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The master copies of the more than three million records collected by the
Church are stored in the Granite Mountain storage facility, a massive vault
built literally into a mountainside about 25 miles from downtown Salt Lake City. But you don't have to trek all the way to Utah to use the resources of this
amazing library. The Family History Library has a vast system of over
3,400 branch libraries, known as Family History Centers ("FHCs"
for short), located throughout the world to help people search for the records
of their ancestors. The Family History Centers operate in 64 countries,
and more than 100,000 rolls of microfilm are circulated to the centers each
month. These records include vital, census, land, probate, immigration,
and church records, as well as many other records of genealogical value. The use of any Family History Center is free, and the public is welcome.
Church and community volunteers are on hand to answer questions and lend
assistance. These centers are staffed and funded by local Church congregations
and are usually located in Church buildings. If you are concerned that
someone at a FHC will push their religion on you, then don't be!
The Latter-day Saints believe that families are eternal and encourage
members to identify their deceased ancestors. They wish to share the family
history information they have collected with people of all faiths. Your
religious beliefs will not be an issue, and no missionaries will come to your
door because you used one of their facilities. You can explore many of the resources that your local Family History Center
has available, and locate one near you, from the comfort of your own home.
Join me on an introductory tour of the online FamilySearch Internet Genealogy
Service! Next page > Family Search Internet Genealogy
Service > Page 1, 2, 3,
4
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The
Family History Library in Salt Lake City, Utah, provides
access to the world's largest collection of genealogical records, including the
names of more than 2 billion deceased people. The library, owned and
operated by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, was founded in
1894, to gather genealogical records and assist Church members in tracing
their family histories.
URL: http://genealogy.about.com/library/weekly/aa042400a.htm
© 2000-2001 Kimberly Powell and
About.com.
All Rights Reserved.
Family History Library images © 2000 www.lds.org
