Three Cheers for the Remarkable Staff of Family History Centers Everywhere

Until this past January, I served in a corner of the Lord's vineyards as a family history consultant and was released only because our family moved out of the area. It was a privilege to work with members of my ward and also fulfill the responsibilities as the technical director in our local family history center (FHC).

Working in a family history center is a position which most people do not fully understand or appreciate. Nonetheless, it is task which stretches research skills and enriches the lives of everyone involved. I was grateful for the chance I had to work beside people who were not only excited about family history but were wonderful friends.

Staff members in family history centers may be members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints but they might also be community workers who are not members of the Church.

Latter-day Saints who serve in family history centers actually have a calling as a family history consultant. This calling has been offered to them through the appropriate priesthood leadership of their ward. The bishopric and the high priest group leaders prayerfully consider who in their ward might serve as a family history consultant. The member accepts the calling and is set apart by priesthood leaders before they begin serving. Some consultants work only with members of the ward and some work only at the family history center. There are also consultants who serve their wards as well as assisting at the family history center.

Community workers usually volunteer to work at the family history center. Sometimes they want to work at the family history center because they recognize that more staff members are needed. Sometimes another staff member encourages them to volunteer or recommends them to the director of the family history center.

Whether members of the FHC staff are Latter-day Saints or not, the responsibilities and obligations are approximately the same. The commitment to the FHC involves working shifts either every other week or every week. Shifts are commonly four hours for the day shift and three hours for the evening shift.

LDS staff members might serve for a few years before they are released from their family history consultant calling and receive a new calling. Sometimes the LDS staff members accept their calling with a lukeward response but, hopefully, their testimony of family history and temple work increase over the months and years they serve.

On the other hand, the community workers keep serving faithfully for years and years until other factors require them to resign -- moving, illness, age, etc.

Honestly, the dedication of the community workers has always amazed me. I hardly know where to begin to sing their praises but I do know that my own personal genealogical research and my belief in the goodness of people as been blessed by these wonderful community workers.

As an example, let me describe the efforts and diligence of one community worker at my former family history center. (Although I could share experiences from many other staff members as well.)

"A.G." serves as the daytime supervisor and works two or three shifts a week which works out to be 8 to 12 hours. She comes in all types of weather and rarely misses a shift unless she is out of town or not feeling well. She trains the staff members in FHC responsibilities and also helps develop their research skills. She often stays late to help a staff member who is struggling with an elusive ancestor.

"A.G." has done this for over 30 years!!

When our family history center needed an inventory of our permanent microfilm/microfiche collection for Online Film Ordering, "A.G." spent countless hours helping me with the project. My appreciation for her efforts will last for years to come.

"A.G." has been a dear friend and kind teacher to me for almost thirty years. I met her soon after I began serving in the family history center when I moved to Michigan as a new bride. She taught me a great deal about family history research, especially in the area of Swedish genealogy. (She is an expert in Scandinavian research, particularly Finnish family history.)

Additionally, "A.G." rejoiced with me through the joys of life and encouraged me when times were tough. When I had my two children, "A.G." treated them with grandmotherly affection. In fact, my son used to call her his "Church Grandma". She is a cherished friend indeed.

"A.G." and I spent years talking about my Swedish great-grandfather and how I couldn't find his ancestors because I didn't know his birthplace or his parents' names. "A.G." gave me many suggestions which we attempted. Mostly the suggestions were added to our 'things we tried with no success' list but "A.G." still helped me search for my Swedish ancestors. Her willingness to assist me never waivered.

There came a day when my Swedish research took a turn around the corner. It was not long after the family history centers gained access to the GenLine website which contained the digital copies of Swedish parish records.

"A.G." had always taught me to look through the information I already had for any possible clues I might have missed. She was right. I had had the solution all the time in the records I had already discovered.

Nevertheless, until I had access to the tremendous resources of GenLine, I couldn't find the puzzle pieces I needed to link my great-grandfather to his family members in Sweden. (A research story for another day.)

The day I found my great-grandfather, "A.G." was nearly as excited as I was.

During the following few months, she helped me read the original parish records. She helped me organize and connect all the various families. As a result, dozens of these Swedish family members received their temple ordinances and were sealed together as eternal families.

Truthfully, I am not the only one "A.G." has helped. Patrons come to the family history center just to receive her assistance. Staff members benefit from her insights and guidance as they research their own ancestors. I expect that "A.G." has nurtured a multitude of family trees for hundreds of people over the years.

So, in honor of "A.G." and countless others like her, three cheers for the remarkable staff of Family History Centers everywhere!!