The Prophets Speak on Searching Out Our Dead -- George Albert Smith

George Albert Smith was born on April 4, 1870, in Salt Lake City, Utah. Quoting from a short biography on LDS.org,

He became President of the Church on May 21, 1945. He organized the Church's massive welfare assistance to Europe following World War II. He also championed Scouting among Latter-day Saints. Through numerous other civic and Church responsibilities, President Smith lived that portion of his personal creed that declared, "I would be a friend to the friendless and find joy in ministering to the needs of the poor" (Improvement Era Mar. 1932, 295). After six years as President, George Albert Smith died in Salt Lake City on his eighty-first birthday, April 4, 1951.

President George Albert Smith dedicated the Idaho Falls Idaho Temple on the 23rd to 25th of September, 1945. In the dedicatory prayer, he gave thanks for the saving work performed in the temple for the living and the dead:

We thank thee, O God, for sending Elijah, the ancient prophet, to whom was ‘… committed the keys of the power of turning the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the hearts of the children to the fathers, that the whole earth may not be smitten with a curse.’ [D&C 27:9.] We thank thee that he was sent to thy servant, Joseph Smith, to confer the keys and authority of the work for the dead, and to reveal that the plan of salvation embraces the whole of the human family, that the gospel is universal in scope, and that thou art no respecter of persons, having provided for the preaching of the gospel of salvation to both the living and the dead. We are most grateful unto thee that salvation is provided for all who desire to be saved in thy kingdom. 

May it be pleasing to thy people to search out the genealogy of their forebearsthat they may become saviors on Mt. Zion by officiating in thy temples for their kindred dead. We pray also that the spirit of Elijah may rest mightily upon all peoples everywhere that they may be moved upon to gather and make available the genealogy of their ancestors; and that thy faithful children may utilize thy holy temples in which to perform on behalf of the dead all ordinances pertaining to their eternal exaltation.” See Teachings of the Presidents of the Church: George Albert Smith, Chapter 8

President Smith was quoted in the Deseret News, Feb. 13, 1932, Church section, 7 as follows:

In order that we might be prepared for [the celestial] kingdom, the Lord, in his mercy, in this latter day restored the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and placed in it divine authority, and then gave understanding to His children that certain ordinances may be received and performed. For this purpose temples were built and into those temples those who desire a place in the Celestial Kingdom have the opportunity to go and receive their blessings, to enrich their lives and prepare them for that kingdom.

In an article entitled, “The Tenth Temple,” in the Improvement Era for October 1945 at page 561, he wrote,

Each [temple] has been built to one great eternal purpose: to serve as a House of the Lord, to provide a place sacred and suitable for the performing of holy ordinances that bind on earth as in heaven—ordinances for the dead and for the living that assure those who receive them and who are faithful to their covenants,the possession and association of their families, worlds without end, and exaltation with them in the celestial kingdom of our Father.

Again, in the Improvement Era in an article entitled, "Priceless Prospects," of June, 1950 at page 469, he wrote,

If I were to think, as so many think, that now that my beloved wife and my beloved parents are gone, that they have passed out of my life forever and that I shall never see them again, it would deprive me of one of the greatest joys that I have in life: the contemplation of meeting them again, and receiving their welcome and their affection, and of thanking them from the depths of a grateful heart for all they have done for me. 

But there are many, many millions of our Father’s children who do not know that by partaking of certain ordinances prescribed by our Heavenly Father, husbands and wives may be united for time and eternity and enjoy the companionship of their children forever. How thankful we should be for that knowledge.

