Why Can’t I Find the Record I Want?

The Church History Library has hundreds of thousands of records in its collections. Despite our best efforts to collect and preserve diverse and robust records, there are times when we don’t have a document to solve every question our researchers have. Why don’t we have all the records? There are several reasons why you might not find that key document here at the library.

The record was never created.

First, it may be that the records you need were never created. For example, while birth certificates are standard to us now, the state of Utah did not require them by law until 1898. Before that, they simply were not created. Illiteracy, lack of access to record-keeping materials, and a lack of emphasis on official documentation all led to the absence of records.

The record was misplaced, forgotten, or destroyed.

It may be that the records were lost before they could be given to the library. Many records are destroyed by floods, fires, and other disasters. Some records may even still be hiding in your local chapel, waiting to be found and submitted to the Church History Library.

The record is in another institution.

There are many institutions that collect and archive records related to Latter-day Saint history, and the records you seek may be elsewhere—or even divided between multiple locations. Take, for example, the Utah territorial records. Because Brigham Young was the first territorial governor during his tenure as President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, early government records were intermingled with Church records. While some of those records, such as territorial censuses, can be found in the Church History Library’s collections, the Utah State Archives house other records from the territorial period, like court proceedings and assembly records.

This is especially true with the papers of prominent historical Latter-day Saints. For example, collections of materials created by James E. Talmage during his lifetime are preserved at Brigham Young University, the University of Utah, and the Church History Library, since Talmage was associated with all these institutions. In such a case, it can be helpful to consider the individual’s relationship with each organization; since Talmage taught at the University of Utah, it holds many of his academic papers, whereas the Church History Library holds many records related to his ecclesiastical leadership.

Records are retained by family.

Another possibility is that the records were retained as a family heirloom. This is most common with certifications (such as those issued for baptisms, baby blessings, and ordinations), journals, photographs, and mission call letters. Even when such a document relates to official Church business (as with a baptismal certificate), these documents are created solely for the individual concerned, and copies are not sent to Church headquarters.

Information about blessings, baptisms, ordinations, mission calls, and so on is recorded by the Church in formats other than certificates and letters, such as the Church’s digital records. These records are retained by the library, though, so while you probably won’t be able to find a certificate, per se, you may still find the information you are looking for.

The record was created but isn’t accurate or complete.

Finally, it’s possible that the records were created and submitted to the library, but the details you are seeking were not recorded. Many record keepers are in a hurry and only write essential information. Or, perhaps through simple human error, they missed something. Records are only as good as the record keeper.