CHAPTER 17

INSTRUCTIONS TO STAKE AND WARD OFFICERS

Organization of Genealogical Society.

In the providence of the Lord the time came for some organization to be effected that would help the Latter-day Saints in their important work of searching after their dead; therefore, on Tuesday, November 13, 1894, at a meeting held in the Historian's office, Salt Lake City, the Genealogical Society of Utah was organized.

Temple Work and Genealogy.

Temple work lies at the very foundation of the restored Gospel of Jesus Christ. Genealogy is the foundation stone of vicarious salvation. Therefore, this Society is not an auxiliary or a mere helper; it is an essential part of the Gospel plan. The sealing power is exercised in the Temples, and is made effective through the atonement of Christ which brought to pass the resurrection from the dead and the continuation of the family relationship in the world to come.

General Officers.

The Genealogical Society is governed by seven directors from whom are appointed a president, vice-president, secretary, treasurer and librarian.

Stake and Ward Officers.

The duty of the stake chairman and his assistants is to organize their own and the ward committees into departments and to instruct the ward officers in all matters transmitted to them by the General Officers.

Harmony with Stake Presidency.

No policy and no plan should be undertaken without the direct approval of the Stake Presidency. At the

organization meeting, and thereafter when matters of import ance arise, the Stake Presidency should be especially invited to be present.

Stake Secretary.

It is the duty of the stake secretary to faithfully record and preserve all minutes of stake meetings and conventions, gather from the ward secretaries annual and quarterly reports and prepare annual reports of the stake activities therefrom, submitting these, statistical and financial, annually at the close of the year, to the General Secretary. He should attend to all official stake correspondence under the direction of the President.

Stake Treasurer.

The stake treasurer should preserve records of all money collected and disbursed for stake expenses, temple excursions and such other funds as may be in hand.

Stake Committee.

The stake officers include chairman, two assistants, secretary and treasurer, and enough members to care for the work of the stake. This organization constitutes the stake committee, which supervises all temple excursions and the genealogical labors of the various wards. This committee is under the direct supervision of the board of directors of the Genealogical Society of Utah.

The stake committee, after consultation with the General Secretary, should arrange for stake conventions. Committee on Meetings and Appointments.

The ward chairman and his assistants should form this committee. The correlation of all work, studies, recording and the assistance given to family and surname organizations, fall under the direct and encouraging supervision of this presiding committee; yet each committee should be left to function without direct interference, and thus develop their initiative and organizing

powers. Appointments to office should be considered and recommendations made by this committee.

Survey workers should learn the art of asking people about themselves and accurately recording the data given.

Department of Lessons and Class Work.

This department should be composed of trained genealogists who are familiar with the standard method and rules of the church, concerning genealogical and temple procedures. They should be qualified to go into the ward conferences and give intelligent help and instruction to all ward lesson department workers. The chairman particularly, should be a good teacher, alive to every phase of lesson and class work, and full of inspiration as well as information. These two, inspiration and information, are inseparable qualities for the technic, art and science of genealogy. These department workers will co-operate with the workers in the record and temple excursion departments, but will not infringe upon their rights.

There are two distinct divisions of class work: recording and researching and lessons outlined in the Genealogical and Historical Magazine. Open classes in recording should be held at regular intervals for all members of the ward. The teaching and lectures therein should be primary and should strike the popular note. This is imperative if Church members are to be educated to realize the necessity and procedure of genealogical and temple work. Skillful questioning arouses interest and holds attention. An occasional testimony meeting, where genealogical and temple experiences are related will prove inspirational and attractive.*

Department of Records and Record Keeping.

The members of this department should ascertain

*Classes are held in the Society's rooms, Mondays at 2:00 p. m., where instructions are given in research work. All officers and Society members are welcomed in these classes.

the condition of all similar departments in the various wards, should be sure that every member of the stake committee, then of every ward committee has prepared, or is preparing, suitable records of the living members, as well as records of their kindred dead.

This committee should arrange all stake records when stake temple excursions are planned, and see that they are properly prepared and thoroughly proof-read before sending them to the Temple.

Department of Temple Excursions.

The members of this department plan and arrange all stake temple excursions. They may co-operate with chosen representatives from the various Priesthood quorums and women's auxiliary organizations, unless these groups are represented in the department membership.

No stake or ward excursion should be undertaken without consultation with stake and ward authorities, and special arrangement with temple presidents. Endowment and baptismal excursions might be assigned to separate members of this department for general supervision.

Where the people are too far removed from the Temple to attend in person, "proxy" excursions should be arranged; that is, the people may contribute both names and means, or may combine to send one or more of their ward members to do the proxy work. Where this latter plan is adopted, scrupulous care must be taken in the payment of money, the division of names to be worked, and a clear record kept, by the record committee, of all transactions.

Department of Surnames and Family Organizations.

This department may oversee all surname and family organization activities in the Stake. The chairman should be familiar with simple parliamentary procedure, able to instruct similar ward departments, and to answer questions concerning just how family surname

groups should proceed to organize, and to keep in active operation all such associations.

This department is an important one. It is the direct counsel of the Church authorities that each family and surname group in the Church should combine their efforts and prevent duplication of temple work in behalf of their dead. The Joseph Smith, the Brigham Young, the John Taylor, the Wilford Woodruff, the Lorenzo Snow and the Heber J. Grant families, are all thus organized, first in family, and then in surname family associations.

Finance Department.

This department has in charge the securing and disbursement of means for general expenses and public meetings or excursions; should handle funds from magazine and membership dues; and should therefore, act in co-operation with other committees, the treasurer of the committee, assisting wherever required.

The vital necessity of means wherewith to purchase the tens of thousands of books still needed by our Library necessitates the payment of yearly dues by templeconverted Saints. All the people should know how to prepare records and should carefully preserve all historical and genealogical data concerning their family lines. Yet not all may be privileged to work in our Library. All may, and should, become life members.

Surname or family organizations should unite their means and effort in tracing out the pedigree or pedigrees of such families.

Secure New Members.

The stake and ward officers should instruct the people concerning the matter of becoming members of the Society as individuals.

Ward Committee.

Each ward is officered by a chairman, two assistants, a secretary, treasurer, and members. Ward committees