PAWASHIN-L Archives

From: <>
Subject: [PAWASHIN-L] New LDS Site Coming
Date: Thu, 4 Feb 1999 07:31:48 EST

Hi Group,
I received the following from a surname group I belong to and thought it to be
exciting enought to share with you'all.
Pat-Norfolk, VA

According to a news posting which can be viewed at

http://newsnet.byu.edu/noframes/show_story.cfm?number=8836

".....LDS Church to go online with family history Web site

By KATIE PARKER



NewsNet Staff Writer

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

----

The Family History Department of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day

Saints is working to make genealogical files accessible from a family

history Web site.

Elaine Hasleton, a public affairs representative from the Family History

Center in the Joseph Smith Memorial Building, said the Web site is in its

developmental stages.

The project is underway, however Hasleton said no set completion date has

been given.

The ancestral files of the LDS Church will most likely be accessible from

the site, said Craig Foster, a spokesman for the family history center's

public affairs projects.

Foster said the details of what other files and information will be

accessible from the site is not final.

"We are all excited about the future for family history," said Jana

Darrington, 21, a senior from Mesa, Ariz., majoring in family history.

"Making a Web site for family history seems like a logical thing for the LDS

Church to do ... It would be a dream to be able to work out of my home. I

can work for as long as I want, whenever I want."

-- Lynda Cameron, Provo, regular HBLL Family History Center patron

As the department assistant for the Harold B. Lee Library's family history

department, Darrington said many people have asked about the possibility of

family history files going online.

"This will make things much more available for the patrons and make

genealogy work widely known," she said.

Darrington expects the number of people going to family history centers to

naturally decline once the files become available from home.

"But I'm sure the elderly who don't feel comfortable using the Internet will

still make use of the facilities," Darrington said.

Lynda Cameron of Provo visits the HBLL Family History Center at least once a

week, sometimes more.

"Making a Web site for family history seems like a logical thing for the LDS

Church to do," Cameron said.

Cameron is originally from Australia, where her father, Keith Williams,

still resides. She said they are both working on genealogy for their family

continents apart.

"This will really open information up for my father and make things more

available for everyone," Cameron said. "It would be a dream to be able to

work out of my home. I can work for as long as I want, whenever I want."

Darrington also mentioned that this new project with family history will

introduce many non-members to the LDS Church.

"There are many people who work on family history that are not Mormon," she

said.

Many of them already use LDS family history departments, and with the future

Web site many more will become familiar with the LDS Church, Darrington

said.

This story was posted on Tuesday, February 2 1999 ) NewsNet. All rights

reserved.

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