Research Tactics: Lesson 10

Research Tactics: Lesson 10

Great Treasures in Hidden Places (and Brainstorming Session on your ancestors)

Print this Lesson

Introduction

“Behold, the great day of the Lord is at hand; and who can abide the day of his coming, and who can stand when he appeareth? For he is like a refiner’s fire, and like fuller’s soap; and he shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver, and he shall purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer unto the Lord an offering in righteousness. Let us, therefore, as a church and a people, and as Latter-day Saints, offer unto the Lord an offering in righteousness; and let us present in his holy temple, when it is finished, a book containing the records of our dead, which shall be worthy of all acceptation.”
(Doctrine and Covenants 128:24)

When submitting names for temple ordinances, only you can ensure that the information is as accurate and complete as practical. Please take every reasonable step to see that this happens. This will help maintain the integrity of church genealogical files and reduce duplication of temple ordinance work.

Discussion & Theory

Great Treasures in Hidden Places AND Brainstorming Session on your ancestors

When we think of doing research for our ancestors, it has always been important to look for original records such as birth, death and marriage certificates as well as a will or other probate records. Time has shown that many other records exist that can provide information of great value to any research project and fill in the details of the story.

Diaries: Diaries have been kept by many people over a span of many years. Many have been published online or exist in library collections. You may have an ancestor’s diary that has been passed down to another descendant. Look at our links on how to find cousins. Don’t forget to look for the diaries (or journals) of others that were present during historical events that your ancestor experienced.

Journals: Journals including missionary journals are also a real treasure. Many can be found at BYU, transcribed and online. Others can be found in many other libraries and private collections.

Life Stories: Thousands of these are preserved and located in hidden places all over. It is the researchers job to find them. Check for county histories, online at FamilySearch.org, and the library where your ancestor lived. Maybe a long distance cousin has it.

Letters: In years past it was common when writing a letter to someone that another copy was made and kept in a letter book. Letters received were also copied in the letter book. Even if the letters weren’t kept in a letter book, they were often kept and handed down. These treasures are found in hidden places.

Photographs: Try looking for your ancestor on Google Images. It is amazing how many ancestral photographs have been uploaded and then show up on Google images.

Ancestral artifacts: Special family heirlooms are often handed down to descendants. Which of your cousins might hold some real treasures and be willing to share a photo with you?

Other Possibilities

  • Business Records
  • Church Records
  • Criminal Records
  • Genealogical Societies
  • Genealogy Blogs
  • Historical Societies
  • Institutional Records
  • Newspapers
  • Organization Records

Today a Google search on the internet can reveal a host of information to add to the life of an ancestor. It takes a desire to know the rest of the story and continue looking even when you aren’t aware of what you are looking for. Don’t give up, those who make enough noise, in the end will find a great hidden treasures.

Bring to Class This Week

  1. The file for the family you are working on and flash drive for transporting new finds
  2. Optional: Your family computer file to work on in class
  3. Salt Lake County library card

Lesson Materials

Print out or download all of this material

Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints

Ways to Find “Cousins”

Patriots

County Histories and Other Treasures

Fan Chart

Homework for Next Week

  1. Find “show & tell” item used in your home to turn hearts of children to their fathers.
  2. Work on your family
    Remember the Rules
    • Known to the Unknown
    • One Family, One Location at a time
    • Check out What Others Have Done
    • Framework: Census, City Directories
    • Vital Records
    • Land and Probate (and other court records)
    • Military
    • Immigration
    • Great Treasures in Hidden Places
  3. Bring your questions on your family for us to discuss and review.
  4. Bring to class next week a "Show & Tell" item that helps turn the hearts of the children to their fathers.



<< Back to Research Tactics Class


Related

Learning Center

Learning Center

Learning Center

Learning Center

The Right Strategy

The Right Strategy