Temple records sometimes show important clues about Latter-day Saint pioneers and their ancestors that cannot be found in other records. This includes the names, birth dates, and birthplaces of parents, grandparents, and other relatives. You can also verify information about an endowment, sealing to parents, and sealing to spouse. These records will help you identify ancestors who may still need ordinances, and avoid unnecessary duplication of ordinances for others. You can also find proxy temple ordinances completed by pioneers for their ancestors.

Temple records were created to document completed ordinances. Some ordinances were done in special places. For example a few proxy baptisms were done in the Mississippi River, and sealings to spouse were done at Winter Quarters in Iowa, and at various places after the pioneers arrived in Utah.

The earliest “temple” records are proxy baptisms for the dead performed in the Mississippi River in 1840. Many early Latter-day Saints went to the temple in Nauvoo, Illinois, in 1845 or 1846 to receive their own endowments. You can find temple records of sealings to spouse and a few sealings to parents as early as 1846 in Nauvoo. Proxy endowments for the dead began in 1877 in the St. George Temple in Utah. For additional details about early temples see the following Early Temple Record Chronology table.

Early Temple Record Chronology
Temple	Baptisms for the Dead	Endowments for the Living	Endowments for the Dead	Sealings to Parents	Sealings to Spouse
Pre-Nauvoo	Sep 1840 to31 Oct 1841	4 May 1842 Red Brick Store
Nauvoo	21 Nov 1841–9 Jan 1845	10 Dec 1845–7 Feb 1846		11 Jan 1846–4 Feb 1846	7 Jan 1846–7 Feb 1846
Winter Quarters, & President’s Office		1847–1855			8 Nov 1846–1855
Endowment House	25 Jul1867–26 Oct 1876	1855–1876,1878–1884			1855–1889
St. George, Utah	9 Jan 1877–	11 Jan 1877–	11 Jan 1877–	22 Mar 1877–	11 Jan 1877–
Logan, Utah	21 May 1884–	21 May 1884–	21 May 1884–	21 May 1884–	21 May 1884–
Manti, Utah	29 May 1888–	30 May 1888–	30 May 1888–	6 Jun 1888–	30 May 1888–
Salt Lake City,Utah	23 May 1893–	24 May 1893–	24 May 1893–	8 Apr 1893–	23 Apr 1893–
Hawaii	2 Dec 1919–	3 Dec 1919–	3 Dec 1919–	3 Dec 1919–	3 Dec 1919–
Alberta	6 Nov 1923–	29 Aug 1923–	29 Aug 1923–	29 Aug 1923–	29 Aug 1923–
Arizona	26 Oct 1927–	27 Oct 1927–	27 Oct 1927–	27 Oct 1927–	27 Oct 1927–

For information about temples from the Kirtland Temple (1836) to the Oakland Temple (1964) see Laureen Jaussi’s Genealogy Fundamentals cited fully in “For Further Reading” near the end of this outline.

Temple records correctly record the ordinance being performed but other information is not always accurate. For example, if asked for his baptism date, a temple visitor may have depended on his memory to estimate a date. Where possible, genealogical information listed in temple records should be verified in original records.

Terms

When you use temple records, you are likely to see the following key terminology:

Family representative, or F.R.: This usually means the submitter, however, sometimes it refers to the heir.

For the dead. An ordinance performed by a living person acting as a proxy for a dead person.

Heir: The name of a family member (usually one of the first members of the Church in a family) in whose name temple work was submitted. A small “d” after the name means the heir is dead.

In the instance of, or inst of: Some temples used these terms as a synonym for heir. In other temples, it means the actual submitter.

Living ordinance. An ordinance performed by an individual during his or her lifetime, even if he or she is now dead.

Licensed Sealing: The couple is at the temple to be married and sealed at the same time.

Previously Married: A couple who were married earlier in a civil ceremony are now at the temple to be sealed.

Proxy: An individual who acts in behalf of a deceased person in receiving temple ordinances

Signature Books: A register of couples who were married civilly and then sealed in the temple. They signed a signature book and wrote down the date and place of the civil marriage. See “Signature Books” in the “Vital Records” section of this outline.

Access to Temple Records

Most temple records are available to the public. For example, about 75 percent of temple records have no restrictions and can be used at the Family History Library and at Family History Centers.

Only about 20 percent of temple records are restricted, especially records that include information about living people. Restricted temple microfilms are housed in the Special Collections room in the Family History Library and do not circulate to Family History Centers.

