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134-400: The record of genealogical work may be presented as a "genealogy", a "family history", or a " family tree ". In the narrow sense, a "genealogy" or a " family tree " traces the descendants of one person, whereas a "family history" traces the ancestors of one person, but the terms are often used interchangeably. A family history may include additional biographical information, family traditions, and

268-541: A tree-sequence , which has been described as the largest "human family tree". The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints This is an accepted version of this page The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints , informally known as the LDS Church or Mormon Church , is the largest Latter Day Saint denomination . Founded by Joseph Smith during the Second Great Awakening ,

402-496: A general apostasy and maintains that it is a restoration of 1st-century Christianity and the only true and authorized Christian church. Church leaders assert it is the only true church and that other churches do not have the authority to act in Jesus' name. This, the refutation of the authority of all other Christian churches, is a doctrine common to almost all Christian churches. The church's cosmology and plan of salvation include

536-408: A pedigree or ancestry chart . Family trees are often presented with the oldest generations at the top of the tree and the younger generations at the bottom. An ancestry chart, which is a tree showing the ancestors of an individual and not all members of a family, will more closely resemble a tree in shape, being wider at the top than at the bottom. In some ancestry charts, an individual appears on

670-415: A FamilyTree database, historical records, digitized family history books, resources and indexing for African American genealogy such as slave and bank records, and a Family History Research Wiki containing research guidance articles. Indexing is the process of transcribing parish records, city vital records, and other reports, to a digital database for searching. Volunteers and professionals participate in

804-530: A belief in the Bible, the divinity of Jesus , his atonement and resurrection , and a form of apostolic succession . Nevertheless, the LDS Church differs from other churches within contemporary Christianity in other ways. Differences between the LDS Church and most of traditional Christianity include disagreement about the nature of God, belief in a theory of human salvation that includes three heavens ,

938-451: A case for identity and kinship. All evidence and conclusions, together with the documentation that supports them, is then assembled to create a cohesive genealogy or family history . Genealogists begin their research by collecting family documents and stories. This creates a foundation for documentary research , which involves examining and evaluating historical records for evidence about ancestors and other relatives, their kinship ties, and

1072-700: A citizen if one of their grandparents was born in that country, regardless of their own or their parents' birthplace. In societies such as Australia or the United States, by the 20th century, there was growing pride in the pioneers and nation-builders. Establishing descent from these was, and is, important to lineage societies , such as the Daughters of the American Revolution and The General Society of Mayflower Descendants . Modern family history explores new sources of status, such as celebrating

1206-588: A coordinator, booster, and contributor to the growing movement. In the 1820s, he and fellow antiquarians began to produce genealogical and antiquarian tracts in earnest, slowly gaining a devoted audience among the American people. Though Farmer died in 1838, his efforts led to the founding in 1845 of the New England Historic Genealogical Society (NEHGS), one of New England's oldest and most prominent organizations dedicated to

1340-685: A degree of scepticism. However, the desire to find ancestral links with prominent figures from a legendary or distant past has persisted. In the United States, for example, it does no harm to establish one's links to ancestors who boarded the Mayflower . And the popularity of the genealogical hypothesis of The Holy Blood and the Holy Grail (1982) demonstrates popular interest in ancient bloodlines, however dubious. Some family trees have been maintained for considerable periods. The family tree of Confucius has been maintained for over 2,500 years and

1474-449: A doctrine of baptism for the dead , which necessitates that members of that faith engage in family history research. In East Asian countries that were historically shaped by Confucianism , many people follow a practice of ancestor worship as well as genealogical record-keeping. Ancestors' names are inscribed on tablets and placed in shrines, where rituals are performed. Genealogies are also recorded in genealogy books . This practice

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1608-554: A doctrine of exaltation which includes the ability of humans to become gods and goddesses in the afterlife , a belief in continuing revelation and an open scriptural canon, and unique ceremonies performed privately in temples, such as the endowment and sealing ceremonies. A number of major Christian denominations view the LDS Church as standing apart from creedal Christianity. However, church members self-identify as Christians. The faith itself views other modern Christian faiths as having departed from true Christianity by way of

1742-429: A greater understanding of specific topics in their respective fields, and some may employ professional genealogists in connection with specific aspects of their research. They also publish their research in peer-reviewed journals. The introduction of postgraduate courses in genealogy in recent years has given genealogy more of an academic focus, with the emergence of peer-reviewed journals in this area. Scholarly genealogy

1876-408: A means to reinforce lessons regarding immigration and history. Other benefits include family medical histories for families with serious medical conditions that are hereditary. The terms "genealogy" and "family history" are often used synonymously, but some entities offer a slight difference in definition. The Society of Genealogists , while also using the terms interchangeably, describes genealogy as

2010-471: A parent must be born before their child, an individual cannot be their own ancestor, and thus there are no loops. In this regard, ancestry forms a directed acyclic graph . Nevertheless, graphs depicting matrilineal descent (mother-daughter relationships) and patrilineal descent (father-son relationships) do form trees. Assuming no common ancestor, an ancestry chart is a perfect binary tree , as each person has exactly one mother and one father; these thus have

2144-487: A particular group, e.g., a Scottish clan ; a particular surname , such as in a one-name study ; a small community, e.g., a single village or parish, such as in a one-place study ; or a particular, often famous, person. Bloodlines of Salem is an example of a specialized family-history group. It welcomes members who can prove descent from a participant of the Salem Witch Trials or who simply choose to support

2278-428: A person's DNA contains information that has been passed down relatively unchanged from early ancestors, analysis of DNA is sometimes used for genealogical research. Three DNA types are of particular interest. Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) is contained in the mitochondria of the egg cell and is passed down from a mother to all of her children, both male and female; however, only females pass it on to their children. Y-DNA

2412-470: A portion of God's kingdom. According to LDS Church theology, men and women may be sealed to one another so that their marital bond continues into the eternities. Children may also be sealed to their biological or adoptive parents to form permanent familial bonds, thus allowing all immediate and extended family relations to endure past death. The most significant LDS ordinances may be performed via proxy in behalf of those who have died, such as baptism for

