Many members of the Church remember, or have heard about, the 4 Generation Program for family history. Some mistakenly think that if their aunt has submitted their 4 generation pedigree chart that their responsibility for family history is done. The 4 Generation Program ended in 1978 almost 50 years ago. So what is our current responsibility?

According to the current Church Handbook "Church members are encouraged to identify their deceased relatives who have not received temple ordinances. Members then perform the ordinances on behalf of those relatives."

If we assume that there are an average of 4 children in each family in your family tree out to 4 generations you would have 30 direct ancestors, but over a thousand relatives. And because there is no longer a limit of four generations your relatives could soon exceed hundreds of thousands of people. There is always more family history work to be done.

President Woodruff instructed the Saints: “We want the Latter-day Saints from this time to trace their genealogies as far as they can, and to be sealed to their fathers and mothers. Have children sealed to their parents, and run this chain through as far as you can get it. . . . This is the will of the Lord to his people, and I think when you come to reflect upon it you will find it to be true.”