In a message dated 7/6/03 8:31:43 AM, Jbtrmc@wmconnect.com writes: >Has anyone had any success in visiting the Family History Library in Salt >Lake City? What were your experiences there? (Good, bad, + any other >comments...) Before you plan a trip to Salt Lake City (SLC), you should identify as best as possible what resources at the Family History Library (FHL) in SLC you want to use. There are a couple of books written about using the FHL in SLC which will describe these resources. Check Willow Bend Books on the Internet. They are a reputable publisher of genealogical books. Also, check the LDS web site, FamilySearch.org, on the Internet, where you can read the catalog of the FHL's resources. They may also have booklets for sale describing their resources (You can also get these at a local FHC.). Many of the FHL's resources are available at the Family History Centers (FHC) around the world. Also, some of the resources are available on the Internet (FamilySearch.org). Instead of going to SLC, you may prefer to use a nearby FHC. Even a 1 hour drive, once a week, to a local FHC may be just as productive as a trip to SLC. If the FHC is crowded, perhaps you could arrive earlier, before the crowd builds up. Of course, a trip to SLC can be a nice change. Check the FamilySearch site for a FHC near you and its hours. To learn about some of the resources the FHL has, read their catalog online at the FamilySearch site. It lists their collection of microfilms of original church records from around the world, as well as civil records. It also list the books that are on microfilm. Most, if not all, of these microfilms can be rented for a nominal amount, $2-4, at a local FHC and used at the FHC. Many of the books at the FHL in SLC are on microfilm, however some may not be; I don't know, for sure. The International Genealogical Index (IGI) is online at the FamilySearch site, and so is the Ancestral File. Also, I believe the Pedigree Resource File is online too. Entries in the IGI can be from trained volunteers who have indexed the church records on microfilm, or from church members who have submitted their family histories (these can be more subject to error). The Ancestral File and the Pedigree Resource File are totally based on submissions by anyone, and so, should be used carefully, as they also are more subject to error. As for censuses, you don't need to go to SLC to use them. The microfilms of the censuses can be rented from SLC and used at a local FHC. Also, many, if not all, of the censuses are online. Ancestry.com has them online, as well as, Genealogy.com (Familytreemaker.com). And they have indexes for many of them. One has certain indexes, the other site has other indexes. You have to pay for a subscription to use the censuses, but it's a modest amount per year, I forget offhand. Also, the LDS' FamilySearch site has the 1880 US census abstracted and indexed, online. And, certain local county libraries subscribe to HeritageQuest.com, which has the censuses online. If you register with the library, you can access this subscription area, by going online from your home to the library's web site. Or you can drive to the library and use this site. It seems HeritageQuest doesn't offer this subscription to individuals, just libraries. Of course, you can buy the censuses on CD from HeritageQuest, Ancestry, FamilyTreeMaker, etc., but it can get rather expensive. I went to SLC once and enjoyed the trip and found useful information. However, I had to admit afterwards, that I could have gotten most of this same information through a local FHC. A discussion of what is only available at the FHL in SLC, and not available at a local FHC or online, might be more useful. Valerie Gibbs