2546-454: A regular structure. A Descendant chart, on the other hand, does not, in general, have a regular structure, as a person can have any number of children or none at all. Family trees have been used to document family histories across time and cultures throughout the world. In Africa, the ruling dynasty of Ethiopia claimed descent from King Solomon via the Queen of Sheba . Through this claim,

2680-757: A relatively recent common ancestor. See, for example, the Molecular Genealogy Research Project . Some tests are limited to either the patrilineal or the matrilineal line. Most genealogy software programs can export information about persons and their relationships in a standardized format called a GEDCOM . In that format, it can be shared with other genealogists, added to databases, or converted into family web sites. Social networking service (SNS) websites allow genealogists to share data and build their family trees online. Members can upload their family trees and contact other family historians to fill in gaps in their research. In addition to

2814-488: A unique area of focus, such as a particular surname, ethnicity , geographic area, or descendancy from participants in a given historical event . Genealogical societies are almost exclusively staffed by volunteers and may offer a broad range of services, including maintaining libraries for members' use, publishing newsletters, providing research assistance to the public, offering classes or seminars, and organizing record preservation or transcription projects. Genealogy software

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2948-492: A wide variety of records in their research. To effectively conduct genealogical research, it is important to understand how the records were created, what information is included in them, and how and where to access them. Records that are used in genealogy research include: To keep track of their citizens, governments began keeping records of persons who were neither royalty nor nobility . In England and Germany, for example, such record keeping started with parish registers in

3082-461: Is a complex process that uses historical records and sometimes genetic analysis to demonstrate kinship. Reliable conclusions are based on the quality of sources (ideally, original records), the information within those sources, (ideally, primary or firsthand information), and the evidence that can be drawn (directly or indirectly), from that information. In many instances, genealogists must skillfully assemble indirect or circumstantial evidence to build

3216-541: Is a foundational sacred book for the church; the terms "Mormon" and "Mormonism" come from the book itself. The LDS Church teaches that the Angel Moroni told Smith about golden plates containing the record, guided him to find them buried in the Hill Cumorah , and provided him the means of translating them from Reformed Egyptian . It claims to give a history of the inhabitants from a now-extinct society living on

3350-408: Is a growing interest in family history in the media as a result of advertising and television shows sponsored by large genealogy companies, such as Ancestry.com . This, coupled with easier access to online records and the affordability of DNA tests , has both inspired curiosity and allowed those who are curious to easily start investigating their ancestry. In communitarian societies, one's identity

3484-649: Is also encouraged. The theology of the LDS Church consists of a combination of biblical doctrines with modern revelations and other commentary by LDS leaders, particularly Joseph Smith. The most authoritative sources of theology are the faith's canon of four religious texts, called the " standard works ". Included in the standard works are the Bible , the Book of Mormon, the D&;C and the Pearl of Great Price . The Book of Mormon

3618-448: Is beginning to emerge as a discipline in its own right, with an increasing number of individuals who have obtained genealogical qualifications carrying out research on a diverse range of topics related to genealogy, both within academic institutions and independently. In the US, the " one-drop rule " asserted that any person with even one ancestor of black ancestry ("one drop" of "black blood")

3752-637: Is believed to bind its participant to Jesus Christ, who saves them in their imperfection if they continually keep their promises to him. Baptism is performed by immersion, and is typically administered to children starting at age eight. Church members believe that through the ordinances of temple sealing and temple endowment , anyone can reach the highest level of salvation in the celestial kingdom and eternally live in God's presence, continue as families, become gods , create worlds, and make spirit children over whom they will govern. Other ordinances performed in

3886-418: Is defined as much by one's kin network as by individual achievement, and the question "Who are you?" would be answered by a description of father, mother, and tribe. New Zealand Māori , for example, learn whakapapa (genealogies) to discover who they are. Family history plays a part in the practice of some religious belief systems. For example, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) has

4020-605: Is led by a president , who is considered a "prophet, seer, and revelator." Within the church, he is referred to as "the Prophet" or the "President of the Church." He is considered the only person who is authorized to receive revelation from God on behalf of the whole world or entire church. As such, the church teaches that he is essentially infallible when speaking on behalf of God—although the exact circumstances when his pronouncements should be considered authoritative are debated within

4154-701: Is limited to 50 living fellows. ASG has semi-annually published The Genealogist , a scholarly journal of genealogical research, since 1980. Fellows of the American Society of Genealogists , who bear the post-nominal acronym "FASG", have written some of the most notable genealogical materials of the last half-century. Some of the most notable scholarly American genealogical journals include The American Genealogist , National Genealogical Society Quarterly , The New England Historical and Genealogical Register , The New York Genealogical and Biographical Record , and The Genealogist . Genealogical research

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4288-631: Is listed in the Guinness Book of World Records as the largest extant family tree. The fifth edition of the Confucius Genealogy was printed in 2009 by the Confucius Genealogy Compilation Committee (CGCC). In modern times, genealogy has become more widespread, with commoners as well as nobility researching and maintaining their family trees. Genealogy received a boost in the late 1970s with

4422-567: Is often included in the lists of larger Christian denominations , though some Catholics , mainline Protestants and Evangelicals have considered the church to be distinct and separate from mainstream Christianity . The church has an open canon of four scriptural texts : the Holy Bible , the Book of Mormon , the Doctrine and Covenants (D&C), and the Pearl of Great Price . Other than

4556-407: Is often very limited. Forms of family trees are also used in genetic genealogy . In 2022, scientists reported the largest detailed human genetic genealogy, that unifies human genomes from many sources for insights about human history , ancestry and evolution and demonstrates a novel computational method for estimating how human DNA is related via a series of 13 million linked trees along the genome,

4690-552: Is present only in males and is passed down from a father to his sons (direct male line) with only minor mutations occurring over time. Autosomal DNA (atDNA), is found in the 22 non-sex chromosomes (autosomes) and is inherited from both parents; thus, it can uncover relatives from any branch of the family. A genealogical DNA test allows two individuals to find the probability that they are, or are not, related within an estimated number of generations. Individual genetic test results are collected in databases to match people descended from

