The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has amassed one of the greatest genealogical archives in the world. The records are housed in the Granite Mountain Records Vault. The vault safeguards more than 3.5 billion images on microfilm, microfiche, and digital media…. The images in the Granite Mountain Records Vault are collected through agreements with archives, libraries, and churches from more than 100 countries.
The LDS Church also has 4,600 local Family History Centers in 126 countries, including the Chattanooga Tennessee Family History Center at the LDS meetinghouse at 3067 Ooltewah Ringgold Road. The Chattanooga Tennessee Family History Center is open on Wednesdays from 6:30-8:30 p.m., other times by appointment only. Beginning in January 2018, the Center will open one day a week for extended hours. Mrs. Gloria Smartt serves as Stake Family History Consultant.
“If you want to learn more about your roots, write down what you know – names, dates, and places – of a family member you want to research – and we will assemble a team of our volunteers to best assist you,” Mrs. Smartt said. “The Chattanooga Family History Center provides free access to programs such as Ancestry.com, Fold 3, newspaper databases, etc. We also have items available from the Family Search Database that can be viewed at the library only, due to copyright law.
“Of regional and local interest, we have 90 microfilm comprising folders of genealogical work on about 900 families collected by the Leonardo Andrea, a famous South Carolinian genealogist. We also have 76 microfilm of original and typescript holdings on the Rowan County, NC Public Library at Salisbury. We have the Patron’s Microfiche Collection, ordered by our patrons and of assorted titles. We also have an Indefinite Film Collection on a variety of subjects, which include vital records, county records, court records, etc. Early next year, we are also planning an event featuring the Freedmen’s Bureau Record.”