Genealogy Chat

Joseanne The LDS site is fine as long as you stick to extracted records - and check them. Personally, I wouldnt waste a second of my time on submitted records, after my first horrendous experience - my ancestor giving birth aged 90, having 45 children, marrying her own son five years before he was born...in my excitement I did not spot the flaws for quite a long time! Its a shame really, because I expect there are lots of people who have done careful research..its just too hard to spot who they are, in my opinion. OC

I don't trust the LDS site, had two many wild goose chases when I started. Soon cottoned onto the fact that extracted info seemed to match up to the transcripts I had seen, but the church member or family member often didn't.

I always take any information that is on the IGI, either extracted or subitted and use it as a starting point for my OWN research. I'm very lucky in that most of the IGI entries I have found are extracted ... and after more research of the actual parish records, I have found them to be correct. Also, on the very few ( 4 I think ) submitted entries that I found, 2 were 100% correct, one I can not find anywhere ... and the 4th was out by just 3 days .... but then I checked the other 2 entries on the same page against the IGI and it appears that the transcriber had forgotten to change the 'date' for the entry, which is excusable. Use the info given, check it and work with it. If it's good enough, then you should be able to trace back this way to living members or other people doing the same FT. Good Luck. Elaine ;-)

Katarzyna . You said 'If the record is an extracted one from Parish Records, check it hasn't been mistranscribed. If submitted by a member only use it as a guide. Check, check and recheck, take nothing as face value. The IGI is great for finding possibilities but not as a reliable or primary source.' ================== AND the LDS Church would agre with you on these points. There is the possibility of mistranscribing the document as well as inputting the incorrect information. You only have to look at Ancestry for many examples. LDS members are encouraged to see & check the originl documents to verify the information. Alan

There are thousands of very dubious entries on IGI I don't think anyone bothers to check at all 'Mrs Adams, of Suffolk, about 1812' type of thing Finding submitters is very hit or miss, reasons given by previous posts. If the record is an extracted one from Parish Records, check it hasn't been mistranscribed. If submitted by a member only use it as a guide. Check, check and recheck, take nothing as face value. The IGI is great for finding possibilities but not as a reliable or primary source. Kat :)

Having checked the entry for BAYLIS I see what the 'problem/query' is and how it resulted. The LDS Church discourages this sort of thing. What do I mean? The use of 'ABOUT' as a date. The date of birth/baptism was calculated from the marriage entry. The Church advises and encourages that ALL avenues are searched before items are submitted. ONLY after this, should the 'ABOUT' date be submitted. When I see 'ABOUT' [as I have done in my research] I know that either they have failed to carry out the correct research or that ALL avenues have been searched.

I ordered a film excitedly not so long ago and when it came it turned out to be stuff that I had submited over 25 years ago when I was an active member of the church!! I would also point out that any addresses you get will likely to be from some time ago and the people concerened probably don't live in the areas anymore. I ahve had several returned letters like that. Also the submitter may have passed on too--that has happened to me as well. I'm afraid it's pot luck with any addresses gleaned from the IGI. I noticed the stuff I had submitted was a little incorrect as well, I now have certs and stuff to verify info which I didn't have back then, and I'm sure that was probably the case with lots of people.

I have found entries on the IGI that relate to my husbands famliy tree and found out that he had distant relatives in Cedar Springs entry was OK I found some for my ancestors in Guernsey wrote to the address of the submitter who wrote back saying they were no relation and didn't know how their name had got on there. Wrote to a lady in Australia about another branch of the family she wrote back and said that she had submitted details of her ancestors but she had nothing to do with the family I was asking about There are some entries for my husbands Gt grandparents and their children these have been submitted by a member of the church and seem to have been estimated only 2 of the baptisms are correct I always try to check the copies of the original records whrer possible as these are more reliable Bren

I found some members of what I think was an ancestors extended family on the IGI as a mormon sealing of the dead. I wonder if you could tell me what that means. The information said that details would only be released to a direct descendent. I am not sure who they have sealed to know if I have a direct anscestor but the details comming up were the right surname Cleverley which is quite unusual in these parts in the right small village South Stoke near Bath.

