in this world that God has laid upon us..." - Joseph Smith, History of the Church 6:313

I testify to you that as you make an effort to do your genealogy your mind will be enlightened. You will be able to understand those things which before seemed muddled. What was once something you started because you knew you should, will become something you will continue because it will bring you joy. And Heavenly Father will create miracles. Things will happen that could not possibly be coincidence. I would like to share with you a story in relation to this.

Soon after I began delving into my father's genealogy I found myself at a standstill. I knew the name of my Great Grandfather, the names of his parents and the area in which he was born but nothing else. I had no record of siblings to research in trying to find out more about his parents. His parents had died when he was a baby and he had been raised by friends. And I could not personally go to the area to search so I found someone who could, through RAOGK. This kind volunteer visited the local historical society once a month and made time to look for further information for me. Three months into our correspondence I received an email that made me shiver.

He told me that on his monthly visit that morning (which was a 2 hour visit) that he ran across two brothers looking through the same section as he. He asked them about what they were looking for, and they told him they were searching for information on the same family I was. It turns out that they were my Great Grandfathers nephews (though they had never known him). They were making a genealogy research trip through the area.

That was the only day and time they were in that particular historical society. And they ran into my correspondent, also the only day and time in which he was there that month.

My correspondent gave me their email address. These brothers had a wealth of information on my Great Grandfather's family which they willingly shared and we still keep in touch, working to find more information on our family line, hoping someday to meet. The meeting of my correspondent and my distant relations was no coincidence. I can promise you that when you do this work, you do not do it alone.

I have previously mentioned gathering genealogical information on the internet through the use of Family Trees. There are some genealogists who may not have uploaded their ancestry into an online Family Tree but who may have a web page devoted to their ancestry. Likewise, some genealogists may have a Family Tree online but may also have a personal web site that presents more in depth information. Or maybe you just need the address for an out of state genealogical society. In any case, a general search of the internet should be made to see if more genealogical information on your family is online. To make your internet search most effective, it is best to first understand how internet search engines work.

Search Engine is a term used to describe any tool that lets you search the Internet or the Web.

Three Main Types of Internet Search Tools

1) Crawler Search Engines: A web crawler (also known as a web spider or web robot) browses the Web in an automated manner, adding content to it's database as it goes. Google is an example of a web crawler.

2) Metasearch Engine: This is a search engine that will search a group of search engines and combine the results received from all of them. Mamma is an example of a Metasearch Engine.

3 Directories: Directories are built by human selection, not by computers or robot programs, and are usually organized into subject categories instead of offering a search bar only. Yahoo is an example of a directory

Making Your Search More Effective

1)Using Phrases: A phrase is a combination of two or more words that must be found on a web page in the order specified. To have the search engine do this, you must put the phrase in quotation marks. For example, searching for George McDonald will bring up pages that could have the words George and McDonald on them, but not necessarily right next to each other. Searching for "George McDonald" will only bring page results with those two names right next to each other, in that order. Most search engine's will allow you to use phrases, but not all. Google accepts phrases.

2) Using Boolean Commands: The following commands, called Boolean commands, are a great way to narrow your search results. Typing the word AND tells the search engine that you only want pages that contain all of the phrases you've typed. For example: Typing "New York" AND "John Chester" AND "Ellis Island" would only give you pages that had ALL of those phrases on them. Typing the words AND NOT tells the search engine that you want pages that contain certain words or phrases, but only if they don't contain certain other words or phrases. For example: The search "New York" AND "John Chester" AND NOT "Ellis Island", would return pages that mention New York and John Chester but not those that include Ellis Island

The + and - signs can be used in the same way as the above, + meaning AND and - meaning AND NOT. A major difference though, its that the + and - signs will not work if you put a space after the sign and the word you have typed. Again, not all search engines will accept Boolean commands or the + and - sign.

3) Use Synonyms: Using different words or more common terms can sometimes improve your results. For example: "Fridge" instead or "Refrigerator" or "Tennis shoe" instead of "Sneaker."

4) Don't make it too specific: If you specify too many phrases or AND's or AND NOT's on a search, you may end up getting no results at all.

5) Play around with the search: Always switch your search commands and terms around to see what new pages each search might yield. If a certain search brings only three results, trying searching for the same thing using different commands or words. Finding what you need often takes patience as you switch up your search commands. But that takes a lot less time than searching through thousands of web pages on a search that hasn't been narrowed down enough. Remember to change your spelling as well when it comes to certain names. There is almost always more than one way to spell a surname so try them all when looking for a specific ancestor.

