Mormon Family Genealogical Research

Mormonism teaches that the salvation temple ordinances on behalf of the dead can be performed only once a dead person can be officially identified and specifically named. This official identification process is the primary purpose behind the extensive genealogical research emphasis in the LDS Church.

As one Mormon writer clarifies:” Church members are making every effort to identify every man, woman and child who ever lived on the face of the earth so that baptisms and other ordinances can be performed on their behalf. Until the Millennium, we are seeking out the dead, one name at a time.”

Although many people today develop their genealogies as a hobby or out of a general interest in their past heritage, faithful Mormons instead engage in a rigorous genealogical research routine in order to submit names to the temple so that ordinances for the dead can be officially completed and recorded.