Perhaps, as President Smith says, we need to teach our youth to appreciate Temples and thereby gain a desire to extend those blessings to their ancestors. Here is another quote from President George Albert Smith from “The Tenth Temple,” in the Improvement Era for October 1945 at page 602,

There are only a few places in the world where we can be married for eternity, and that is in the temples of God. … There are also many of our brothers and sisters, all children of our Heavenly Father, who are denied this privilege because of … unavoidable reasons. But if they live worthily and if they would have availed themselves of the privilege if they had been able to do so, they will lose nothing by these temporarily unfavorable circumstances. But think then how much greater is the responsibility of those who live where men and women can be united for eternity, and where they can go and do the work for their dead! The people of the world do not have this blessing. I wonder if we appreciate it. … 

Let us instruct our young people in these matters from their earliest youth, so that when they approach the time of marriage, there will be no question in their minds as to where or how or by whom that sacred ordinance should be performed—and the only place in which it may be performed for time and for eternity is in a temple. Summarized in Teachings of the Presidents of the Church: George Albert Smith, Chapter 8: Temple Blessings for Ourselves and Our Ancestors.

Is Genealogy just one more thing?

If you live in an active family as a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, you have your time pretty well occupied with a multitude of activities. This is particularly true of families with children at various ages. The list of Church activities is added to an already busy schedule of work, school and family commitments and can seem overwhelming at times. Recently, you may have been hearing some background rumblings about the importance of doing your "family history" in addition to your already busy schedule. Is genealogy or family history the straw that breaks the camel's back? Is family history just "one more thing" we have to fit into already busy schedules?

I think that especially for busy Ward officers, family history can take on the aspect of being an intractable obstacle to getting all of their other commitments and responsibilities completed. I am guessing that dedicating time to entering information into an online computer program is very, very low on the list of demanding priorities. If you are facing a Primary Activity Day, a Cub Scout Blue and Gold Banquet, a Scout Super-activity, planning Young Women in Excellence or a Stake Trek Activity, you probably can easily justify not spending a lot of time, if any, doing boring old genealogy.

Despite these obstacles, it is more than apparent that the Church leaders and particularly the Church's genealogical support organization, FamilySearch, are making an increased effort to involve more and more members in their own family's history.

It is apparent that statistics could be used by FamilySearch and the Church to show immediate success in these efforts. For example, the percentage of participation of Church members in family history could be easily increased by simply using a broader definition of family history. If you define family history broadly enough, you can show that everyone in the Church is involved. Presently, family history activity in the Wards is defined by the reporting requirements of the Ward/Stake Quarterly Reports:

• Adults and youth who have submitted ancestor names for temple ordinances.
• Converts age 12 and older who have submitted ancestor names for temple ordinances.

These terms as defined as follows:

The term “submitter” is defined as anyone 12 years old or older who prints a Family Ordinance Request (FOR). Simply reserving a name for temple work in Family Tree is not counted as a temple submission. Nor are individual temple cards printed counted as submissions. This report does not show the number of names cleared for temple work, it only shows how many members have submitted 1 or more names.

This is where the rubber hits the road so to speak. We are not talking about uploading photos or posting family stories, we are talking about submitting names for Temple ordinances. So the challenge is how to integrate activities that culminate in an increase in names submission for the Temples while, in a sense, competing for time in almost saturated schedules.

This will be accomplished only when the people involved in family history understand and integrate family history into the busy Ward schedule. Not in response to simply following the handbook and generating a good quarterly report, but from an understanding that genealogy and family history are not "just one more program." They are fundamental core values such as Temple attendance, Sacrament Meeting attendance and keeping specific commandments. Temple and family history work are inseparable. Family history is not just another class in Sunday School.

Are you still using Personal Ancestral File?

Personal Ancestral File or PAF is a program first released in 1984 for DOS (Microsoft) operating system computers. In 1986, Apple and CPM operating systems were released. A Macintosh version was released in 1994 and the first Windows version was released in 1999. All of the versions of the program except the Windows version were abandoned by 2002 and that year saw the last Windows version update. The latest version of this program available is Version 5.2.18 released on 23 July 2002.

There have been no updates to PAF since 2002. In 2013, FamilySearch formally abandoned any further support for the program. Because the program was essentially free (a disk-based version cost $6), there were likely millions of copies of the program downloaded.

