Speaking Today:

Fireside Honoring President Howard W. Hunter and the Genealogical Society of Utah

The following addresses were given at a 13 November 1994 Sunday evening satellite broadcast fireside that honored President Howard W. Hunter and commemorated the one hundredth anniversary of the Genealogical Society of Utah, forerunner of today’s Family History Department.

Utah Genealogical Society November 189

When the Utah Genealogical Society was organized on 13 November 1894, the charter members contributed eleven volumes. That original rootstock has grown to a library of 258,000 volumes. (Photo courtesy of Visual Resources Library.)

There are millions of persons across the world who are working on family history records, a great turning of the hearts of the children to their fathers.

In 1836 Elijah appeared to Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery in the Kirtland Temple to restore the keys of the sealing power, as was prophesied (see Mal. 4:5–6). (Joseph Smith, Oliver Cowdery, and Elijah in Kirtland Temple, by Gary Smith.)

The Church’s state-of-the-art computer programs have been made available to millions of genealogical researchers, regardless of religious affiliation.

The family history library includes 1.8 million rolls of microfilm to which are added an additional 5,000 rolls each month. (Photo by Jed Clark.)

Photo of Toronto Temple by Craig Dimond