Most genealogists have this in common - The excitement they feel from finding a new ancestor is so exhilarating and empowering that they want to share that feeling. Thus there are many genealogists doing volunteer work, hoping to help others find out more about their ancestors and to feel that same thrill of discovery. In the next little while we will be taking an in-depth look at some of the main volunteer resources on the web and how best to navigate and use them.

Last week we discussed RAOGK.org

Today we will be discussing another great volunteer resource called the Rootsweb Books We Own List (BWO). In the website's own words:

"Books We Own is a list of resources owned/accessed by individuals who are willing to look up genealogical information and e-mail or snail mail it to others who request it. This is a free service - volunteers may ask for reimbursement of copies and postage if information is provided via snail-mail."

The site currently has over 1500 volunteers and new volunteers are added every week.

The website portal provides several search options. You may search the site using a search bar or you can search using the Master Index. The Master Index includes United States Resources, Family Genealogies, Resources by Country and General Resources.

Also included on the main page is a table titled, Other BWO Links. This table includes two important sections titled BOok's We'd like to Own and Copyright Policy. If you feel you would like to volunteer on BWO, please read the Copyright Policy very carefully first.

If you browse the site with a particular book in mind to have a lookup done in and cannot find it, you can then visit the BOok's We'd like to Own link and fill out a form stating the book you are interested in. Hopefully someone who owns or has access to that book will then contact you.

If you request a look up from a book and do not hear back from the volunteer within a reasonable amount of time it may be due to an incorrectly typed email address. A nice feature that Books We Own has implemented is an Undeliverable Replies page that you can check to see if a message was not returned to you because of an incorrect email address. If you find that is not the case you can then contact the BWO Webmaster about finding out if the volunteer is still active.

The Social Security Death Index(SSDI) is a database of death records, created by the Social Security Administration(SSA) for persons who had a Social Security Number(SSN) and whose deaths were reported to the SSA. Though nearly all deaths listed therein occurred after 1962, there are over 80 million on file. This is a prime resource to turn to for those who are starting at the very beginning on their family history, perhaps looking for information about Grandparents or Great-Grandparents.

Why should I obtain an ancestors Social Security Number(SSN)?

* While a SSN is often unnecessary to obtaining a death certificate for your ancestor of interest, the fee for that death certificate will be less expensive and the search quicker if you can provide a SSN.

* To obtain a SSN your ancestor had to fill out an SS-5 form. The SS-5 form is a valuable primary source in your research. It will contain your ancestors full name, residence, age, date of birth, place of birth, sex, race, place of employ, father's full name, mother's full name, date signed and the signature of your ancestor. So while it contains similar information to that on a death certificate, it may provide more correct or possibly different information, as your ancestor filled out the SS-5 form their self. While a SSN is not necessary to obtaining a SS-5 form the price will be less expensive and the search quicker if you can provide the SSN.

My Great-Grandfather's SS-5 Form

Where can I find the Social Security Death Index(SSDI)?

* Happily, the SSDI is available for search through many internet websites and most of them offer it free. My preferred SSDI search of choice is on Rootsweb. On the Rootsweb home page listed under, Search Engines and Databases you will see, third link down Social Security Death Index (Deaths). Clicking on this link will take you to the search options page. You can search with the options first provided or click on, Advanced Search for more options. Once finished filling out whichever options you have chosen, click on Submit to look through possible matches.

How do I get a copy of my ancestors SS-5 form?

* When you have clicked the submit button as mentioned above, you will be able to view possible matches, and you will see them in table format. Once you have found your ancestor, you can click on SS-5 Letter located in the second to last column on the table. This will take you to a letter that you simply print, fill out, sign and mail with a check or money order to the SSA.

I would definitely recommend getting an SS-5 form for any ancestor that had a Social Security Number. You never know what you will find. I taught an internet genealogy course a couple of years ago at a yearly workshop, and after class an acquaintance of mine told me she was looking for information on her grandmother, and was happy to have learned about the SS-5 form. Some time later we ran into each other and she told me how thrilled she was about the information that had been on her Grandmother's form. Her Grandmother had immigrated to the U.S. as a young girl and had dropped her given name, which was difficult for Americans to pronounce, in favor of Mary. That is all her descendants had ever known her by, but since it was not her actual name, they could find no records of her in her birth country. But on her SS-5 form she included her real name in parenthesis, finally making it possible for this friend to begin research in her Grandmother's home country, in hopes of discovering more ancestors on that line.