4824-603: Is rooted in the belief that respect for one's family is a foundation for a healthy society. Royal families , both historically and in modern times, keep records of their genealogies in order to establish their right to rule and determine who will be the next sovereign. For centuries in various cultures, one's genealogy has been a source of political and social status. Some countries and indigenous tribes allow individuals to obtain citizenship based on their genealogy. In Ireland and in Greece , for example, an individual can become

4958-470: Is said to occur through thoughts and feelings from the Holy Ghost , in response to prayer . Similarly, the church teaches its members may receive individual guidance and counsel from God through blessings from priesthood holders. In particular, patriarchal blessings are considered special blessings that are received only once in the recipient's life, which are recorded, transcribed, and archived. In

5092-691: Is that of the Lurie lineage—which includes Sigmund Freud and Martin Buber —and traces back to Lurie, a 13th-century rabbi in Brest-Litovsk, and from there to Rashi and purportedly back to the legendary King David , as documented by Neil Rosenstein in his book The Lurie Legacy . The 1999 edition of the Guinness Book of Records recorded the Lurie family in the "longest lineage" category as one of

5226-453: Is used to collect, store, sort, and display genealogical data. At a minimum, genealogy software accommodates basic information about individuals, including births, marriages, and deaths. Many programs allow for additional biographical information, including occupation, residence, and notes, and most also offer a method for keeping track of the sources for each piece of evidence. Most programs can generate basic kinship charts and reports, allow for

5360-574: The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle 's tracing of the ancestry of several English kings to the god Woden . With the coming of Christianity to northern Europe, Anglo-Saxon royal genealogies extended the kings' lines of ancestry from Woden back to reach the line of Biblical patriarchs : Noah and Adam . (This extension offered the side-benefit of connecting pretentious rulers with the prestigious genealogy of Jesus .) Modern historians and genealogists may regard manufactured pseudo-genealogies with

5494-747: The Bear River Massacre , and the Black Hawk War . After Young's death in 1877, he was followed in the church presidency by John Taylor and Wilford Woodruff successively, who resisted efforts by the United States Congress to outlaw Mormon polygamous marriages. In 1878, the United States Supreme Court, in Reynolds v. United States , decreed that "religious duty" to engage in plural marriage

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5628-485: The Great Depression , the church also began operating a church welfare system, and it has conducted humanitarian efforts in cooperation with other religious organizations such as Catholic Relief Services , as well as secular organizations like Care International . The church supported its members serving in the armed forces during World Wars I and II, both in the U.S. and internationally. From 1913 to 2020

5762-569: The Indo-European world from Scandinavia through ancient Greece to India. Historically, in Western societies, genealogy focused on the kinship and descent of rulers and nobles, often arguing or demonstrating the legitimacy of claims to wealth and power. Genealogy often overlapped with heraldry , which reflected the ancestry of noble houses in their coats of arms . Modern scholars regard many claimed noble ancestries as fabrications, such as

5896-657: The Keita dynasty of Mali, for example, have had their pedigrees sung by griots during annual ceremonies since the 14th century. Meanwhile, in Nigeria, many ruling clans—most notably those descended from Oduduwa —claim descent from the legendary King Kisra . Here too, pedigrees are recited by griots attached to the royal courts. In some pre-contact Native American civilizations , genealogical records of ruling and priestly families were kept, some of which extended over several centuries or longer. There are extensive genealogies for

6030-636: The Mormon pioneers , westward to Nebraska and then in 1847 on to what later became the Utah Territory , which at the time had been part of the lands of the Ute, Goshute, and Shoshone nations, and claimed by Mexico until 1848 . Around 80,000 settlers arrived between 1847 and 1869, who then branched out and colonized a large region now known as the Mormon Corridor . Meanwhile, efforts to globalize

6164-572: The Mountain Meadows massacre , in which leaders of a local Mormon militia ordered the massacre of a civilian emigrant party who was traveling through Utah during the escalating military tensions. After the massacre was discovered, the church became the target of significant media criticism for it. After the Army withdrew, Young agreed to step down from power and be replaced by a non-Mormon territorial governor, Alfred Cumming . Nevertheless,

6298-713: The New Jerusalem in North America, called Zion . In 1831, the church moved to Kirtland, Ohio , and began establishing an outpost in Jackson County, Missouri , where Smith planned to eventually move the church headquarters. However, in 1833, Missouri settlers violently expelled the Latter Day Saints from Jackson County . The church attempted to recover the land through a paramilitary expedition , but did not succeed. Nevertheless,

6432-669: The Tree of Jesse in medieval art, used to illustrate the Genealogy of Christ in terms of a prophecy of Isaiah (Isaiah 11:1). Possibly the first non-biblical use, and the first to show full family relationships rather than a purely patrilineal scheme, was that involving family trees of the classical gods in Boccaccio 's Genealogia Deorum Gentilium ("On the Genealogy of the Gods of

6566-575: The primitive Church of Christ. This restoration is associated with a number of events which are understood to have been necessary to re-establish the early Christian church found in the New Testament , and to prepare the earth for the Second Coming of Jesus. In particular, Latter-day Saints believe that angels appeared to Joseph Smith and a limited number of his associates, and bestowed various priesthood authorities on them. The church

6700-455: The resurrection of Jesus . On June 27, 1844, Smith and his brother, Hyrum , were killed by a mob in Carthage, Illinois , while being held on charges of treason. Because Hyrum was Joseph's designated successor, their deaths caused a succession crisis , and Brigham Young assumed leadership over a majority of the church's membership. Young had been a close associate of Smith's and

6834-810: The "establishment of a pedigree by extracting evidence, from valid sources, of how one generation is connected to the next" and family history as "a biographical study of a genealogically proven family and of the community and country in which they lived". Individuals conduct genealogical research for a number of reasons. Private individuals research genealogy out of curiosity about their heritage. This curiosity can be particularly strong among those whose family histories were lost or unknown due to, for example, adoption or separation from family through divorce, death, or other situations. In addition to simply wanting to know more about who they are and where they came from, individuals may research their genealogy to learn about any hereditary diseases in their family history. There

