Genealogy

Genealogy is the structured account of lineage⁠—the record of ancestral birth and descent spanning generations. The Greek term genealogia combines genea (“generation” or “race”) with logos (“word,” “reckoning,” or “account”). In the Hebrew text of the Old Testament, the central genealogical term is toledot (a noun derived from the verb yalad, meaning “to bear” or “to beget”), referring to generations, offspring, or historical accountings of births. Scripture introduces this term prior to the mortal posterity of Adam: “These are the generations [toledot] of the heavens and of the earth when they were created” (Genesis 2:4). Creation itself is thus framed within a cosmic covenant family record.

Some readers have expressed reservations regarding genealogy based on the Apostle Paul’s counsel to Timothy against giving heed to “fables and endless genealogies, which minister questions” (1 Timothy 1:4; compare Titus 3:9). As Joseph Henry Thayer and other biblical scholars have noted, Paul was addressing speculative, non-historical family trees or Gnostic systems of emanated aeons that fostered division rather than edification. In contrast, scriptural genealogies serve as faithful, covenantal records. Within the theology of the Restoration, keeping accurate genealogical records is a sacred duty intimately connected to temple ordinances and the eternal unification of the human family.

The Book of the Generations

Scriptural genealogies function as sacred volumes designed to preserve knowledge of covenant lines across generations. In the Hebrew Bible, toledot headings structure the book of Genesis into distinct historical divisions, narrowing sequentially from the cosmic creation down to the patriarchs and the house of Jacob. One notable heading explicitly introduces a written volume: “the book of the generations of Adam” (Genesis 5:1), rendered in the Septuagint as biblos geneseōs.

When the Evangelist Matthew opened his Gospel with those same Greek words⁠—Biblos geneseōs Iēsou Christou (“The book of the generation of Jesus Christ,” Matthew 1:1)⁠—he consciously echoed Genesis, presenting the Savior’s mortal lineage as the inauguration of a new creation. Restoration scripture provides crucial additional context for Adam’s original volume. The Book of Moses explains that “a book of remembrance was kept” among the early patriarchs, written “according to the pattern given by the finger of God,” in which “a genealogy was kept of the children of God” (Moses 6:5, 8, 45). Enoch later testified that despite mortal death, the faithful retained knowledge of their ancestors through these preserved records (Moses 6:45). Joseph Smith subsequently expanded this foundation, revealing that a complete, sacred record of the dead is essential to the work of redemption and temple sealings.

Records Truly Made Out

Joseph Smith emphasized that administrative accuracy in record-keeping is directly tied to the divine validity of sacred ordinances. Writing from exile in September 1842 regarding baptism for the dead, the Prophet instructed that designated ward recorders be present to witness and document every ordinance (D&C 128:2⁠–4). Expounding upon Christ’s promise to Peter in Matthew 16:19, Joseph provided insight into the relationship between earthly documentation and heavenly binding: “Whatsoever you record on earth shall be recorded in heaven, and whatsoever you do not record on earth shall not be recorded in heaven” (D&C 128:8). In this divine framework, the clerk’s record works in harmony with the sealing keys of the priesthood.

This doctrine found fuller practical application in October 1894, when President Wilford Woodruff presented a landmark revelation regarding temple sealings. Discontinuing the earlier practice of law-of-adoption sealings to Church leaders, President Woodruff directed members to be sealed lineally to their own parents and ancestors as far back as records permitted. Because lineal sealings require knowledge of ancestral identity, the Church established the Genealogical Society of Utah that same year. Operating globally today as FamilySearch, this institution fulfills a key prophetic imperative by gathering and preserving world records to facilitate temple ordinances.

Those Who Were Not Found

Historical registers occasionally contain omissions due to war, destruction, or socio-economic neglect. Scripture acknowledges this reality in the post-exilic accounts of Ezra and Nehemiah. When the Jewish remnant returned to Jerusalem from Babylon, certain priestly families “sought their register among those that were reckoned by genealogy, but they were not found: therefore were they, as polluted, put from the priesthood” (Ezra 2:62; Nehemiah 7:64). Their lineage may well have been valid, but written documentation was lacking.

Importantly, the governor did not permanently exclude these families, directing instead that they refrain from eating of the most holy things “till there stood up a priest with Urim and Thummim” (Ezra 2:63). This biblical account highlights a fundamental principle: where human records fall short, divine revelation ultimately supplies what is missing. In Restoration theology, gaps in paper archives are not permanent barriers. While Church members are commanded to exercise diligence in searching out historical records, the doctrine of Elijah reassures believers that through revelation, millennial temple work, and divine assistance, every missing link in the human family will eventually be restored.

Machine-Read Archives and Shared DNA

Emerging technologies have dramatically expanded the reach and speed of genealogical research. FamilySearch provides public access to billions of searchable records, leveraging artificial intelligence and machine-learning optical character recognition to transcribe millions of historical handwritten documents that were once inaccessible to ordinary researchers. These technological advances allow family historians to uncover records that had been obscured by time, non-standard scripts, or regional geography.

Simultaneously, advancements in genetic genealogy and DNA analysis offer powerful tools to bridge gaps where paper trails have vanished. Genetic data can confirm biological lineages, uncover previously unknown family connections, and reunite separated branches of human ancestry. From a Latter-day Saint perspective, these computational and biological tools help carry forward the prophecy of Malachi that the hearts of the children would turn to their fathers (Malachi 4:5⁠–6). By combining advanced archival technologies, genetic data, and diligent research, Saints work toward presenting “a book containing the records of our dead, which shall be worthy of all acceptation” (D&C 128:24).

See also: Baptism for the Dead, Family