Discover your family roots

THE Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Hillcrest recently initiated a genealogy project.

According to Anne-Maree Smith, head of the family history centre of KZN, the church will be assisting residents with discovering their family roots.

“The church has a strong belief in the afterlife and the importance of family. We believe that we will all be reunited in the afterlife, therefore we feel that it is important to learn about one’s ancestors,” said Smith.

The church currently has the largest collection of genealogical records in the world, and they have made these records available to all residents.

Many of the records include microfilms of death records from Cape Town and KwaZulu-Natal, some dating back to the 1830s.

Digitalisation has also made it easy to explore one’s roots as an increasing amount ancestral information is becoming available on online sites, which means people can also do their research at home.

One of these sites, FamilySearch.org, is sponsored by the church. The site enables users to create a family tree, document their family history, and upload photos.

Residents who do not have internet access will similarly be able to record their ancestral information, through a free booklet known as, My Family. The booklet allows people to record their family’s ancestors and history.

Residents who are interested in the genealogy project, but do not have internet access or do not know how or where to begin are encouraged to visit the church.

“They need to bring as much data with them as possible, such as their parents names, the names of their grandparents as well as marriage and death dates or certificates. This will help us trace back their ancestors,” said Smith.

“Your living relatives should be your first source. We encourage young people, in particular, to talk to their relatives. They will have interesting information about your ancestors,” said Smith.

Brayden Faganello, a missionary at the church, reported that through genealogy he discovered that some of his ancestors were kings and dukes.

“It is really interesting to learn about your ancestors and to think that you are a product of them,” said Faganello

The church welcomes any donations of records that would facilitate their genealogy project. Smith also reported that genealogy has become one of the fastest growing hobbies in the world.

Contact 076 849 8346 or 072 630 2349.