Can anyone access this or only LDS members?

If anyone can access it, can they also upload pictures to the website?

A family member found a picture of me from high school there today. I have no idea how it got there.

I would be pissed purple. I would demand to know who did it and that it be removed immediately.

They've got my mother as deceased, but she's not. I live with her.

It seems very nervy to me to post someone else's photo without their permission.

It must be that anyone can access it. A friend who is kindly helping me fill in some genealogy blanks just sent me my birth registration certificate today. I was dismayed to note that it came from Family Search. I've told him before that Mormons do dead baptisms even for nevermos if they get hold of their names. (And I deeply regret giving them my grandparents' names, but I didn't mention that to him).

Friend had said before oh well if that's what they want to do... I try to tell myself that if nevermos don't care, especially this guy who attends a Christian church, then why should I.

But I do care. I have never told a single soul in my entire IRL universe that I joined the Mormon Church. I would be mortified to have to own up to such an idiotic lapse in judgement. I've never seen my Mormon "friends" since I left the church but now my name is forever recorded inside Mormonism. I maybe wouldn't totally despair about that fact but I absolutely do care if a random outsider can look up my name and find me there. I've managed all this time to keep it as my own unfortunate little secret. Now he thinks he's really helping me by finding my name on that little piece of paper inside their Family Search records. And it's been bugging me severely all day.

I note they spelled my mother's maiden name incorrectly and didn't include her married name or any sibling names. One small comfort I guess.

Unfortunately, it does list my date and place of birth, which are deadly accurate (of course, as I am the idiot who handed over that info to LDS Inc.) and said friend knows that those details are correct.

I don't want to talk to him about it as it may lead to me feeling compelled to tell him why my name is there.

I don't know how it works exactly - but no matter who entered the info it's obvious it's me I think. The surnames are unique so it's hard to pretend it ain't me.

As time goes on, I feel more embarrassed than even before that I joined this church.

However, maybe one bright spot is that many nevermo names are included in their database?

The main part of FamilySearch is still accessible to everyone, but the membership records that they 'hide' through the requirement for the IGI, suggests that they are trying not to disturb Helen Radkey. She's the one investigating the whole Holocaust, and Jewish stuff.

For decades she has found names of Holocaust victims, and other Jewish people, in the baptismal records of the church. Twice (possibly three or more, I can't remember) times she has 'asked' the church not to baptize the Jewish people.

Apparently people do not listen in the LDS church, because they keep doing it. I'll figure that the ordinances are still being done, but 'hidden' behind membership records access.

Like I said later in the thread, I could go to the Ward Clerk's office, and ask them for my membership ID (I bet I am still in there, somewhere), and get access to the records.

If there is anything I find, I can release it to some of the news stations, and newspapers to embarrass the church. Because we all know that everyone has to keep their word, regardless of the situation. Because this is interfaith centered, it can blow up, and rather quickly. But we all know that honesty is a lie in the church.

I haven't done genealogy work in a while, but IIRC, anyone can access Family Search. However specifically Mormon information (i.e. regarding baptisms for the dead) is only available to members. I remember once having access to that, and then at a certain point it was shut down to nonmembers.

Oh, wider access would be good then. Gives me cover.

Summer, my oldest brother died in 2006. When we were kids our family were baptized into the Mormon church. We only stayed with it a year or two, and my brothers and I didn't grow up in it, and never participated in any aspect of the church.

About a week or two after my brother's funeral, I put his name into familysearch, curious to see if I'd find anything on him. Boy, did I! There was a whole record created for him, birth and death dates and places, our parents' names, and records of ordinances that must have been performed posthumously on his behalf in the short time since his death. I don't know if that's kosher though. So the church stuff was accessible at least until the end of 2006.

I have no idea who would have done that, as we had literally nothing to do with the church beyond our childhoods. But my brother had an eclectic interest in a wide variety of topics, and it wouldn't surprise me if he perhaps had a Mormon coworker or acquaintance and had shared about our brief activity. I surmised that someone like that may have jumped on that task. Sitting at my computer in slight shock, all I could say was "vultures!"



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/09/2025 12:21AM by looking in.

Wasn't there a church program involving name extraction?

I never was into family searching or genealogy.

But it wouldn't surprise me if there's hundreds of members perusing death records to upload for church and temple data processing.

I was one of the 'gifted' ones that knew how to read underwater records. I used to work for Ancestry, before it became Ancestry. Like floppy discs early.

I often fell asleep, because I worked from 4 to 2, and then worked at the company (I know who it is, and it's part of Ancestry now, so no worries), and went to work for 8 hours there... I fell asleep frequently. Was quite sad.

I liked that job, but now that the 'big' genealogy thing is over, the place is gone... and so are the floppy discs.

People there researched records, like probate, and land records. However, You got paid more if you could translate harder records. It was fun to read them. I doubt that I'd be able to now.

I would have quit my 4 to 2 job, because of the 'gift', because everyone had a hard time, and I felt appreciated.

As for the name extraction program, it was a sham. Just a ordinance type submitting. What is the point of submitting data, if the Mormons keep saying that it is done. That their genealogy is done.

I've gotta stop talking about me and my experiences. I was a sucker back then.

The Ancestral File was evil. It was so incorrect, and such, the IGI was the same way, when people actually submitted correct records.

Now the IGI is locked, and so are membership records. Sad sad sad.

Oh! I have the strength to go over to the ward clerk on a Sunday, and ask for my membership record. If it's in the system (just in case they never really deleted it, which may be true. Gotta pump those numbers!), I'll be able to get my membership ID, and look around the IGI. Not for old records, but for current records, and to see the makeup of things.



Edited 4 time(s). Last edit at 01/09/2025 01:45PM by lousyleper.

It's probably via Ancestry or someone who is on Family Search and Ancestry. For a couple of years now, Ancestry has been adding public photos (like yearbooks).

Of course, they could have access through the God of Money.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 01/09/2025 02:24PM by lousyleper.

I've seen the same thing. Typically, its a family member or friend (probably LDS).