The Family History Library in Salt Lake City Utah is the largest and perhaps most well known library of it's kind. An estimated 1,900 patrons a day make use of the extensive free records collections there. But like most great things, it had small and humble beginnings. It started with a man inspired of God.

Wilford Woodruff was born March 1, 1807 to Aphek Woodruff and Beulah Thompson. He was much like any other young man while growing up, but looking back on his youth he acknowledged the hand of the Lord in preserving his life many times. Some of these experiences are recalled in Teachings of Presidents of the Church, Wilford Woodruff. It is no wonder that Heavenly Father was watching out after him, as on April 7, 1889 he was sustained as President and Prophet of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.

Long before then, Wilford had accepted the word of God. He had been baptized December 31, 1833, just two days after having heard the gospel for the first time. From that day on he immersed himself in the work of the Lord and building the restored church upon the earth. He served 5 full-time missions, helped with the migration of Church members to Salt Lake City from Winter Quarters, witnessed the first baptisms for the dead in the Nauvoo Temple, served as Church Historian, and as Prophet received revelation declaring that Latter-Day Saints should discontinue the practice of polygamy.

Also as Prophet, on November 13, 1894 he oversaw the establishment of the Genealogical Society of Utah (GSU). His testimony of the eternal nature of families and of temple work for the dead had been evidenced for much of his life. It began with a discourse given by the Prophet Joseph Smith.

In Teachings of the Prophets of the Church, Wilford Woodruff, Page xxxiii, second paragraph, we read: "About three months before the Prophet Joseph Smith was martyred, he delivered a discourse to a large assembly of Saints. Elder Wilford Woodruff, who recorded a synopsis of the discourse, said that the Prophet spoke on "one of the most important and interesting subjects ever presented to the Saints."

President Woodruff sensed that there must be more concerning the sealing revelation. And on April 5, 1894, additional revelation came to him from the Lord.

In Teachings of the Prophets of the Church, Wilford Woodruff, Page xxiv, second paragraph, we read: "When I went before the Lord to know who I should be adopted to..., the Spirit of God said to me, 'Have you not a father, who begot you? 'Yes, I have.' 'Then why not honor him? Why not be adopted to him?' 'Yes,' says I, 'that is right.' I was adopted to my father, and should have had my father sealed to his father, and so on back; and the duty that I want every man who presides over a temple to see performed from this day henceforth and forever, unless the Lord Almighty commands otherwise, is, let every man be adopted to his father.

And would God give this command without providing a way for it to be accomplished? As Nephi, a prophet living in the Americas long before Jesus' birth testified, He will always provide a way for his commandments to be obeyed.

In 1 Nephi, Chapter 3, verse 7, we read: "And it came to pass that I, Nephi, said unto my father: I will go and do the things which the Lord hath commanded, for I know that the Lord giveth no commandments unto the children of men, save he shall prepare a way for them that they may accomplish the thing which he commandeth them."

So it was, that seven months after President Woodruff received further revelation about work for the dead, that the Lord made a way for Latter-Day Saints to find their ancestors so they could be sealed to them back through the generations.

The Genealogical Society of Utah (GSU) grew slowly at first but over time it's record collections grew extensively and a main repository, the Family History Library we know today, holds all of the information The Genealogical Society of Utah (GSU) has collected. In addition, thousands of other resources both Church and Non-Church related have sprung up in support of helping the living connect with the dead.

Truly Malachi's prophecy is unfolding before our very eyes. While the Family History Library is not the first library established for the purpose of genealogical research, its establishment was divinely appointed. It was founded in Utah, where thousands of Latter-Day Saints looking to perform ordinances for their ancestors, would have access to it. Wilford Woodruff was the instrument of God in the founding of this amazing resource. I have a testimony that he really was a Prophet of God, and I am grateful for the revelation that came to him concerning how families should be sealed and how to make that possible.

As I've mentioned before there is some additional genealogy work for Latter-Day Saints to complete. That of Temple work, where saving ordinances are performed for the dead by proxy. Before temple ordinances can be performed we have to find out which ancestors need those ordinances.