There have always been alternative programs available. PAF is presently the only program I am aware of that will still run on my current computers that is 12 years old. All of the other programs on all the other operating systems have long since ceased to operate. Why does PAF keep on running? The answer is complex and involves the fact that despite all the hype about new versions of Microsoft Windows, the company has carefully preserved their core relationship to the original DOS Operating System. Will that support continue for ever? Not likely. Recently, Microsoft discontinued support of Windows XP. But think about it, the last version of PAF was developed for Windows NT, the version prior to XP.

If you are running PAF on your computer and using the program to enter valuable genealogical research, you are running an ever increasing risk that you or those who come after you will someday be spending a great deal of time trying to recover that lost information. Over the past few years, I have spent hundreds of hours retrieving old genealogy files off of abandoned media, such as 5.25 inch floppy disks, and old programs such as previous versions of PAF. This sort of retrieval process has grown more and more difficult over the years and may not be possible at some point. This occurs because of the constant changes in computer technology.

I realize that there are many people who "love" PAF and are very passionate about their dedication to the program. But it is time to move on. Within the past two days, I talked to a genealogist who still had all of her data in PAF, so this is a real and currently active issue. Surprisingly, there are several "free" genealogy programs available so migrating to a new version of a program on the most current operating systems can be done for free. Here are several currently supported and available programs with free versions or that are free altogether:

Family Tree Builder (Windows)
RootsMagic (Windows)
Ancestral Quest (Windows)
Legacy Family Tree (Windows)

Unfortunately, if you computer system is as old as your PAF version, you are likely out of luck. It is probable that these newer programs will not run on your computer.

Think about.

Thoughts on the Training of Family History Consultants

According to the official manual, Leader’s Guide to Temple and Family History Work
To Turn the Hearts, page 19 states:

The high priests group leader directs the work of family history consultants as he:

• Recommends members to be called and set apart as family history consultants, as requested by the bishopric.
• Works with the bishopric to ensure that enough consultants are called to meet the needs of the ward.
• Provides assignments to consultants, including assignments to work with certain ward members.
• Ensures that consultants are properly prepared to perform their callings and makes them aware of the training resources at FamilySearch.org/serve.

The question is, who trains the Family History Consultants? Here are the duties of a Family History Consultant from pages 19 and 20 or the Leader's Guide:

The bishopric and the high priests group leader determine how many family history consultants are needed in the ward. The high priests group leader directs their efforts. 

Consultants are skilled teachers who work and communicate well with others. Wile consultants need not be experts in family history research, they should be comfortable using the resources at FamilySearch.org and helping others use them. These FamilySearch resources include family pedigrees, historical records, and the FamilySearch indexing program. Youth can be called to serve as consultants when their technology skills can be helpful in assisting others. 

Consultants register at FamilySearch.org/serve to receive information, training, and updates from the Church.

The training is right there on LDS.org and FamilySearch.org. Here is the link to the training materials.

• https://www.lds.org/callings/temple-and-family-history?lang=eng
• https://www.lds.org/callings/temple-and-family-history/family-history-consultants?lang=eng

So the answer to the above question is that the training comes from the Church's websites. I would think it to be important that the Ward's High Priest Group Leader also review the training so he can properly support the Family History Consultants. 

Here is a quote from Elder D. Todd Christofferson in the Religious Educator, vol. 6, no. 2 (2005), 10–11:

“If I were a bishop again, my approach would be to charge the high priests group leader with the responsibility to lead out in the ward council on this subject. I would ensure that we had one or more . . . family history consul- tants who were ‘people persons’ who could work under his direction. . . .

I imagine that in the course of a year we could help at least ten families. In five years, we could have a corps of fifty families active at some level in family history and its attendant temple work. That to me would be a successful, well-run program.”

Does this sound like your Ward?

The Case for Multiple Family Trees

One the first questions that arises when I get into a discussion about the free availability of MyHeritage.com, Ancestry.com and findmypast.com to members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints through FamilySearch.org's Family Tree program, is the challenge of having four separate online family trees. Most genealogists question the ability of the user to maintain these separate family trees. There are distinct advantages to having online trees (and some obvious disadvantages) but this is a special case. Three of the four programs work best when you have your family tree as part of the program. findmypast.com is presently developing the features of its user family tree and it is too early to tell how that program will work with FamilySearch.

