“Avoid Rejection: Be a Happy Genealogist,” Ensign, Nov. 1973, 34
Avoid Rejection:
Be a Happy Genealogist
At least eight out of every hundred sheets received by the Genealogical Society for temple ordinance work are rejected immediately, because the forms have not been filled out correctly for processing. Of every 100 sheets accepted, 52 will be cleared for processing for endowments to be performed and 25 will be cleared for sealing of wife to husband, but most of the others will be rejected.
In a study made in 1971 and another repeated in 1972, forms were rejected for the following reasons:
|
1971 |
1972 | |
|---|---|---|
|
Wrong form used |
22% |
15.6% |
|
No death date or too recent entry |
16% |
12.5% |
|
Locality insufficient |
16% |
12.5% |
|
Date missing |
12% |
7.1% |
|
Direct relationship not shown |
12% |
8.2% |
|
Source missing or unacceptable |
8% |
8.7% |
|
Already included in controlled extraction program |
7% |
12.5% |
|
Minimum identification for sealing not met |
6% |
5.3% |
|
State or province of birth missing in census |
4% |
0.5% |
|
Specific relationship for last 95 years not shown |
3% |
1.5% |
|
Family records not acceptable |
3% |
2.0% |
|
Document dates, places, and multiple sources not acceptable |
3% |
0.8% |
|
Unacceptable calculated date |
3% |
3.8% |
|
Child under 8 has no death dates for parents |
2.0% | |
|
Pencil, colored ink, etc., not acceptable |
1% |
2.0% |
|
Indexes, archive records, and unoriginal sources not acceptable |
1.5% | |
|
Given name and sex missing |
1.5% | |
|
(Note: for more details on reasons for rejections, see Records Submission Manual, 4th ed., pp. 37–43.) | ||
These figures do not include the duplications undiscovered until after the sheets have entered the system. A “duplicate” is an entry that is recognized either from the Temple Records Index Bureau (TIB) check or from the computer mass file as the same individual for whom ordinances have already been performed. Currently, about 21 percent of all names accepted are later rejected as duplicates.
When filling out a submission form, the first thing a person should do is survey his pedigree line—his direct ancestors and their children—to learn what temple work has been done. If a person lives near Salt Lake City, he can check whether the archives section in the Genealogical Society Library has this information. If this proves unfruitful or if one does not live near Salt Lake City, he can submit a TIB (Temple Index Bureau) request form that will provide the patron with a copy of the index card showing the identifying information on the ancestor, the date that the endowment was performed, and whether it was performed by the person while he was living or if it was done by proxy after his death. Sometimes, but not always, the TIB card shows the baptism date and the sealing dates.
If a copy of an index card is already in possession of the family, another copy should not be requested.
TIB request forms (General Church Distribution Center Catalog no. PBGS0073) may be obtained from the high priests group leader in the ward. Instructions for their use are found in chapters 4 and 9 of the genealogy lesson manual, Family Exaltation and You, and in research paper, series F, no. 2, “A Brief Guide to the Temple Records Index Bureau,” prepared by the Genealogical Society. This paper and others in the F series (no. 1, “LDS Records and Research Aids,” and no. 3, “The Genealogical Society’s Controlled Extraction Program”) have recently been updated and enlarged.
All of these aids are available from the General Church Distribution Center and all are described in the brochure, “Enrichment Aids for Genealogy” (catalog no. PXGS005), available at no charge from the distribution center.
The second step to avoid rejection of sheets submitted for temple ordinance work is to study the Records Submission Manual, How to Submit Names for Temple Ordinances, and to learn and apply the rules for submitting the names.
Most of the problems listed above could have been avoided if this manual had been carefully studied and its instruction understood and applied. The new edition of this manual (fourth edition) is available for fifty cents from the General Church Distribution Center, P.O. Box 11627, Salt Lake City, Utah 84111 (catalog no. PBGS0263).
Proper procedures for filling out these sheets are also discussed in the current genealogy class manual, Family Exaltation and You, found in the meetinghouse library. Lessons 5, 6, and 7 explain how to submit names for temple ordinances. The other lessons indicate sources to use for submitting names, and explain the pedigree chart and the use of the family group record form. These lessons also discuss how the Genealogical Society Library, the four-generation program, and use of the Book of Remembrance can work together to help you do your genealogy.
Details for using the entry form and marriage entry form used in most cases for submitting names for temple ordinance work, are described in the article, “Questions and Answers on the Name Tabulation Program,” Ensign, November 1971, p. 46.