Family History Depends on Love

Here are two quotes by President Gordon B. Hinckley, prophet of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, concerning family history and temple work.

"Let love become the lodestar of our lives. ... The holy priesthood is among us; its powers extend beyond the veil of death. In the sacred houses which we call temples, there is opportunity to do for others that which they cannot do for themselves. As surely as Christ offered Himself a vicarious sacrifice for all mankind, so we can engage in vicarious service in behalf of some of mankind, thus affording them the opportunity to move forward on the road of immortality and eternal life. Great is this work of love which goes on in these holy houses.

~President Gordon B. Hinckley ("Let Love Be the Lodestar of Your Life," Ensign, May 1989).

"Going hand in hand with this increased temple activity is an increase in our family history work. The computer in its various ramifications is accelerating the work, and people are taking advantage of the new techniques being offered to them. How can one escape the conclusion that the Lord is in all of this? As computer facilities improve, the number of temples grows to accommodate the accelerated family history work."

~President Gordon B. Hinckley ("Welcome to Conference," Ensign, Nov. 1999).

Did Your Ancestors Serve a Mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints?

When tracing ancestors who have served missions for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, information about specific missionaries (including some genealogical information) may be located in the "Missionary Record Index, 1830-1971".

This collection includes 24 different microfilms and may be ordered from the Family History Library in Salt Lake City to use in a local Family History Center (FHC).

Contained on each microfilm is an alphabetical card index listing full-time missionaries set apart up to 1971. The card index also serves as an index to the missionary registers available in the Historical Department – Archive Search Room.

Each card shows the name, birth date and place, parents’ names, home ward and stake, dates set apart, name of the person who set the missionary apart, the actual mission, a reference to missionary records and sometimes the date released.

The FHL Film numbers begin with 1913079 and continue through 1913102.

These microfilms can be accessed through the Family History Library Catalog on the internet site at www.FamilySearch.org.

Our family used these indices to verify and/or correct information about ancestors who have served missions. For instance, Nils JOHNSON (my husband's great-grandfather) served as a missionary in the Scandinavian Mission from 1882-1884 but we didn't know that he had also served two other missions in Utah and California.

After finding Nils JOHNSON in the Missionary Record Index, we used other databases to locate him returning home from his mission in 1884. The Mormon Immigration Index documents Nils JOHNSON sailing home from Scandinavia with many other missionaries on the ship "Arizona". The ship made a stop in the port of Liverpool, England before continuing on to New York City.

In the future, we plan to search the historical records of the Scandinavian Mission to locate further information about Nils JOHNSON's missionary experiences.

By researching our missionary ancestors we are not only learning about their lives but able to acknowledge their sacrifice and dedication to the gospel.