With interest in genealogy at an all-time high, it’s little wonder that two of Salt Lake City’s most popular visitor attractions are the Family Search Center and the Family History Library, free centers for tracing family history that are both operated by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (Mormon Church).
Best suited for those who are just beginning an ancestral search, the Family Search Center, located in the historic Joseph Smith Memorial Building near Temple Square, offers 150 computer work stations available for public use as well as books, microfilm and microfiche to aid in locating ancestors.
Designed for more advanced research, the Family History Library, the largest of its kind in the world, offers a vast array of census records and other genealogical information, including data on 600 million deceased individuals in its International Genealogical Index database. At both facilities, docents are available to help with searches. The vast majority of information concerns individuals who lived before 1930.
Group visits can be arranged to either facility, with advance reservations of at least three months strongly recommended. Group size at the Family History Library is limited to 100 people, while the Family Search Center can accommodate up to 60.
A Salt Lake City-based DMC that arranges roots tours for groups is MeetingsAmerica, which offers visits to the Family Search Center combined with lunch in the building’s Garden Restaurant overlooking Temple Square.
“The Roots Tour is one of our most popular offerings. People love the concept of finding their ancestors,” says LeAnn Bird, vice president of events for MeetingsAmerica. “We first ask them to get the name of an ancestor who would be in the 1930 census. Then they sit down at computers and start searching through the database. Docents are on hand to help.”
If requested, MeetingsAmerica can also arrange visits to the Family History Library for those who are already well along in their ancestral search. No matter which facility is used, Bird says the visits provide lasting value.
“It’s great because people then have the tools to continue their search once they go home,” she says. “This really gets them going.”
For More Info
Family History Library 801.240.2584
www.familysearch.org
Family Search Center 801.240.4085
www.familysearch.org
MeetingsAmerica 801.994.9000
www.meetingsamerica.net
