The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, commonly known as the Mormons, preach doctrines which encourage, if not require, its members to trace their ancestral relatives. To aid in this pursuit, a central Family History Library was established in Salt Lake City Utah. Access to the material in this library is facilitated through Family History Centres which have been established around the world for the use of its members.
Non-members are welcome, but tact should be exercised, especially if questions of doctrine arise. Entry is free, but any microfilm or fiche that has to be ordered will generally attract a handling fee. You should always ring ahead to check on opening times. All research must be done in person, and while the attendants will help you, they will not do your research for you.
Most of the resources available may be accessed through your local Family History Centre. However those Centres located in China should have useful specialised indexes and valuable local knowledge, and are consequently worth approaching. Some of their officer-bearers read, write and speak English, but it is unwise to assume that this is always the case, so you should provide the option of Chinese.
Unfortunately there are no Family History Centres in Taishan County itself. In fact, the only ones in China are located in Hong Kong and Taiwan. The following are NOT mailing addresses, and mail addressed to them will NOT be answered.
| Hong Kong
Causeway Bay Ho Man Tin Kowloon Tong |
Taiwan
Tainan Taiwan Taipei Taiwan Taipei Taiwan Taiwan Taichung |
The Family History Library has been collecting and cataloguing Chinese records of genealogical value for many years. In 1987 the locality and surname sections of the Chinese card catalogue were microfilmed and became part of the Asian Microfilm Card Catalog. They occupy eleven 16mm reels which can be ordered through your local Family History Centre.
The records detailed in this catalogue are NOT included in the Family History Library Catalog in any of its various formats, so the microfilm must be consulted directly. Records acquired since that time are not detailed in the catalogue, so a Reference Questionnaire must be sent to the Family History Library if later relevant records are to be identified.
Most of the entries in this catalogue have also been Romanised according to their pronunciation in Mandarin by the Wade-Giles system. However the names of provinces and major cities have been spelt according to the traditional post office system. The description appended to each entry has also been translated into English.
Unfortunately between 1979 and 1984, entries in the catalogue were neither Romanised nor translated, and none of these have been recatalogued since then. Consequently these aberrant entries were microfilmed separately to those Romanised and translated, and both series within the catalogue must be consulted if all relevant entries are to be found.
Consult the pamphlet, Using the Asian Microfilm Card Catalog: China Family History Library, Salt Lake City 1994, for a more detailed description of how the catalogue is organized and the search techniques they advise. There are also two appendices, one listing traditional and modern Wade-Giles spelling of Chinese provinces and cities, and the other giving the Chinese stoke order.
Taishan
Genealogy
Copyright: ©2001-4 Jon Kehrer,
Canberra