Mormon Ancestry Records

women in library
Volunteers can help you search for records.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (LDS) maintains one of the largest free genealogy research sites on the Internet and offers access to billions of records. Whether or not you have Mormon ancestry, you'll find that this is a great resource.

About FamilySearch

The official LDS ancestry site is FamilySearch.org. The Mormon faith strongly encourages people to value family bonds, including connections with ancestors. However, access to the resources at FamilySearch is not limited to Mormons. The FamilySearch site is open to people of all faiths and cultures.

You'll find the following free records and more on FamilySearch:

  • Famous genealogy records, including family history information for celebrities and presidents
  • State historical marriage records
  • Canadian and Mexican border crossing records
  • Canada census records
  • State census records
  • Death and burial records for dozens of states and countries
  • Birth, baptism, and christening records for states and countries

Finding the Records You Need

FamilySearch offers billions of free records, and the selection is constantly expanding. There are several ways to navigate through these records to find exactly what you need to fill in the blanks in your family tree:

  • You can use the search or advanced search feature to filter records by first and last name, event, date, location, and relationship. This is a good way to find additional information about your ancestors if you already know quite a bit about them.
  • You can browse through the record collections by location. If you know roughly where and when your ancestors lived but you don't have exact dates, this may be a good way to find information.
  • You can browse all the historical record collections. If you're not sure what you'd like to research, this can give you an idea of your options.

Other Mormon Ancestry Tools

While the huge collection of free records is one of the most popular features of the FamilySearch site, you might also enjoy these other tools and resources:

  • Free courses in specific aspects of genealogy research, such as using the National Archives, accessing Irish church records, and understanding handwritten records
  • Printable family trees to help you display your research
  • A free research wiki with thousands of articles by users like you
  • Video tutorials to help you get started researching your family's history

Accessing Mormon Ancestry Records in Person

While billions of records are online at FamilySearch, you can find even more information about your ancestors at the FamilySearch Centers located all over the world. The largest FamilySearch Center is in Salt Lake City, Utah, but you can use the FamilySearch website to search for a center located near you. At these centers, volunteers offer free help to researchers. You can search the online records, and you'll also be able to access more than 2.5 million records that are stored on microfilm and not available online.

Records for LDS Church Members

If some of your ancestors were members of the LDS Church, you may be able to find additional information about them in the Mormon records. The Mormon Church began keeping a census of its members in 1914, so you may be able to find information about Mormon family members in these records.

Other LDS-specific sources include the following:

  • Church histories for individual LDS churches around the country
  • Biographies of important Mormon individuals
  • Records of foreign missionaries of the LDS Church
  • Journals and personal correspondence for early Mormon settlers
  • Journal History for the LDS Church, which includes an index of all church-related newspaper stories and events between 1830 and 1973
  • Church membership records, priesthood records, and temple records

To access these and other Mormon ancestry records, visit the FamilySearch website or a FamilySearch center.

Any Faith or Background

Whether you're researching the lives of your Mormon ancestors or need records for family members of any faith or background, you'll find helpful information at FamilySearch. This is a great free resource for any genealogist on a budget.