I was not trying to "paint various shades of gray." I guess the policy has changed??   I have copies of past policy documents that indicate you did not have to ask permission to do the work of parents, grandparents, and great-grandparents - your direct-line ancestors.   I do not see that specifically spelled out in any of the knowledge documents on newFamilySearch, but that was the policy in the past.  The rights of precedence rules have also been around for many years.  They are spelled out in the same policy manual.  I have been **teaching** the Rights of Precedence for about 20 years now as I have been involved in Family History callings.  They are not new. As I was looking at the online Knowledge Documents this morning  (after sending my e-mail), I did not find the exception for direct line ancestors spelled out.  (Is it really a policy change, or did it get left out unintentially?  I have never heard before that you couldn't do temple work for your father or mother.)  But I did find Knowledge documents indicating we are "responsible to provide temple ordinances for immediate family members and direct line ancestors (parents, grandparents, great grandparents, etc. and their families.)" ("Policies for Preparing Names for Temple Work" - no knowledge document number attached.) There is also a Knowledge Document that addresses the issue addressed recently on the list about a parent's work being cleared by someone else who had not asked for permission.  The answer was to call Support. (Document ID: 106589)  Rebecca Christensen --- On Wed, 5/20/09, Mary S. Scott (Michigan) <mscscott28@yahoo.com> wrote: From: Mary S. Scott (Michigan) <mscscott28@yahoo.com> Subject: Re: [LDS-WC] Inappropriate entries found To: lds-ward-consultant@rootsweb.com Date: Wednesday, May 20, 2009, 11:48 AM Rebecca Christiansen wrote: "The number of years is 95 years not 110 years.   For anyone born within the past 95 years you need permission of the closest living family member to do temple work, unless you are a direct descendant and the person is your father, mother, grandparent, great-grandparent. ..." ******* This topic is one that we sometimes try painting various shades of grey but  clearing names for temple ordinances should include the rights of precedence as the main consideration.

Rebecca Christensen wrote: > I was not trying to "paint various shades of gray." > > I guess the policy has changed?? I have copies of past policy documents that indicate you did not have to ask permission to do the work of parents, grandparents, and great-grandparents - your direct-line ancestors. I do not see that specifically spelled out in any of the knowledge documents on newFamilySearch, but that was the policy in the past. The rights of precedence rules have also been around for many years. They are spelled out in the same policy manual. I have been **teaching** the Rights of Precedence for about 20 years now as I have been involved in Family History callings. They are not new. It has not been changed at all. If stepmother is still married to deceased father - no luck without permission. Plain and simple. And the Knowledge Documents has not been corrected yet. David Samuelsen > As I was looking at the online Knowledge Documents this morning (after sending my e-mail), I did not find the exception for direct line ancestors spelled out. (Is it really a policy change, or did it get left out unintentially? I have never heard before that you couldn't do temple work for your father or mother.) But I did find Knowledge documents indicating we are "responsible to provide temple ordinances for immediate family members and direct line ancestors (parents, grandparents, great grandparents, etc. and their families.)" ("Policies for Preparing Names for Temple Work" - no knowledge document number attached.) > > There is also a Knowledge Document that addresses the issue addressed recently on the list about a parent's work being cleared by someone else who had not asked for permission. The answer was to call Support. (Document ID: 106589) > > Rebecca Christensen

This afternoon I sent an email to FamilySearch support regarding the policy of rights of precedence and direct line ancestors. Perhaps this will help those of us on the list to have current information to use in our wards and teaching assignments. Here is my email to FamilySearch Support: Problem: Is rights of precedence required for direct line ancestors? As I interpret the rights of precedence, a person may be our direct line ancestor (parent, grandparent, etc.) but we still need to follow the guidelines and have permission from the (1) undivorced spouse; (2) adult children; (3) parents; and (4) brothers and sisters. Someone indicated to me that we don't need to have permission from the closest living relation if the person is our direct-line ancestor. Would someone at FamilySearch support please clarify the policies for direct-line ancestors and the rights of precedence? Thank you!! Here is the reply from FamilySearch Support to me: Dear Sister Scott, Thank you for contacting FamilySearch Support regarding temple work for your family and ancestors. You are correct in your interpretation of the rights of precedence. We have attached some documents to verify this. Click anywhere on the blue underlined titles of the documents to see them in full. The document, What are Church policies about temple ordinances, is a list of temple policies and the New FamilySearch. Look at # 7. The other two documents speak for themselves. If you need any other assistance, don't hesitate to contact us at any time. If you have not already used it, an additional resource is the Help Center in New FamilySearch. This an excellent resource you can access to find answers to your questions. The link to the Help Center is found at the bottom of any page. Clicking on this link will open a window with a search field where you can type in key words to find answers for many of your questions. We know this will be an excellent tool for your family history work in New Family Search. Sincerely, FamilySearch Support mam Document Links: Do I Need a Relative’s Permission to Do Ordinances? When Should I Obtain Permission before Doing Ordinances for the Deceased? What are Church policies about temple ordinances and the new FamilySearch? (067faq0443)   ***************** Finally, I am sorry if anyone thought I was criticizing someone in particular. I didn't mean to give that impression. I used the term "we" in my email because the challenge definitely spills over in wards and stakes all over the Church. Many members struggle with the concept of rights of precedence.   It's true that there used to be a guideline that explained that we could do our direct-line ancestors without anyone else's permission. That was changed many years ago and the rights of precedence took effect.   Over the years, I have had members indicate to me that they are the "exception" and that following the rights of precedence was not for them.   I have personally seen the heartache and disappointment that comes to families (even members of the Church) who had their ancestors' temple work done by others who should not have done it. (This is from the days when midwestern LDS families had to drive thousands of miles to attend a temple. Submissions back then took months and even years to clear from Salt Lake. I sure don't miss those days at all.)   The challenge with family history work is that the guidelines and policies change regularly -- almost like the weather here in Michigan. :>) New policies are introduced so often that it can be hard to keep up. I have had to learn to throw out the "old" manuals, etc. because it is easy to cling to what is no longer current. Our ward library asked me recently if we should keep training manuals that were over 30 years old. Yecks. Naturally I encouraged that the "old" stuff be thrown out.   By the way, I really like the Help Center at the New FamilySearch website. It is a great resource. It might be worth a lesson for family history classes all by itself.   Again, please accept my apology. I so enjoy reading your emails and learning from your experiences. Many a day shines a bit brighter because of your examples and testimonies. Thank you.   Mary Scott Northville Ward Westland Michigan Stake   Detroit Michigan Temple