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6968-774: The (SNS) websites, there are other resources that encourage genealogists to connect and share information, such as rootsweb.ancestry.com and rsl.rootsweb.ancestry.com. Volunteer efforts figure prominently in genealogy. These range from the extremely informal to the highly organized. On the informal side are the many popular and useful message boards such as Rootschat and mailing lists on particular surnames, regions, and other topics. These forums can be used to try to find relatives, request record lookups, obtain research advice, and much more. Many genealogists participate in loosely organized projects, both online and off. These collaborations take numerous forms. Some projects prepare name indexes for records, such as probate cases, and publish

7102-486: The 16th century. As more of the population was recorded, there were sufficient records to follow a family. Major life events, such as births, marriages, and deaths, were often documented with a license, permit, or report. Genealogists locate these records in local, regional or national offices or archives and extract information about family relationships and recreate timelines of persons' lives. In China, India and other Asian countries, genealogy books are used to record

7236-414: The American continent and their distinct Judeo-Christian teachings. The Book of Mormon is very important to modern Latter-day Saints, who consider it the world's most correct text. The Bible, also part of the church's canon, is believed to be the word of God—subject to an acknowledgment that its translation may be incorrect, or that authoritative sections may have been lost over the centuries. Most often,

7370-428: The Bible, the majority of the church canon consists of material the church's members believe to have been revealed by God to Joseph Smith, including texts described as lost parts of the Bible , and other works believed to be written by ancient prophets, including the Book of Mormon. Members adhere to church laws of sexual purity , health , fasting , and Sabbath observance , and contribute ten percent of their income to

7504-409: The Church distances itself from them. During the 20th century, the church grew substantially and became an international organization. In 2000, the church reported over 60,000 missionaries and global church membership stood at just over 11 million. Nominal worldwide membership surpassed 16 million in 2018. Slightly under half of church membership lives within the U.S. Academics have called

7638-660: The Church of Jesus Christ , based in Monongahela, Pennsylvania . Like the LDS Church, these faiths believe in Joseph Smith as a prophet and founder of their religion. They also accept the Book of Mormon, and most accept at least some version of the Doctrine and Covenants . However, they tend to disagree to varying degrees with the LDS Church concerning doctrine and church leadership. For two years after Smith's death, conflicts escalated between Mormons and other Illinois residents. Brigham Young led his followers, later called

7772-476: The FamilySearch indexing effort produced more than 1 billion searchable records. Family tree A family tree , also called a genealogy or a pedigree chart , is a chart representing family relationships in a conventional tree structure . More detailed family trees, used in medicine and social work, are known as genograms . Genealogical data can be represented in several formats, for example, as

7906-642: The Father and his son, Jesus Christ, are separate beings with bodies of flesh and bone, while the Holy Ghost lacks such a physical body. According to statements by church leaders, God sits at the head of the human family and is married to a Heavenly Mother , who is the mother of human spirits. However, church leaders have also categorically discouraged prayers to her and counseled against speculation regarding her. Church members believe in Jesus Christ as

8040-420: The Father, thus allowing the children of God to become divine beings—that is, gods—themselves. This view on the doctrine of theosis is also referred to as becoming a "joint-heir with Christ". The process by which this is accomplished is called exaltation, a doctrine which includes the reunification of the mortal family after the resurrection and the ability to have spirit children in the afterlife and inherit

8174-721: The Founding Fathers and the heroes of the Revolutionary War became increasingly popular, however, the pursuit of "antiquarianism", which focused on local history, became acceptable as a way to honor the achievements of early Americans. Farmer capitalized on the acceptability of antiquarianism to frame genealogy within the early republic's ideological framework of pride in one's American ancestors. He corresponded with other antiquarians in New England, where antiquarianism and genealogy were well established, and became

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8308-474: The Gentiles"), whose first version dates to 1360. In addition to familiar representations of family history and genealogy as a tree structure, there are other notable systems used to illustrate and document ancestry and descent. An Ahnentafel ( German for "ancestor table") is a genealogical numbering system for listing a person's direct ancestors in a fixed sequence of ascent: and so on, back through

8442-470: The LDS Church still wielded significant political power in the Utah Territory. Coterminously, tensions between Mormon settlers and Indigenous tribes continued to escalate as settlers began colonizing a growing area of tribal lands. While Mormons and Indigenous peoples made attempts at peaceful coexistence, skirmishes ensued from about 1849 to 1873 culminating in the armed conflicts of Walkara's War ,

8576-527: The Lord had revealed to him, to allow righteous people to become gods in the afterlife, and a secular institution to govern the Millennial kingdom. He also introduced the church to a full accounting of his First Vision , in which he claimed that two heavenly "personages" appeared to him at age 14. This vision would come to be regarded by the LDS Church as the most important event in human history since

8710-793: The Missouri settlers. Believing the Latter Day Saints to be an insurrection, the Missouri governor ordered that they be " exterminated or driven from the State ". In 1839, the Latter Day Saints converted a swampland on the banks of the Mississippi River into Nauvoo, Illinois , which became the church's new headquarters. Nauvoo grew rapidly as missionaries sent to Europe and elsewhere gained new converts who flooded into Nauvoo. Meanwhile, Smith introduced polygamy to his closest associates. He also established ceremonies , which he stated

8844-748: The Pearl of Great Price. Another source of authoritative doctrine is the pronouncements of the current Apostles and members of the First Presidency. The church teaches that the First Presidency and the Quorum of Twelve Apostles are prophets and that they are therefore authorized teachers of God's word. In addition to doctrine given by the church as a whole, individual members of the church believe that they can also receive personal revelation from God in conducting their lives, and in revealing truth to them, especially about spiritual matters. Generally, this