In Gospel Principles, Page 258, Fifth Paragraph, we read: "Temple Ordinances have been performed for the dead since the early days of the Church. Consequently, some ordinances for our ancestors may have already been done. To find out which ancestors need temple ordinances, we can look in two places. Our own family records might have information about what has been done. If not, the Church has a record of all ordinances that have been performed in the temple."

The most current form of this record can be found on FamilySearch.org. FamilySearch was created and is maintained by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints and is the largest collection of free family history, family tree and genealogy records in the world. It contains a special feature just for members of the Church. That of being able to see if certain ordinances have been performed for various ancestors.

At the bottom of the Registration form there is a section titled: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints Membership Information (Optional). Latter-Day Saints must fill out this portion if they wish to see what ordinances have been performed for their ancestors. The membership number that is asked for can be obtained from their Ward Clerk or from their own Temple Recommend. A Temple Recommend is a type of certificate given to members who are considered to be in good standing with the Church. A person may not enter the temple without a recommend. The confirmation date asked for can be obtained from the Ward Clerk.

Once registration is completed a church member will be able to sign on and begin their search for ancestors who have had their temple ordinances completed. This information can be obtained by searching the International Genealogical Index (IGI). This is done by clicking the SEARCH tab at the top of the page that appears after signing on. The next page that appears will have a list of links in a sidebar on the left. One of those link options reads, International Genealogical Index. Once this is clicked on, a page will appear with a number of search options. It is not necessary to fill every search option offered there. Once you have decided which options to fill, click the search button. You will be taken to a results page showing numbered results. Each number will have next to it the Name, Gender, and a date/place of either Birth, Marriage or Death for an individual. By clicking on the name of an individual you may then see more information about them. For Latter-Day Saints this includes a section titled: LDS Ordinances. This section will show what, if any temple work has been completed for that individual. There are several things that might appear:

* A capital B inside a blue box means Baptism. The date appearing next to that blue box is the date on which that individual was baptized.

* A capital P inside a blue box mean Sealing to Parents. The date appearing next to that blue box is the date on which the individual was sealed to their parents.

* A capital S inside a blue box means Sealing to Spouse. The date appearing next to that blue box is the date on which that individual was sealed to their spouse.

* A capital E inside a blue box means Endowed. The date appearing next to that blue box is the date on which that individual was endowed.

Sometimes an ordinance will appear but will not have a date next to it. Instead you will see either CHILD or CLEARED.

*CHILD indicates that the individual died before the age of baptism (age 8) and therefore does not need those ordinances performed.

*CLEARED indicates that someone has submitted that ordinance to Temple Ready and that the temple work for that ordinance will be completed soon. TempleReady is a program created by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints and is used to submit individuals to an LDS temple so their ordinance work can be completed.

Another thing you might see next to the dates of ordinances that have been completed are the abbreviated names of the Temple at which the ordinance was completed.

You may notice as you use FamilySearch that there is a lot of duplicate information. This usually happens when multiple people submit the same name, with slightly varying information. This often happens because many people do not check FamilySearch to see if temple work has already been done or has been submitted for completion for an ancestor before submitting that name to TempleReady. Please be willing to check FamilySearch before submitting your ancestors names to TempleReady to avoid adding to the duplication on the site.

Since I have made many suggestions about gathering information from others through email, message boards, volunteer requests and so forth, I thought it would be appropriate to address the subject of netiquette.

Netiquette is a set of unofficial rules for behavior on the Internet. So it's basically etiquette, only an N, which stands for Network has been added to the beginning.

When contacting someone, always remember that the first impression is very important. You want the person you're writing to, to write back, so here are some important rules of netiquette to follow when trying to make a good impression.

1) DON'T SHOUT - Capitalizing your entire message is considered shouting which is of course considered rude.

2) Be Respectful - Address your requests in a respectful, professional manner. It is best to use the wording, To Whom it May Concern if you're writing to someone whose gender is not obvious. Women ought to be addressed as Madame or Ms. and men as Sir.

3) Be Thankful - Always express your thanks in advance for taking the time to read your email or letter or for being willing to offer their time in volunteering.

4) Be Concise - You can ask for what you need without elaborating on the why, thereby keeping the readers attention.

