Church History Library Research Tips: Discovering Your Family History in the Form E Reports
Growing up, my father told us that he was baptized on his birthday. He could not recall who baptized him, but he remembered that the bishop came into the Junior Sunday School and arranged for him and his cousin, who had turned eight just a few days earlier, to be baptized that day. According to the story, they all went to the canal and both boys were baptized. Through using the Form E reports, I was able to verify the story my father shared about his baptism. He was indeed baptized on his birthday— August 7, 1938.
Although the Form E report doesn’t include the location, the 1938 report lists the baptisms and confirmations in the Franklin Ward (Idaho) confirming the account. Ronald Jesse Durrant and Thomas Lee Durrant were both baptized on Sunday, August 7, 1938. The ordinances were performed by Wm Earl Durrant, Ronald’s father. Ronald was confirmed by Peter G. Whitehead and Lee by Lavar M Doney.
If you're interested in expanding the research of your Latter-day Saint ancestors, one of the most valuable resources is the collection of Form E, or Annual Genealogical Report, which has been digitized and is available online through the Church History Library in Salt Lake City, Utah. These reports, which date back to 1907, were submitted annually by wards, branches, stakes, and missions of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. If your ancestors were members of the Church, it is likely you’ll be able to find them listed on a Form E. They contain statistical information as well as additional details that may be connected with your ancestor’s key life events.
The annual reports were submitted on standardized forms—Form E for wards and branches in stakes and Form 42-FP for branches in missions, later also called Transcript of Record of Members. Each form included pages for recording births and blessings, baptisms and confirmations, marriages and divorces, missionary service, deaths, and priesthood ordinations. The Annual Genealogical Reports are part of the larger Record of Members, 1836-1970 collection (CR 375 8) and are available to view by request through the Church History Catalog.
For family historians, these reports serve as both event sources and contextual records. They contain direct references to ancestors—such as dates of baptism, church service, marriage, or death—and also offer broader insights into the religious and social life of a unit, revealing the names of those who performed your ancestor’s ordinances and offering insight into the leaders who influenced them. Annual Genealogical Reports can fill in missing pieces of an ancestor's life history and verify dates and places for a more complete history of religious life events.
The records are organized by unit names. To begin your research, you will need to identify the Church unit your ancestor belonged to, and the approximate years they were a member of that unit. Helpful timeline resources may be readily available in the “Sources” section of your ancestor’s FamilySearch Family Tree details page or in your personal records. Suggested sources for discovering and locating your ancestors’ Church unit include the following:
Federal census records
Church census records
City directories
Family histories
Personal knowledge of family members
Diaries, journals, and letters
Accessing the Records
Go to the Record of members collection, 1836–1970 (CR 375 8) in the Church History Catalog.
Select the “Browse Collection” tab and then use the “Collection Contents” finding aid on the left, select the beginning alphabet letter for the unit's name.
Select the alphabetical range the unit falls into.
Select the unit’s name. There may be more than one record set. Look for the “Form E” and open the record.
Click on “Request Digital Access” and fill out the form (You must be logged in to your Church account to see the link).
You will receive an email notification giving permission to access the records and a link that will take you back to the Church History Catalog to access the unit records.
Research Tips
Units in stakes are listed alphabetically.
Units in missions are listed first under the U.S. state or country, then alphabetically by name.
The Annual Genealogical Reports provide Latter-day Saint family historians with valuable insights into significant life events. They are a useful resource for discovering more about an ancestor’s life. These records offer a practical and personal perspective on how individuals progressed along the covenant path within the context of their time and place and allow us to become acquainted with those who shared these events with them.
For assistance accessing these and other records please contact the Church History Library Public Services team via the Ask Us service.