8978-858: The Torah, the Kohanim are descended from Aaron . Genetic testing performed at the Technion has shown that most modern Kohanim share common Y-chromosome origins, although there is no complete family tree of the Kohanim. In the Islamic world, claimed descent from Muhammad greatly enhanced the status of political and religious leaders; new dynasties often used claims of such descent to help establish their legitimacy. Elsewhere, in many human cultures, clan and tribal associations are based on claims of common ancestry, although detailed documentation of those origins

9112-601: The United States and around the world, where volunteers assist the public with tracing their ancestors. Brigham Young University offers bachelor's degree, minor, and concentration programs in Family History and is the only school in North America to offer this. The American Society of Genealogists is the scholarly honorary society of the U.S. genealogical field. Founded by John Insley Coddington, Arthur Adams, and Meredith B. Colket Jr., in December 1940, its membership

9246-470: The United States was first systematized in the early 19th century, especially by John Farmer (1789–1838). Before Farmer's efforts, tracing one's genealogy was seen as an attempt by the American colonists to secure a measure of social standing, an aim that was counter to the new republic's egalitarian, future-oriented ideals (as outlined in the Constitution ). As Fourth of July celebrations commemorating

9380-492: The ability to handle same-sex marriages and children born out of wedlock; searching the Internet for data; and the provision of research guidance. Programs may be geared toward a specific religion, with fields relevant to that religion, or to specific nationalities or ethnic groups, with source types relevant for those groups. Online resources involve complex programming and large data bases, such as censuses. Genealogists use

9514-574: The belief in a Godhead composed of God the Father , his son, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Ghost as three separate persons who share a unity of purpose or will; however, they are viewed as three distinct beings. This is in contrast with the predominant Christian view, which holds that God is a Trinity of three distinct persons in one essence . The Latter-day Saint conception of the Godhead is similar to what contemporary Christian theologians call social trinitarianism . The church also believes that God

9648-486: The bonds of matrimony", and that successful marriages and happy families are most likely established when founded upon the teachings of Jesus Christ. The proclamation also promotes specific roles essential to maintaining the strength of the family unit—the traditional roles of a husband and father as the family's breadwinner and those of a wife and mother as a nurturing caregiver. It concludes by inviting its audience to "promote those measures designed to maintain and strengthen

9782-432: The center to portray four or five generations, which reflect the natural growth pattern of a tree as seen from the top but sometimes there can be great-great-grandparents or more. In a descendant tree, living relatives are common on the outer branches and contemporary cousins appear adjacent to each other. Privacy should be considered when preparing a living family tree. The image of the tree probably originated with that of

9916-468: The church as the Church of Christ , on April 6, 1830, in western New York ; the church's name was later changed to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. Initial converts were drawn to the church in part because of the newly published Book of Mormon , a self-described chronicle of Indigenous American prophets that Smith said he had translated from golden plates . Smith intended to establish

10050-559: The church began in earnest around this time, with missionaries being sent off to the Sandwich Islands (present-day Hawaii ), India , Chile , Australia , China , South Africa , and all over Europe. Young incorporated the LDS Church as a legal entity, and initially governed both the church and the state as a theocratic leader. He also publicized the practice of plural marriage in 1852. Modern research suggests that around 20 percent of Mormon families may have participated in

10184-610: The church flourished in Kirtland as Smith published new revelations and the church built the Kirtland Temple , culminating in a dedication of the building similar to the day of Pentecost . The Kirtland era ended in 1838, after a financial scandal rocked the church and caused widespread defections. Smith regrouped with the remaining church in Far West, Missouri , but tensions soon escalated into violent conflicts with

10318-497: The church has responded to various challenges to its doctrine and authority. Challenges have included rising secularization , challenges to the correctness of the translation of the Book of Abraham , and primary documents forged by Mark Hofmann purporting to contradict important aspects of official early church history. The church's positions regarding women , Black people , and homosexuality have all been publicly criticized during this timeframe. LDS Church theology includes

10452-418: The church in tithing . The church teaches ordinances through which adherents make covenants with God, including baptism , confirmation , the sacrament , priesthood ordination, endowment and celestial marriage . Members of the church, known as Latter-day Saints or informally as Mormons , believe that the church president is a modern-day " prophet, seer, and revelator " and that Jesus Christ, under

10586-518: The church include confirmation , the sacrament (analogous to the Eucharist or holy communion), and priesthood ordination. The LDS Church asks its members to adhere to a dietary code called the Word of Wisdom, in which they abstain from the consumption of alcohol, coffee, tea, tobacco, and illicit or harmful substances. The Word of Wisdom also encourages the consumption of herbs and grains along with

10720-501: The church is headquartered in Salt Lake City , Utah, and has established congregations and built temples worldwide. According to the church, as of 2023, it has over 17.2 million members of which over 6.8 million live in the U.S . The church also reports over 99,000 volunteer missionaries and 350 temples . The church was founded as the Church of Christ in western New York , in 1830 by Smith. Under his leadership,

10854-424: The church itself. The physical establishment of the church by Smith in 1830 is seen as simply the reestablishment of the same primitive church that existed under Jesus and his Apostles. Similarly, the church teaches that Jesus leads the church presently through its apostles and prophets, especially its current president. The LDS Church shares various teachings with other branches of Christianity. These include

10988-425: The church teaches this atonement began in the garden of Gethsemane and continued to his crucifixion (rather than the orthodox belief that the crucifixion alone was the physical atonement). The church also teaches that Jesus appeared to other peoples after his death, including spirits of the dead in the spirit world, and Indigenous Americans. The church also teaches that Jesus is the true founder and leader of

11122-567: The church uses the Authorized King James Version . Two extended portions of the Joseph Smith Translation of the Bible have been canonized and are thus considered authoritative. Additionally, over 600 of the more doctrinally significant verses from the translation are included as excerpts in the current LDS Church edition of the Bible. Other revelations from Smith are found in the D&C, and in

11256-515: The church was a major sponsor of Scouting programs for boys, particularly in the United States. The LDS Church was the largest chartered organization in the Boy Scouts of America , but in 2020, the church ended its relationship with the BSA and began an alternate, religion-centered youth program, which replaced all other youth programs. During the second half of the 20th century and early 21st,

