We say that an ordinance is almost ready for the temple when one of the following situations is true:
- The ancestor’s person page in Family Tree has 4 out of the 5 required details for reserving a temple ordinance.
- The ancestor's person page has all 5 of the required details but our system detects an error in 1 of them.
Resolving issues in order to reserve temple ordinances
When faced with either of these situations, keep the following questions in mind:
Is the issue the result of a mistake or omission in the transcription?
If so, the solution could be relatively simple.
- Carefully review the sources and correct any discrepancies you find between information in the sources and information on the person page.
Is the issue the result of an incorrect merge?
- A merge is the joining of 2 person pages in Family Tree into a single profile.
- If you suspect that an incorrect merge has occurred, the first step would be to check the Latest Changes section on the ancestor’s person page and confirm that it happened.
- If you decide that the merge was incorrect, you can undo it and restore the original person page.
Seeking Assistance
Given the complexity of resolving certain data problems, we recommend seeking help whenever you have a question. The following 3 options are great places to start:
- FamilySearch Help and Learning: Explore our online library of articles and tutorials.
- FamilySearch Community: Connect with other users and find solutions to similar challenges.
- FamilySearch In-person Help: Schedule a one-on-one session with a FamilySearch specialist.
It’s okay to move on
Sometimes, there just isn’t enough available information to solve a data problem. In such cases, it’s perfectly fine to leave the data “as is” and shift your focus to other family history topics and projects.
Remember, new records are regularly added to our databases, and the problem you’re researching might be easily solved in the future.