5) Be Specific - Ask direct questions which of course require a direct answer. You want the recipient of your request to understand exactly what it is you are asking. Being specific also applies to Subject Titles on a Message Board. For example:

Looking for information about John Smith

The above type of subject title should be avoided. John Smith is such a common name that there could be thousands of completely unrelated John Smiths. When people are looking to reply to queries or exchange information, unless they have tons of time on their hands they’re probably not going to click on every subject that mentions just a John Smith. It is also good to be more specific with your subject in case the opposite happens and you do end up getting an overwhelming response from people wondering if your John Smith is the same as theirs. Here is another Subject Title example:

Looking for info. on John SMITH, Hamilton Co. IN born 1823

The above is much more specific, saving yourself and any readers a lot of time.

6) Spell Correctly - “a sentince like this givs a felling of slopines and encompitinse that wont atract many respones.” It is very important to appear at least somewhat intelligent. It is often the case that a person may not want to take the time to give information to someone who doesn't appear to be smart enough to know what to do with it.

7) Capitalize Surnames - This is especially useful when posting to a message board. Here is an example of a message board Subject Title:

Seeking information on Michael Charles, William James and Ebenezer George

In the above Subject Title, none of the surnames are in capitals which will leave the reader to either assume all three men share the surname George, or that you have forgotten to put a surname for any of them and the second names written are all middle names, or that each second name is a surname.

Seeking information on Michael Charles, William James and Ebenezer GEORGE

The above Subject Title lets the reader know that all three men share the surname George.

8) Watch your tone - Sarcasm and joking can't easily be detected when a voice or facial expression is not involved. It is best to avoid sarcasm or jokes at the risk of unintentionally offending someone with whom you are corresponding. You don't want to scare away those who can help you.

9) Lastly, be Polite - Being demanding or conveying a sense of entitlement to certain information is a sure way of getting your request ignored.

Most genealogists have this in common - The excitement they feel from finding a new ancestor is so exhilarating and empowering that they want to share that feeling. Thus there are many genealogists doing volunteer work, hoping to help others find out more about their ancestors and to feel that same thrill of discovery. Over the next little while we will be taking an in-depth look at some of the main volunteer resources on the web and how best to navigate and use them.

The first website we will be discussing is Raogk.org. RAOGK stands for Random Acts Of Genealogical Kindness. In the website's own words:

"Random Acts of Genealogical Kindness (RAOGK) was established in 1999 as a resource for networking among researchers. RAOGK links researchers who need documents from a distant location with others able to obtain them."

It is a wonderful concept, especially for young mothers like myself. I am not able to travel much at this stage in my life and I have frequently turned to the volunteers at Raogk.org to secure documents or copies of things I could not obtain at this point otherwise.

The website portal has confused some people I know so I'll explain briefly how it works. There is no button on the front page that takes you directly to the volunteer pages. Instead there is a paragraph titled, Looking for a volunteer? and within that paragraph is a link that says, Frequently Asked Questions. You must click on this link, and at the bottom of the page you are taken to you will see a button that says Let's go find a Volunteer! Click on that button.

The main volunteer page is indexed by states within the U.S. and below that, Countries. After you have clicked on a Country or one of the U.S. States you will find volunteers indexed by county, region or area. Next to that will be a volunteer's name along with the Act of Kindness they are willing to perform. Be sure to read carefully about what they are volunteering to do. You may not get a response if you ask someone who has only specified they will take headstone pictures, to look up an obituary for you. Once you have chosen which volunteer to contact, you will click on their name which will then take you to a form to fill out and send. If you haven't received a response within two weeks you can try again and if a response still hasn't been given you can contact the RAOGK administrators to let them know the person you tried to reach may no longer have a valid email address.

The website is free of charge and is still growing. New volunteers are added every day so check your places of interest often. It is also free to volunteer yourself. I am able to do a small amount of volunteer work on the Maryland page and it has been a positive, enjoyable experience. I have also had great success with volunteers who have gotten obituaries, probate records and headstone photos for me. It has proven to be an invaluable resource and I hope it will be for you too.

In Part I of this series I discussed how to start your genealogy from the very beginning.

In Part II of this series I discussed treasure hunting and obtaining a GEDCOM if your genealogy has already been started by a relative.

So far we have discussed gathering as much information as possible through relatives you know. Now, it is time to begin gathering information from relatives you may not know you even have. This can be done online, through the use of Message Boards and Family Trees.

A Message Board, also known as an internet forum or discussion group is a place for holding discussions, asking questions and posting answers. You can find message boards on nearly every genealogy database on the web. This includes the Ancestry.com Message Boards, Rootsweb.com Message Boards and Genealogy.com Message Boards among others. Most message boards are indexed by surname and locality in addition to offering a search bar. Most message boards also require registration to use, but this is normally free. After registering you will be given a User name and password that can be used to Log In to post or answer a question. Once you have found your desired surname message board you may then post a question about your ancestor of that same surname, in the hope that someone who reads it can and will answer your question.