11390-665: The church's headquarters moved successively to Ohio , Missouri , and Illinois . After Smith's 1844 death and a resultant succession crisis , the majority of his followers sided with Brigham Young , who led the church to its current headquarters in Salt Lake City. Young and his successors continued the church's growth, first throughout the Intermountain West , and more recently as a national and international organization. The church has been criticized throughout its history. Modern criticism includes disputes over

11524-432: The church's historical claims, treatment of minorities, and finances . The church's practice of polygamy was controversial until it was curtailed in 1890 and officially rescinded in 1904 . Church theology is restorationist and nontrinitarian ; the church strongly identifies as Christian including a belief in the doctrine of salvation through Jesus Christ and his substitutionary atonement on behalf of mankind. It

11658-443: The church, an ordinance is a sacred rite or ceremony that has spiritual and symbolic meanings, and acts as a means of conveying divine grace . Ordinances are physical acts which signify or symbolize an underlying spiritual act; for some ordinances, the spiritual act is the finalization of a covenant between the ordinance recipient and God . Ordinances are generally performed under priesthood authority. The ordinance of baptism

11792-596: The church. In any case, modern declarations with broad doctrinal implications are often issued by joint statement of the First Presidency ; they may be joined by the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles as well. Church members believe Joseph Smith was the first modern-day prophet. Normally, the Prophet and two other ordained apostles he chooses as counselors form the First Presidency, the presiding body of

11926-417: The church. Women are not ordained to the priesthood but occupy leadership roles in some church organizations . Both men and women may serve as missionaries . The church maintains a large missionary program that proselytizes and conducts humanitarian services worldwide. The church also funds and participates in humanitarian projects independent of its missionary efforts. Joseph Smith formally organized

12060-401: The church; twelve other apostles form the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. When a president dies, his successor is chosen from the remaining apostles, and is invariably the longest-tenured of the group. Apostles are chosen by the church president after the death of an existing apostle. Following the death of church president Thomas S. Monson on January 2, 2018, senior apostle Russell M. Nelson

12194-444: The dead . The church teaches that all will have the opportunity to hear and accept or reject the gospel of Jesus Christ, either in this life or the next. Within church cosmology, the fall of Adam and Eve is seen positively. The church teaches that it was essential to allow humankind to experience separation from God, to exercise full agency in making decisions for their own happiness. The LDS Church teaches that, subsequent to

12328-438: The death of Jesus and his original apostles, his church, along with the authority to act in Jesus Christ's name and the church's attendant spiritual gifts, were lost , due to a combination of external persecutions and internal heresies. The "Restoration"—as begun by Joseph Smith and embodied in the church itself—refers to a return of the authentic priesthood power, spiritual gifts , ordinances, living prophets and revelation of

12462-596: The denomination a Restorationist church, a new religious movement , and a potential world religion . The church has become a strong proponent of the nuclear family and at times played a prominent role in political matters, including opposition to MX Peacekeeper missile bases in Utah and Nevada , the Equal Rights Amendment , legalized gambling, same-sex marriage , and physician-assisted death . A number of official changes have taken place to

12596-410: The direction of God the Father , leads the church by revealing his will and delegating his priesthood keys to its president. The president heads a hierarchical structure descending from areas to stakes and wards . The church has a volunteer clergy at the local and regional levels; wards are led by bishops . Male members may be ordained to the priesthood , provided they are living the standards of

12730-399: The doctrines of a pre-existence , an earthly mortal existence, three degrees of heaven and exaltation. According to these doctrines, every human spirit is a spiritual child of a Heavenly Father and each has the potential to continue to learn, grow, and progress in the eternities, eventually achieving eternal life, which is to become one with God in the same way that Jesus Christ is one with

12864-430: The early 2000s. The Internet has become a major source not only of data for genealogists but also of education and communication. Some notable places where traditional genealogy records are kept include Hindu genealogy registers at Haridwar (Uttarakhand) , Varanasi and Allahabad ( Uttar Pradesh ), Kurukshetra (Haryana) , Trimbakeshwar ( Maharashtra ), and Chintpurni ( Himachal Pradesh ). Genealogical research in

12998-484: The events that occurred in their lives. As a rule, genealogists begin with the present and work backwards in time. Historical, social, and family context is essential to achieving correct identification of individuals and relationships. Source citation is also important when conducting genealogical research. To keep track of collected material, family group sheets and pedigree charts are used. Formerly handwritten, these can now be generated by genealogical software. Because

13132-447: The family as the fundamental unit of society". Senior church leaders have continued to emphasize conservative teachings on marriage and gender to the present time. LDS Church members are encouraged to set aside one evening each week, typically Monday, to spend together in " Family Home Evening " (FHE), which typically consists of gathering as a family to study the faith's gospel principles, and other family activities. Daily family prayer

13266-663: The family traced their descent back to the House of David . The genealogy of Ancient Egyptian ruling dynasties was recorded from the beginnings of the Pharaonic era c.  3000 BC to the end of the Ptolomaic Kingdom ; although this is not a record of one continuously linked family lineage, and surviving records are incomplete. Elsewhere in Africa, oral traditions of genealogical recording predominate. Members of

13400-824: The first millennium BC; with claimed or mythological origins reaching back further. Roman clan and family lineages played an important part in the structure of their society and were the basis of their intricate system of personal names. However, there was a break in the continuity of record-keeping at the end of Classical Antiquity . Records of the lines of succession of the Popes and the Eastern Roman Emperors through this transitional period have survived, but these are not continuous genealogical histories of single families. Refer to descent from antiquity . Many noble and aristocratic families of European and West Asian origin can reliably trace their ancestry back as far as

13534-511: The forbidding of coffee, tea, tobacco, and alcohol, but not the other guidelines concerning meat, grains, and herbs. In 2019, the church further clarified through its New Era magazine that the usage of marijuana and opioids is prohibited except as prescribed by a competent physician for medical purposes. Church members are expected to follow a moral code called the law of chastity, which prohibits adultery , homosexual behavior, and sexual relations before or outside of marriage. As part of

