Posted by:
Amyjo
(
)
Date: January 12, 2017 06:13PM
Before embarking on my vacation to Utah, I phoned ahead doing some family research. Was invited to visit the local temple where I was instructed to ask for someone by name, who would let me peruse the family history kept there of early pioneers.
To my surprise and dismay, that was misinformation. She did meet with me, and then sent in a temple elder who was over her to tell me that I would not be allowed to look at their family history records on file there (you know the old song and dance: that "It's sacred, not secret.")
He also said they'd look over the pioneer stories they had and let me know if my ancestors were mentioned. He would of course need to get the temple president's permission to do this.
I waited app 1/2 hour, when he returned and gave me a one page pioneer bio of some person who was maybe related to my family tree, but not a direct ancestor. I thanked him for his assistance, we chatted a bit, and I left.
So.. family history of the early pioneers on file at the local temple is private property of the church. If there are descendants of any of those pioneers, we would be none the wiser and unable to access these records - because we aren't LDS, or temple recommend holding LDS.
Isn't history of our ancestors something that should be inviolate, and belong to whoever is a part of that family tree? Or say a historian wanting to learn more of the local pioneer history? Why should it be limited only to TR and temple only property? The church accesses resources the world over to feed its family history library and archives.
Maybe why when I waited and waited for said results, a heaviness settled over me in that stuffy setting. And I heard C-U-L-T cry out from the walls, ceilings, and corridors in the emptiness of the space there. It's a sad day when a person can't even research their family history among the journals of early pioneers because it's "off limits."