Hello Maud Just to say that I did find and meet the people (hubbies side of family) who had entered details on IGI, luckily I was in Utah at the time and found details on film in library there. Also a very helpful member of the staff smoothed my passage and within two days met many of hubbies gggrandmothers daughters and families who lived in Salt Lake City. Hope you have the same luck. Cheers Frances

Hi there. There are several points I would like to correct but befor I do so, I would say regarding any record submitted by a member of the LDS Church AFTER 1991, the submitters details would not be given to anyone due to confidentiality. Several of my ancestors have been submitted post 1991 and I cannot find details of the submitter. It is unfortunate that the incorrect information was given [as was in several of mine] but the info will not be corrected on the IGI, you can correct in in an Ancesrtry File. The info re submitter is rarely on the film unless pre 1991 and then not on all films Family History and Tithing are two SEPERATE things. NO LDS member tithes their time to Family History. To do so, would mean they would have to spend on an average 2 hours 44 minutes a day on Family History or 10% of their working week to the subject. LDS are advised to compile their FH but some do, some do not. Their is a VAST difference in Genealogy and FH. To an LDS member, it is NOT just a case of collecting names/dates but also as much info on the person's personal life. After that, any info gleaned is added to their Book of Rememberance which is a history of the family compiled for future generations. All LDS members are encouraged to compile a Daily Journal which is to be handed down from generation to generation.

Maud Don't forget that as this person is a member of the Mormon Church, they have a religious duty to enter their ancestors on the IGI. But they may not have the slightest interest in genealogy! Good luck though Olde Crone

Thank you for the replies, as you point out, the person may not be related, still it is worth a try just in case. The information was not in the IGI, I had checked, except for baptism of Francis, I got the information direct from Buckingham Record Office also that of my gt gt grandmother, my cousins had searched for some years but I got it when contacting the record office, so it looks as though there were little extractions from Tingewick in Buckingham. This gives me hope that the submitter MAY be connected It seems a bit complicated to try and find them though!

Re the IGI. As someone else suggested go into the nearest Family History Centre and get the appropriate film ordered and sent there. They will let you know when it arrives (It's been a while since I did this) Check the dates of your family if they are different and if you know for sure of discrepancies get the correct details sent on for submission so it can be put up on the IGI then others can find the correct details. The more details the better. From memory after a certain date on the IGI they don't list who submitted the names. And yes many people are actually related to the people's names that they submit to the IGI. But then again, there are non member who give permission for their family names to be sent also. It's a bit of pot luck really.

I contacted a 'submitter' who lived in Utah regarding several of my family names that he had transcribed and asked how he was related. His reply was NONE! Apparently Mormons transcribe the films as a tithe to their church so it is more than likely yours is also not related. Some of the information on the Mormon site is submitted by people like you and I who have researched their own trees and placed the information on LDS. In those cases you have to remember that the info is only as good as the research done and not necessarily checked out and correct. If some of the films are as legible as the census sheets it's not surprising that they are mistranscribed.

Don't want to dampen your enthusiasm, but I managed to contact a submitter - turned out they weren't related at all. They were 'researching'/submitting records of a surname and one member of their family had a sister who married a man whose relative married into the same family as one of mine married into! It took some time to track them down too - as already suggested, this lady had moved house since she made her submission and had to be traced through Church Elders. I had worked myself up into great excitement during the whole process too! Jay

Thank you for these suggestions so far, will have a try and see what transpires, thank you

If you order out the film at a LDS centre I believe the submission paper (inc a name and address for the submitter) should be on the film. This is what I was told by a lady at an LDS centre. I didn't do it in the end though, so no first-hand experience. The address may well be out of date though.....! Merry

You can contact the Mormons through the tabs on the site cant you?

Can anyone offer a suggestion re my query. I have found my 4 times gt grandparents FRANCIS BAYLISS and LUCY MILLS entered on the IGI by a Church memnber after 1991, unfortunately no info is available re the submitter, this person has given the date (incorrect) of the baptism for Francis, I have from the Buckingham parish records his baptisdm as 1764. the IGI entry gives 1766, the death for Lucy is given (I had not yet found this) as 1828. From the parish records I know he remarried in 1828 to Elizabeth Harvey. This obviously could mean that out there somewhere is another descendant who shares my gggg grandpareents I would love to know who it is and contact them. Does anyone have a suggestion as to how I could trace them, perhaps an LDS Church member will see this and hopefully advise me? It is very frustrating that there is someone out there who could share my family tree, if only I could contact them....