13668-413: The generations. Apart from the subject or proband , who can be male or female, all even-numbered persons are male, and all odd-numbered persons are female. In this scheme , the number of any person's father is double the person's number, and a person's mother is double the person's number plus one. This system can also be displayed as a tree: A fan chart features a half circle chart with concentric rings:

13802-404: The group. Genealogists and family historians often join family history societies , where novices can learn from more experienced researchers. Such societies generally serve a specific geographical area. Their members may also index records to make them more accessible or engage in advocacy and other efforts to preserve public records and cemeteries. Some schools engage students in such projects as

13936-512: The import of digital photographs and the export of data in the GEDCOM format (short for GEnealogical Data COMmunication) so that data can be shared with those using other genealogy software. More advanced features include the ability to restrict the information that is shared, usually by removing information about living people out of privacy concerns; the import of sound files; the generation of family history books, web pages and other publications;

14070-564: The importance of a heterosexual, nuclear family. The proclamation defined marriage as a union between one man and one woman and stated that the family unit is "central to the Creator's plan for the eternal destiny of His children." The document further says that " gender is an essential characteristic of individual premortal , mortal, and eternal identity and purpose," that the father and mother have differing roles as "equal partners" in raising children, that "children are entitled to birth within

14204-482: The indexes, either online or off. These indexes can be used as finding aids to locate original records. Other projects transcribe or abstract records. Offering record lookups for particular geographic areas is another common service. Volunteers do record lookups or take photos in their home areas for researchers who are unable to travel. Those looking for a structured volunteer environment can join one of thousands of genealogical societies worldwide. Most societies have

14338-520: The indexing process. Since 2006, the microfilm in the FamilySearch granite mountain vault is in the process of being digitally scanned, available online, and eventually indexed. For example, after the 72-year legal limit for releasing personal information for the United States Census was reached in 2012, genealogical groups cooperated to index the 132 million residents registered in the 1940 United States Census . Between 2006 and 2012,

14472-434: The law of chastity, the church strongly opposes pornography, and considers masturbation an immoral act. Law of chastity violations can be grounds for church discipline ; resulting penalties may include having access to the temple and sacrament revoked, as well as excommunication. The church discourages romantic dating until around the age of 16. Church members are expected to donate one-tenth of their income to support

14606-457: The left and his or her ancestors appear to the right. Conversely, a descendant chart, which depicts all the descendants of an individual, will be narrowest at the top. Beyond these formats, some family trees might include all members of a particular surname (e.g., male-line descendants). Yet another approach is to include all holders of a certain office, such as the Kings of Germany , which represents

14740-1108: The like. The pursuit of family history and origins tends to be shaped by several motives, including the desire to carve out a place for one's family in the larger historical picture, a sense of responsibility to preserve the past for future generations , and self-satisfaction in accurate storytelling. Genealogy research is also performed for scholarly or forensic purposes, or to trace legal next of kin to inherit under intestacy laws. Amateur genealogists typically pursue their own ancestry and that of their spouses. Professional genealogists may also conduct research for others, publish books on genealogical methods, teach, or produce their own databases. They may work for companies that provide software or produce materials of use to other professionals and to amateurs. Both try to understand not just where and when people lived but also their lifestyles, biographies, and motivations. This often requires—or leads to—knowledge of antiquated laws, old political boundaries, migration trends, and historical socioeconomic or religious conditions. Genealogists sometimes specialize in

14874-474: The literal Son of God and Messiah , his crucifixion as a conclusion of a sin offering , and his subsequent resurrection . However, Latter-day Saints reject the ecumenical creeds and the definition of the Trinity . Jesus is also seen as the elder brother of all who live in this world. The church teaches that Jesus performed a substitutionary atonement ; in contrast with other Christian denominations,

15008-508: The mid to late first millennium AD; some claiming undocumented descent from Classical Antiquity or mythological ancestors. In Europe, for example, the pedigree of Niall Noígíallach would be a contender for the longest, through Conn of the Hundred Battles ( fl. 123 AD) ; in the legendary history of Ireland, he is further descended from Breogán , and ultimately from Adam, through the sons of Noah. Another very old and extensive tree

15142-590: The mid-17th century. Perhaps the most outstanding example of this genre is Leabhar na nGenealach / The Great Book of Irish Genealogies , by Dubhaltach MacFhirbhisigh (d. 1671), published in 2004. The LDS Church has engaged in large-scale microfilming of records of genealogical value. Its Family History Library in Salt Lake City, Utah, houses over 2 million microfiche and microfilms of genealogically relevant material, which are also available for on-site research at over 4,500 Family History Centers worldwide. FamilySearch 's website includes many resources for genealogists:

15276-445: The moderate consumption of meat. When Joseph Smith published the Word of Wisdom in 1833, it was considered only advice; violation did not restrict church membership. During the 1890s, though, church leaders started emphasizing the Word of Wisdom more. In 1921, church president Heber J. Grant made obeying the Word of Wisdom a requirement to engage in worship inside of the faith's temples. From that time, church leadership has emphasized

15410-496: The names, occupations, and other information about family members, with some books dating back hundreds or even thousands of years. In the eastern Indian state of Bihar , there is a written tradition of genealogical records among Maithil Brahmins and Karna Kayasthas called " Panjis ", dating to the 12th century CE. Even today these records are consulted prior to marriages. In Ireland, genealogical records were recorded by professional families of senchaidh (historians) until as late as

15544-470: The oldest-known living families in the world today. Family trees and representations of lineages are also important in religious traditions. The biblical genealogies of Jesus also claim descent from the House of David, covering a period of approximately 1000 years. In the Torah and Old Testament, genealogies are provided for many biblical persons, including a record of the descendants of Adam. Also according to

15678-736: The operations of the church. After initially relying on a communal lifestyle known as the law of consecration throughout most of the 1830s, the church created the law of tithing in July 1838 when the membership was concentrated in Missouri . Church members would frequently tithe by giving ten percent of their livestock and produce; nowadays donations are generally done with money. Annual donations were estimated to total $ 7 billion to $ 33 billion USD donated in 2012 (equivalent to $ 9.3 billion to $ 43.8 billion in 2023 ). To qualify for participation in temple ordinances (which Latter-day Saints believe are necessary for their salvation), paying

