Stake and Family Record Extraction Programs Consolidated

In a recent letter to general and local Church officers, President Howard W. Hunter of the Quorum of the Twelve announced the consolidation of the Stake Record Extraction and Family Record Extraction programs to create a single, simplified organization called Family Record Extraction.

In the past few years, Church members have been involved in two kinds of record extraction. The Stake Record Extraction program, in operation since the 1970s, focused primarily on supplying names for temple ordinances by supplementing names submitted by members. Working at stake or multistake sites, thousands of stake record extraction workers copied from microfilm information and dates from many countries. Data entry workers entered this information into large computers, usually located at regional data entry centers.

Since 1987, a second program, Family Record Extraction, has supplied names for FamilySearch^®, the Church’s system of family history computer programs and files designed to help members identify ancestors and provide temple ordinances for them.

To simplify administration and accomplish more work, the consolidated Family Record Extraction combines the best features of both programs. Most of the names extracted through Family Record Extraction will be entered into the FamilySearch computer system. As needed, names extracted will be submitted to temples. This change in emphasis is a result of many more members’ submitting names to the temple, thus decreasing the need for extracted names. The new emphasis is also consistent with instructions in the new publication, A Member’s Guide to Temple and Family History Work, which states, “As members of the Church, we share the responsibility to provide the saving ordinances of the gospel for all who have lived—first for our own ancestors and then for others.”

The new organization operates on a ward level, led by a ward Family Record Extraction director. The bishop assigns a member of the elders quorum presidency or high priests group leadership to provide supervision and support. Stake leaders provide ward leaders with instructions, training, and records to extract. Ward members, including families, are called by the bishopric to extract the records and/or type information into computers equipped with the Universal Data Entry software. These computers may be in members’ homes or they may be Church-owned computers in the stake, ward, or meetinghouse family history center. The ward Family Record Extraction director submits completed data to the stake extraction director, who forwards it to Church headquarters where it is added to FamilySearch.

Those who have served in the Stake Record Extraction program will notice little change in their work as they continue providing needed expertise and service in this consolidated organization, now under the direction of their ward Family Record Extraction directors. Stakes are given flexibility in determining whether to continue with the same type of records previously extracted. In addition, they can choose to extract several different types of records at one time. Based on the type of records they request, stakes can choose different methods of extraction and data entry, such as extracting and typing information directly from records into computers, writing key information from records onto extraction forms before typing it into computers, and variations of these two methods. Stake leaders should make these adjustments in light of members’ needs and abilities.

Workers enter extraction data. (Photo by Jed Clark.)

Family history work is for everyone. (Photo by Michael McConkie.)