A Family Tree is a genealogical diagram of one's ancestors, usually represented in form similar to a pedigree chart. The same genealogy databases listed above also have a place for Family Trees. The family trees on these sites are usually GEDCOM's that users have uploaded. Many different search options are provided. You can search for ancestors by name, place, dates of birth or death and more. Any similar entry you find will often be accompanied by the submitter's email address so that you can contact them if necessary.

There are many questions that arise after searching through online Family Trees, and here is an example of one that I am asked the most:

"I searched for my ancestor on Rootsweb.com and found over 40 different Family Trees for her. Most of them included the same family names but many of the dates of birth and death conflict with one another. Who is right? What should I do?"

It is an unfortunate fact that a lot of incorrect and conflicting information is in circulation in the world of Family Trees and genealogy in general. It may begin with the misreading of or assuming or guessing about certain information, and is compounded by those who simply copy and paste said incorrect information into their own family tree without ever verifying it is indeed true. It is further compounded when someone takes the most complete looking information from multiple family trees and adds those to their own family tree without ever verifying any of it either. Now, it is certainly not criminal to put incomplete or as yet unverified information into your family tree, but it does make it difficult for those of us wanting to know which of the 8 different death dates listed for Aunt Molly is the correct one. This is where you hope that the creators of the family tree's in question have included a primary source for their information. Most of the time they have not, and you are left to send them an email telling them of your dilemma and asking them if they have proof that the death date they have listed for Aunt Molly is the correct one. And if you find no one can remember where they got that date of death from or if they don't respond to you at all, then you write each date down with a note reminding you that you'll have to find out which date is correct yourself.

Message Boards are much the same. Someone may give you the information you've asked for, but when you ask them for source material they can't help you. So you take what they've told you with a grain of salt and set about proving it yourself. This is when things begin to get very interesting. This is when your days as a beginning genealogist end, and entrance into a new realm begins.

A collateral line refers to ancestors from whom you don't directly descend, but that are still in your ancestral family. Such as aunts, cousins or your 5th Great Grandmother's siblings.

All too often in Family History research, these collateral ancestors are set aside with little thought. Perhaps their names and vital information are recorded, but some may think it futile to research their lives any further. I have often run into beginning genealogists who have confessed their determination to trace their direct line back as far as possible but have already come to a dead end fairly early in their research.

I ask each of them the same questions, "Who is the ancestor you're stuck on?", "Exactly what information do you have on this person?" "What information are you looking to find for this person?" and "What have you already done to try to find this information?"

I am usually given a variety of answers, but they almost always fall within the same range. That of searching for information only through the direct son or daughter of this direct ancestor on whom they are trying to find more information. Let me give you a hypothetical:

Sandy was searching for information on her 4th Great Grandfather. She knew his name was Bernard Wilkins and that was all. She had no dates of birth, marriage or death for him. She knew that he had lived in Knox County Tennessee, as four of his children including her 3rd Great Grandfather James Wilkins, were born there. She thought first of searching the County Death records, not entirely sure whether he had actually died there or not. She found nothing. She had searched the church cemetery where James had died, hoping his father might be buried there too. But he was not. So then she had searched for the obituary of James Wilkins. But upon finding it, she was disappointed to find no mention of James' parents in there.

"I'm at a dead end, I've looked everywhere!" she says, exasperated.

But she hasn't looked everywhere. There are 4 other children whose obituaries she hasn't thought to search for, simply because they're not direct ancestors. After being told this and tracking down all of them, she finds one that briefly mentions when Bernard Wilkins came to Knox County and from where, giving her another place to start looking. If that hadn't yielded any results there were a number of others ways in which to try to find information, all pertaining to her collateral ancestors.

