bch@unc.UUCP (11/13/83)
Because of our continuing problems with duke, this didn't make it out to the whole net the first time. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- I stayed out of the Great Mormon Debate on net.religion, because this is a secular rather than religion matter, but... It is my understanding that the records kept by the Church of the Latter Day Saints apply only to families of Mormons or descended from Mormons. The reasons for this are not to bar people from admission, but have to do with a theological doctrine of "binding" families together in salvation. (I'm not real clear on this, so I won't go any further -- someone more knowledgeable may wish to give details.) At any rate, tracking the de- scendants of Mormons is a *very* *big* *deal* to the Mormon church -- which leads to the following mini-horror story: A very good friend of mine is a descendant from an important personage in Mormon history. This person is one of five children (two female, one male) of a father who is one of seven brothers. ALL of the male members of this family (but none of the female) have been subject to numerous visits and sometimes what could only be hounding by missionaries from the Mormon church. This, despite cross country and out-of-country moves. This could be coincidental. Obviously, if you live in a medium to large town you are going to encounter your share of missionaries from various faiths. However, my friends' parents don't live in any town. In fact, they live sooo far from anything that you could describe as civilization that you have to ford a stream (two, if its been raining alot) to get to their house. There are no maps to where they live, nor could you find their house from the mailbox. *Considerable* effort went into locating them. If this persons' experience is representative, one should be cautious about involving the Mormon Church in any geneological search. Byron Howes UNC - Chapel Hill decvax!duke!unc!bch (descended from John De Hughes and a nameless Saxon camp-follower circa 1066.)