15812-436: The organization during the modern era. In 1978, the church reversed its previous policy of excluding Black men of African descent from the priesthood, which had been in place since 1852; members of all races can now be ordained to the priesthood. Also, since the early 1900s, the church has instituted a Priesthood Correlation Program to centralize church operations and bring them under a hierarchy of priesthood leaders. During

15946-469: The practice. By 1857, tensions had again escalated between Mormons and other Americans, largely as a result of accusations involving polygamy and the theocratic rule of the Utah Territory by Young. The Utah Mormon War ensued from 1857 to 1858, which resulted in the relatively peaceful invasion of Utah by the United States Army . The most notable instance of violence during this conflict was

16080-626: The preservation of public records. NEHGS publishes the New England Historical and Genealogical Register. The Genealogical Society of Utah , founded in 1894, later became the Family History Department of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints . The department's research facility, the Family History Library , which Utah.com claims as "the largest genealogical library in the world",

16214-637: The presidencies of the Relief Society, Young Women, and Primary, while men serve as presidents and counselors of the Sunday School and Young Men. The church and its members consider marriage and family highly important, with emphasis placed on large, nuclear families. In 1995, the church's First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve issued " The Family: A Proclamation to the World ", which asserts

16348-502: The reliance on marriage to link dynasties together. The passage of time can also be included to illustrate ancestry and descent. A time scale is often used, expanding radially across the center, divided into decades. Children of the parent form branches around the center and their names are plotted in their birth year on the time scale. Spouses' names join children's names and nuclear families of parents and children branch off to grandchildren, and so on. Great-grandparents are often in

16482-619: The resilience of families that survived generations of poverty or slavery, or the success of families in integrating across racial or national boundaries. Some family histories even emphasize links to celebrity criminals, such as the bushranger Ned Kelly in Australia. Lawyers involved in probate cases do genealogy to locate heirs of property. Detectives may perform genealogical research using DNA evidence to identify victims of homicides or perpetrators of crimes. Historians and geneticists may carry out genealogical research to gain

16616-498: The ruling dynasties of China, but these do not form a single, unified family tree. Additionally, it is unclear at which point(s) the most ancient historical figures named become mythological. In Japan, the ancestry of the Imperial Family is traced back to the mythological origins of Japan. The connection to persons from the established historical record only begins in the mid-first millennium AD. The longest family tree in

16750-474: The subject is the inner circle, the second circle is divided in two (each side is one parent), the third circle is divided in four, and so forth. Fan charts depict paternal and maternal ancestors. While family trees are depicted as trees, family relations do not in general form a tree in the strict sense used in graph theory , since distant relatives can mate. Therefore, a person can have a common ancestor on both their mother's and father's side. However, because

16884-554: The television broadcast of Roots: The Saga of an American Family by Alex Haley . His account of his family's descent from the African tribesman Kunta Kinte inspired many others to study their own lines. With the advent of the Internet , the number of resources readily accessible to genealogists has vastly increased, fostering an explosion of interest in the topic. Genealogy on the internet became increasingly popular starting in

17018-512: The world is that of the Chinese philosopher and educator Confucius (551–479 BC), who is descended from King Tang (1675–1646 BC). The tree spans more than 80 generations from him and includes more than 2 million members. An international effort involving more than 450 branches around the world was started in 1998 to retrace and revise this family tree. A new edition of the Confucius genealogy

17152-564: Was admitted as a U.S. state in 1896. Relations further improved after 1904, when church president Joseph F. Smith again disavowed polygamy before the United States Congress and issued a " Second Manifesto ", calling for all plural marriages in the church to cease. Eventually, the church adopted a policy of excommunicating its members found practicing polygamy. Some fundamentalist groups with relatively small memberships have broken off and continue to practice polygamy, but

17286-543: Was announced as president on January 16. The general authorities of the church consist of the First Presidency, Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, first two Quorums of Seventy and the Presiding Bishopric . And under the leadership of the general officers are five organizations: the Relief Society , Sunday School , Young Women , Young Men , and Primary . Women serve as presidents and counselors in

17420-777: Was considered black. It was codified into the law of some States (e.g. the Racial Integrity Act of 1924 ) to reinforce racial segregation. Genealogy was also used in Nazi Germany to determine whether a person was considered a "Jew" or a "Mischling" ( Mischling Test ), and whether a person was considered as "Aryan" ( Ahnenpass ). Hereditary emperors, kings and chiefs in several areas have long claimed descent from gods (thus establishing divine legitimacy). Court genealogists have preserved or invented appropriate genealogical pretensions - for example in Japan , Polynesia , and

17554-448: Was established to assist in tracing family lineages for special religious ceremonies which Latter-day Saints believe will seal family units together for eternity. Latter-day Saints believe that this fulfilled a biblical prophecy stating that the prophet Elijah would return to "turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers." There is a network of church-operated Family History Centers all over

17688-461: Was not a valid defense to prosecutions for violating state laws against polygamy. Conflict between Mormons and the U.S. government escalated to the point that, in 1890, Congress disincorporated the LDS Church and seized most of its assets. Soon thereafter, Woodruff issued a manifesto that officially suspended the performance of new polygamous marriages in the United States. Relations with the United States markedly improved after 1890, such that Utah

17822-583: Was printed in September 2009 by the Confucius Genealogy Compilation Committee , to coincide with the 2560th anniversary of the birth of the Chinese thinker. This latest edition was expected to include some 1.3 million living members who are scattered around the world today. Before the Dark Ages , in the Greco-Roman world, some reliable pedigrees dated back perhaps at least as far as the first half of

17956-684: Was the president of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles in the church. Other splinter groups followed other leaders around this time. These groups have no affiliation with the LDS Church, however they share a common heritage in their early church history. Collectively, they are called the Latter Day Saint movement. The largest of these smaller groups is the Community of Christ , based in Independence, Missouri , followed by

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