Restricted temple records can be used in Special Collections by Latter-day Saints with a current temple recommend. Also, members without a current recommend can bring a letter from their Bishop stating they are a member in good standing. Information from Special Collections records is not available by telephone, or through the mail. If you cannot visit Special Collections in person, you can ask a friend or relative with a temple recommend to visit special collections for you, or hire a professional researcher with a temple recommend.

The Membership Department of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints does not have access to temple ordinance films. They will, however, provide ordinance information for any member who has died since 1975 and for whom they have verification of death. Telephone the membership department at 801-240-3500 for more information.

General Indexes to Proxy Temple Records

Most temple records are in chronological order. If you do not know the date you will need to use an index.

Ordinance Index (1840–1997). The Ordinance Index is part of the FamilySearch computer program under “LDS Options.” In 1969 the Church started listing all new proxy ordinances in the Computer File Index. Later this became the International Genealogical Index. In 1998 the ordinances from the International Genealogical Index were transferred to the Ordinance Index. Recently many proxy ordinances before 1970 were added. For more information about using this index see the Using the Ordinance Index Resource Guide (35842).

Archives Sheets (1942–1969). This has five million family group record forms submitted for proxy temple work from between 1942 and 1969. The families are listed alphabetically by the father’s name and serve as an index to proxy baptisms, endowments, sealings to spouse, and sealings to parents. These microfilms are not restricted and can be used instead of the restricted ordinance films with the same ordinance dates. For more information see the “Genealogy” section of this outline under Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Genealogical Society, Family Group Records Collection; Archives Section....

Endowment Index (1842–1970). This important source is sometimes called the TIB.

Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Temple Records Index Bureau. Endowment Index, 1842–1969. Salt Lake City: Genealogical Society of Utah, 1973, 1975, 1977–1979, 1991. (On 3081 FHL films beginning with 1267592; computer number 8086.) It is restricted. This indexes more than 30 million people who received their endowments in life or by proxy from 1842 to 1970. These films are available at Brigham Young University, and in Special Collections at the Family History Library. For more information on how to use this index see:

A Brief Guide to the Temple Records Index Bureau. Rev.ed. Research Papers (Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Genealogical Department), SeriesF, no. 2. Salt Lake City: The Department, 1976. (FHL book 929.1 G286gs Ser. F No. 2 1976; fiche 6031506; computer number 327135.) This is a 16-page guide.

Heir Indexes (1840–1958). Before 1958 each temple also kept separate indexes to proxy ordinances preformed in their temple. Proxy baptisms, proxy endowments, proxy sealing to spouse, and sealings to parents each have a separate set of heir index. They index the name of the first member of the family to join the Church. This person is referred to by the term heir (or instance of).

The value of heir indexes. The heir indexes will lead you to early proxy ordinances done for the relatives and ancestors of the heirs. This ordinances may have clues about relationships, names, dates, and places which cannot be found elsewhere.

When to use heir indexes. Heir indexes are a “last resort” because they are not easy to use. It is worthwhile to search heir indexes only if you (1) cannot find an ordinance in the general indexes listed previously, (2) cannot find it in the genealogy sources listed in the "Genealogy" section of this outline, (3) believe the ordinance was completed, (4) believe you know the temple and approximate date of the ordinance, and (5) can determine who the early converts to the Church were (heirs or the family representatives).

How to determine the heir or family representative. To use an heir index you must determine who the heir is. Sometimes there is more than one. The easiest way to find who the heir might be is to try looking up the name of several ancestors in the Individual Search of the Ordinance Index. Some of the people listed on the right side of the results screen have Re: in front of their name. Anyone with Re: (Relative) by their name is an heir you could search for in an heir index.

How to use heir indexes. After each heir’s name is a list of all the pages where the ordinance work appears for the heir’s family (for the years covered by that index). Use this information to look up the original volume and pages of the proxy temple records. Find the name of the heir in the middle of the page, and then look on the left side to find the deceased individuals for whom proxy ordinances were performed.

Be prepared to search several heir indexes. You will have to search a separate set of heir indexes for each ordinance: baptisms, endowments, sealings to parents, or sealing to spouse. You can also look at heir indexes in several temples.

How to find heir indexes. All proxy ordinance indexes before 1958 are heir indexes (except for proxy endowments to 1898 at the St. George Temple). Heir index microfilm numbers are mentioned in the same Family History Library Catalog entry as the proxy temple records they index. Look in the Subject Search under:

TEMPLE RECORDS— [TEMPLE]