As you log into Ancestry.com with an LDS Account, you will find that the program has a provision for linking your ancestors directly with the same individual on FamilySearch.org's Family Tree. Linking the individual is accompanied by a notice that it may soon be possible to exchange information between Ancestry.com and FamilySearch.org Family Tree. It appears from statements made by FamilySearch, that the same functionality will exist with the other two online programs. What remains to be seen is the format of the information obtained from the programs and imported into FamilySearch Family Tree.

Let's suppose that I have a family tree on Ancestry.com (which I actually do have) and I research one of my ancestors or add sources from the "shaking green leaf." What happens when I go to exchange data with FamilySearch? Do I end up with a formatted source citation for each of my Ancestry.com sources? How much of the source information is copied over? Do I simply get some kind of notation that the source was Ancestry.com or do I get each of the Ancestry.com sources I have accumulated? What if I have already cited the same sources from FamilySearch Family Tree? Will I have to search for and eliminate duplicate sources from the other programs?

I am certain that many, if not all of these issues will have been addressed by FamilySearch as this process progresses. I think we live in an interesting and exciting time. This interconnectivity between these large genealogical database programs is going to effect major changes in the way genealogy is done at certain levels. I look forward to the changes, especially with my thousands of Ancestry.com and MyHeritage.com sources sitting there waiting to be transferred to FamilySearch Family Tree.

FamilySearch Clarifies Member Access to Third-Party Websites

If you even have a moderate interest in genealogy and are a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, you may have heard that members of the Church will have free access to three large, online, genealogy database programs: MyHeritage.com, Ancestry.com and findmypast.com. Some of the members have already received an invitation to the three programs. In a recent blog post entitled "Update on Member Access to Partner Sites—May 2014" additional information about the roll-out of the programs was given. Here is a chart showing the categories of members with dates as to when their group will receive access:

Click on the image to see the details. The roll-out is clarifies as follows:

On Tuesday, April 29, those with family history callings including family history consultants, family history center directors, stake indexing directors and high priest group leaders, began receiving individual email invitations in English to sign up for these free accounts. Not all those listed above received their invitations at the same time, we are awaiting translation into additional languages and there are limits to the number of individuals that can create new, or convert existing accounts, with each of the partners. All those with family history callings should receive individual invitations by May 27.

If you are interested in getting free access and are in any of the described categories, I would suggest that you should make sure you are registered with FamilySearch with a current email address. The final roll-out is described as follows:

The roll out beyond those with family history callings will be done by individual email invitation and will last for approximately three months. After the initial three months and by the end of 2014, access will be rolled out in stages to all members within specific geographies.

In addition, the announcement has some very interesting disclosures:

The initial rollout will include access to the premium tools and features of these websites. In the near future, members will be able to connect data between information in FamilySearch Family Tree and the family history data on each of the above mentioned websites. Additionally, in the future, members will be able to submit names for temple ordinances directly through each of these websites with the same level of security that exists on FamilySearch.org today. More information will be available by the end of 2014.

We are excited by the progress the team has made in making these resources available to all members free of charge and encourage you use these sites to help you find your ancestors and submit their names for temple ordinances this year. We echo the words of Elder Quentin L. Cook of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, who said in this past General Conference, “We finally have the doctrine, the temples, and the technology for families to accomplish this glorious work of salvation.”

I foresee a substantial challenge to those providing support to the members to come up to speed on all three programs. It is very important that Ward officers in charge of Family History matters learn about these new programs and are prepared to support them.

The Process of Building a Mormon Temple

This video is an insight into the process of building Temples for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The process is also shown by the following infographic:

A more complete explanation of the process can be read at the Church Newsroom article, "The Process of Building a Mormon Temple."

The video starts out with a brief glimpse of the building of the new Provo, Utah Temple downtown in Provo. It is a very interesting project where the older building, the Provo Tabernacle, burned and the shell of the historic building has been used in the new Temple. Photos showing the construction of the new Provo Temple can be seen at Provo City Center Temple, Construction Photographs.