Collateral research is nearly always essential to furthering direct line research. Consider family heirlooms. Perhaps you prize that beautiful antique photo album with three generations of family pictures inside. You realize you share a striking resemblance to your 3rd Great Aunt Martha and your father looks just like your 2nd Great Uncle John. You wonder if their descendants love looking at their photos as much as you do. But wait, photo reproductions weren't wide spread in that day. Often all family photos were included in one photo album, and one photo album can only be passed on to one child. You may have distant relatives who have no idea pictures of family dating back that far exist! Likewise those same distant relatives may have copies of Uncle John's Muster Roll or a ships passenger list with not only Martha's name on it, but that of her parents whom you haven't discovered names for yet. And as the above example with Sandy illustrates, obituaries, along with other records may have widely varying information in them. While one may be only one sentence stating the name of the deceased and when they died, another may practically be a biographical sketch, talking about the immigration of the family into the county, where they came from, when the parents were married and so forth. Yes, collateral lines can be crucial to breaking through that brick wall. Don't discount them.

In Part I of this series I discussed how to start your genealogy from the very beginning.

Now, there are some of you who may not need to start from the very beginning because you may have relatives who have already begun to work on your Family History. Please don't let that stop you. There is still plenty for you to do. Collaborating on Family History can be fun. And it often takes different points of view to solve a genealogical dead end. So call that family member and ask them for a GEDCOM saved to Floppy disk or CD-ROM which you will then be able to upload into your Family History Program. Or you might request paper copies of all documents. This will ensure you do not waste time searching for that which has already been found. You can then begin gathering information on any family line within the GEDCOM on which you find work has halted.

Let's talk about the next step in gathering information from living family members, treasure hunting. I refer to it as such because the things you discover may often prove themselves the only record of information of that kind, making them truly priceless. If you can, plan a visit to the homes of any relations you think may harbor any of the following. Make sure you ask their permission first and if there are any places they do not want you rummaging through.

Items to look for:
* Journals/Diaries
* Old letters
* Photographs
* Autograph Albums
* Baby Books
* Wedding Books
* Other scrap books or photo albums
* Family Bibles
* Books of Remembrance
* Printed Histories, family or locality
* Certificates - Birth, Marriage, Death, Divorce, Blessing, Baptism, Award
* Report Cards
* Year Books
* Newspaper clippings
* Military Records
* Records of membership to Genealogical, Historical or other societies
* Drivers or other licenses
* Records of Employment
* Cards - birthday, wedding or other.

You may find things your relative didn't remember or even know they had. Such was the case when I searched my Grandmother's home. There were many names and dates she couldn't recollect, but when I searched her home I found scores of sheets with these names and dates on them. She didn't even remember that she had written them down.

The things you find may provide vital information for your ancestor as well as information about who they were, what mattered to them, who their friends were and so forth. As I said before, every little detail may prove significant to your search, if not immediately, then certainly down the road.

The best way to begin your genealogy is to start by writing down everything that you and your family members know about your family history.

Items you may find useful:

*A pencil
*A notebook
*A phone
*Envelopes
*Stamps

1) When possible, make personal visits to relatives to ask for information. Bring a notebook, a pencil and a list of questions. Write down all known vital information (births, deaths, marriages, place names, maiden names, surnames) as well as memories and family stories. Family memories may not seem relevant in the beginning but may be crucial to your search later on. Don't discount any detail.

2) Relatives you are not able to visit in person should be contacted by phone or letter. I've had many conversations with my grandmother over the phone, pencil in hand scribbling notes as we spoke. It was through one of our many phone conversations that she remembered a detail which allowed me to find a death certificate for her father. Don't assume you've received all you need to know in one call or visit. Especially when you are speaking to your older relatives, whom you should make your first priority to speak with, as when they die their memories go with them. My grandmother remembered new details and new memories every time we spoke.

3) Another idea you might consider is mailing a tape with a return envelope and a list of questions to various relatives, asking them to record their answers or relate any special memories onto the tape.

After you have begun to gather information, you will then want to begin recording it in a standard way. There are two forms you can use to do this:

A Pedigree Chart is a record of your Direct ancestral line (you, your parents, your grandparents, etc.)

A Family Group Record, unlike a Pedigree Chart will let you list all the members of one family and their information. So you, your spouse and children, your parents and siblings, your grandparents and all of their children, etc.

By visiting the links above you can download each type of form to your computer which will allow you to print it out and record the information by hand. Or you can record the information into a Family History Program such as Personal Ancestral File (PAF). PAF is a free program offered by the LDS Church. Version 5.2 is the most current version available.

No matter how you ultimately decide to record your Family History, the most important thing is to begin gathering information as soon as possible. Don't let precious, time saving information and memories die with those you love.

Upon hearing the term, work for the dead, many Latter-Day Saints think only of the actual performance of temple ordinances. But there are many other ways to contribute.

