SCOTT GULLEDGE / Scroll
Lacey Miller, a freshman from Rigby, Idaho, uses the computers in the Family History Center on campus.

GENEALOGY: Not just for grandparents

by Brad Jackman Ashley Andrus AND01049@BYUI.EDU Religion Asst. Editor

When Michael Kocher, a junior from Red Deer, Alberta, went with his Home Evening group to do family history, he wasn’t expecting to find anything he didn’t already know.

“I had already done my first five generations, and I couldn’t find anything past that,” Kocher said. “I was looking things up [in a census record] and I found the daughter of one of the people I was looking for. I pulled up the file and found her whole family. These are brand new names that had not been previously found because if they had they would have been in the church record system. Now I can work on taking them to the temple.”

With interest in genealogy increasing throughout The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, more young adults are becoming involved like Kocher. Whether they have been a lifelong church member with an impressive family tree or they are a recent convert with little knowledge about their ancestors, there are many opportunities coming into view that allow genealogy newcomers to trace back their roots.

“We are starting to see more young people coming in [the Family History Library],” said Tim Bingaman, Family History Public Affairs and reference consultant in Salt Lake City, Utah. “It’s still the older folks that make up the majority, or middle aged people, but yes, I would say that we are starting to see more young people and especially young families.”

Despite awareness in the Church of the importance of working on family history, many students may feel overwhelmed by the idea of such a project. However, with the help of several programs, family history is becoming more manageable.

“The Church has asked us to do our genealogy back three to five generations,” said Blaine Bake, BYU-Idaho professor of family history. “There are several ways you can start: either through a Sunday school class, a family history class [on campus] or at a family history center.”

Other resources are also available such as the Church-produced manual Member’s Guide to Temple and Family History, as well as free tutorials created for students offered through BYU’s independent study program that can be completed online. Additional help is available through the Church-sponsored site, www.familysearch.org that provides newcomers with printable pedigree charts and family group record sheets with free access to the Personal Ancestral File (PAF).

Most students are able to go back at least three generations in a semester, Bake said.

Students who have a long lineage of LDS ancestors may still find much work to be done on their family history.

“Often, those who are blessed with having family in the Church then have to spend more time cleaning and editing so it becomes a more perfect record, so we can present it to the Lord, worthy of all acceptation,” Bake said.

Bingaman points out that converts need to pick and choose what line to work on so that the work does not become overwhelming.

“They can set goals for themselves and then come up with a plan of attack to reach those goals,” he said.