“You can fulfill your obligation to your kindred dead, and to the Lord without forsaking your other church callings. You can do it without abandoning your family responsibilities. You can do this work. You can do it without becoming a so-called “expert” in it."
-Boyd K Packer
What is Indexing all About?
(background info provided by Sister Jean Wilson)
In 1938 the church began collecting records – and that is just about any kind of record that identifies people: censuses, birth records, unpublished records from churches and governments, parish registries, passenger lists, birth certificates, deeds, wills, family, town and county histories and even maps. Soon they didn’t know what to do with all the records, so they built the Granite Mountain Vault. This vault is about 20 miles SE of Salt Lake City in Little Cottonwood Canyon. The vault, a total of some 65,000 square feet, operates at 55 degrees Fahrenheit, 35 percent humidity and with a circulating fresh air system that minimizes dust. Under such conditions the vast collection can be protected against deterioration, natural disasters or man-made calamities.
The Granite Mountain Records Vault is the official storage unit for 2.4 million rolls of microfilm containing approximately 3.5 billion pages. The information links to billions of people in over 100 countries and is recorded in 170 different languages. Information on the films is currently being digitized by use of complex computer programs.
Basically, there are billions, and billions of records that the church has collected over the years, and because of technology, the church would like these records available to the world through the Internet. The church needs our help, from the comfort of our own homes, to look at the digital WRITTEN document, and transfer the information onto a TYPED spreadsheet. Once this information is on the Internet it can be easily referenced by anyone trying to find their family names on the family search website. Indexing is just the first step in Family History Work, and builds upon the purposes of Temple Work.
So, that`s what it is!
ALL of this information needs to be transferred to the Internet by volunteers. Volunteer indexers include the young and the old, Latter-day Saints and those of other faiths, men and women, busy professionals as well as the home bound.
How to begin is not as complicated as you might think. All you need is a computer, your membership record number, your birth date, and a little bit of time!
2. Click on Get Started and then download the necessary software to begin.
3. You will then be asked to register and set up an account. It is important that you state which ward and stake you belong to.
(Be sure to choose a user name and password that you will not forget!)
You're done!
You should find a icon (an orange tree) on your desktop now. That is where all of your wonderful work will be accomplished!
There are lots of people who will help you get started if you are having difficulty.
Sister Jean Wilson oversees the family search/Indexing program at a Stake Level. However, we also have our very own ward rep! Sister Marie Fisk is the one you could call with any questions. She is very helpful!
So there you have it.
Why don't you get started today?
You know you want to!