In the June 1989 Ensign Article Family History: "In Wisdom and Order" Elder Dallin H. Oaks says:

"...In the work of redeeming the dead there are many tasks to be performed...all members should participate by prayerfully selecting those ways that fit their personal circumstances at a particular time...Members of this church have many individual circumstances—age, health, education, place of residence, family responsibilities, financial circumstances, accessibility to sources for individual or library research, and many others. If we encourage members in this work without taking these individual circumstances into account, we may do more to impose guilt than to further the work...Our effort is not to compel everyone to do everything, but to encourage everyone to do something."

I'd like to suggest the following ideas for contributing to Family History work:

1) Young Men and Young Women contribute to the work when they babysit for couples so that they may attend the temple. They also help when they attend their youth temple trips to be baptized for the dead.

2) Older members or those with fewer obligations in the home might volunteer in the Temple on a regular basis or consider serving a Temple mission. They might also help with the newest FamilySearch Family History program, FamilySearch Indexing.

3) Visit a cemetery and write down headstone information or take pictures of headstones to submit to an internet website such as the USGenweb, Find A Grave or Interment.net.

I transcribed a small cemetery in my area in four hours on a Saturday, typed the entries into my word processing program and emailed the information to interment.net the next day. It's very simple to do and someone looking for birth or death information for an ancestor will be eternally grateful that you took the time to do that.

4) When a church accompanies a cemetery, that church will often have a record book of those buried in the cemetery. You might call ahead and ask if you can take digital photos of the records or transcribe them, as not everyone buried there (especially if the church dates way back) will have a headstone.

5) Volunteer to take headstone photographs or to look up obituaries or other items of genealogical interest at Random Acts of Genealogical Kindness.

6) Elder Dallin H. Oaks in the June 1989 Ensign Article Family History: "In Wisdom and Order" said:

"Some of the most important temple and family history work is done at home. I do not refer just to the important work of keeping family genealogies up-to-date and the much needed verifying that all sealings have been performed. At home we can keep our journals and gather pictures and data for the books of remembrances of our family members. We can gather and record information available through living relatives. We can write family histories and share their great lessons with our children."

I hope that through reading this article, you have thought of some ways you can personally contribute to the work of redeeming the dead. Even if your life only permits for a seemingly small task or small amount of time, it is enough. No effort put toward this work is considered small.

In Doctrine and Covenants, Section 128:22, Joseph Smith gave this call to action:

"Brethren (and sisters) shall we not go on in so great a cause? Go forward and not backward. Courage...and on, on to the victory! Let your hearts rejoice, and be exceedingly glad. Let the earth break forth into singing. Let the dead speak forth anthems of eternal praise to the King Immanuel, who hath ordained, before the world was, that which would enable us to redeem them out of their prison; for the prisoners shall go free."

It is a core belief of Latter-Day Saints, that family relationships extend beyond the grave. A Latter-Day Saint man and woman who are married in an LDS Temple by one who holds the priesthood are sealed together for eternity. A marriage performed without proper priesthood authority, ends at death.

In Gospel Principles, Page 255, first paragraph, we read: "The atonement of Jesus Christ assures each of us that we will be resurrected and live forever. But if we are to live forever with our families in Heavenly Father's presence, we must do all that the Savior commands us to do. This includes being baptized and receiving the ordinances of the temple."

So what of those who have died without being baptized? Who perhaps never had the opportunity to hear the gospel of Jesus Christ on this earth. Would a just God cast them aside without ever giving them that opportunity? No. Would a loving God cast them aside? Of course not, and our Heavenly Father is loving. He loves each of us and greatly desires our return to his presence. So He has made a way for those who have died without baptism and other temple ordinances to receive them after death. He has asked worthy Latter-Day Saints to perform baptism and other ordinances, for the dead. Just to be absolutely clear, Latter-Day Saints do not actually baptize their dead. They are baptized and receive other ordinances for them, by proxy. This can be done in any Latter-Day Saint Temple.

Latter-Day Saints believe that their unbaptized ancestors are taught the Gospel of Jesus Christ in the afterlife, or spirit world. Those ancestors are still free to choose whether or not to accept the gospel, and those who do accept it are waiting for their ordinances to be performed in the Temple. Ordinances which include not only baptism, but being sealed together forever, generation upon generation.

For Latter-Day Saints, Family History is much more than a hobby, it is the key to the salvation of billions of souls, as well as to uniting that which we love dearest, our families, together.