1: FamilySearch Icons and Policies
2: Temple Opportunities
3: Descendancy Lines
4: Other Resources
5: Printing Temple Names
6: Reserved Ordinances
7: Inspiration
8: Discover, Gather, and Connect
9: Weekly Family History Activities
Latter-day Saint Topics
Goal 1: FamilySearch Icons and Policies
Goal 1: Learn the FamilySearch icons and policies for temple ordinances. Vault
The icons will help you understand which ordinances are needed by which ancestors and what you need to do before submitting an ordinance to the temple.
Note: For assistance with your family history work, contact a Temple and Family History Consultant in your ward or branch.
Choices
A Know how to identify dates and places for ordinances that have been done.
- In Family Tree, open the Summary panel for an ancestor, or click any temple icon that appears at the right side of a couple's box.
- Hover the mouse over any of the square temple icons that appear to see dates and places of an ordinance, who has reserved it or its status.
- Know the letter identifiers for ordinances:
B = baptism; C = confirmation; I = initiatory; E = endowment; SP = sealed to parents; SS = sealed to spouse
B Understand icons and indicators for temple ordinances.
- Know the icon coloring scheme for ordinances. See the diagram at the right (also available in the top menu of the FamilySearch screen by choosing Temple and My Reservations, and then at the right of the screen by clicking Legend.) You can also hover the mouse over a colored icon in FamilySearch to see more information.
- For more information on temple icons and statuses, read these articles.
FS—Ordinance Icons and Status
FS—Updates to Temple Ordinance Reservations
C Understand the requirements for Family Tree names and their ordinances.
- Read these articles on required information and policies for temple ordinance reservations.
FS—Individuals for whom I can request temple ordinances
FS—What information is required to do temple ordinances for my ancestors? - Read the the "110-year policy" articles to understand Church guidelines for doing temple work for ancestors who may have living relatives.
FS—What is the 110 year policy, and why was it initiated
FS—How do I request ordinances for an ancestor who was born in the last 110 years?
- Ordinances that have been reserved over two years ago by people in the U.S. and Canada and are still not completed will be unreserved automatically by the Family History Department of the Church. Read this blog posting and these FAQs for more information.
- For answers to questions about ordinances displayed in your family tree, read this article.
FS—Ordinances Are Missing in Family Tree
D Correct the "Needs More Information" status for ancestors with ordinanaces that cannot be completed.
- Find an ancestor or family with "Needs More Information" status for one or more ordinances. These are indicated by an orange icon.
- Click the orange icon to display the "Needs More Information" box. You can click the down arrow at the right of the box to show details for why ordinances are being blocked.
- Check this document to see if there are disallowed symbols or words in the name you are trying to clear.
FS—What words and abbreviations cause "Needs more information" to appear?
- When you have resolved the "Needs More Information" issues, the icon color changes to green so you can reserve the ordinance(s).
E Find answers to FAQs for ordinances.
Click a category to open a topic for FAQs. For more information, visit the Help Center on FamilySearch.
Misc.
- An ordinance completion date in a notification does not match Family Tree
- Expiration of ordinance reservations
- What happens to a person's ordinances if his or her sex is changed in Family Tree?
- Can I delete a person from Family Tree after ordinances have been performed?
- Why are the temple ordinance dates out of order in Family Tree?
- In Family Tree, a temple ordinance does not have a date. It says "Completed" instead.
- Family Tree says that ordinances are needed for a child who died before age eight
- Validity of duplicate ordinances
- The ordinances for a recently deceased individual are listed as "Not Ready"
- How do I find relatives who volunteered to do ordinances for my reserved family name
- I found proxy ordinances that were done for a living person
- Ordinance validity when performed with minor errors
- Temple ordinances with unknown death date
- Temple ordinances for enslaved persons
- Temple work for a stillborn child
- Can I add an ordinance as a custom event in Family Tree?
- Performing ordinances for deceased persons who had intellectual disabilities
Baptisms, Initiatories, Endowments
- Why didn't confirmation take place the same day as baptism?
- The baptismal date is missing even though the endowment is completed
- Is it allowable to share just baptisms and confirmations with family and friends?
- My ancestor's ordinances were performed out of order during his or her lifetime
- Are baptisms performed before the age of 8 valid?
- Use of Temple File Names for Performing Baptisms for the Dead, but Limited to the Youth
Sealings
- Why doesn't the sealing-to-parents ordinance list the parents?
- Family Tree says that a sealing-to-spouse ordinance is needed after I completed it
- A child's sealing-to-parents ordinance is done. Family Tree still shows a green temple icon
- Sealing to Spouse ordinance listed as "Not Available" in Family Tree
Reserving and Sharing Ordinances
- What information is required to do temple ordinances for my ancestors?
- Someone has reserved an ordinance that I would like to do
- What do I do when reservations are about to expire?
- Someone has reserved ordinances for my close relative
- I tried to request a name but got a possible duplicates error
- Can I unreserve family names if I have already printed them?
- How do I unshare family names that I sent by email?
- How long do you have to complete ordinances before reservations expire?
- Can I submit a family name if it has a data problem in Family Tree?
- Can I request proxy temple ordinances for a friend?
- I cannot find any close living relatives to grant permission for ordinances
- Temple ordinances for a person with unknown sex
- Temple ordinances for missing persons
Family Name Cards
- Do family name cards expire?
- Can I reprint a family name card once the ordinances are done?
- Why is an ordinance crossed out on my family names card?
- My family name card has the wrong sex listed
- I can't print my family name card using a Family Ordinance Request
- The temple recorded the date incorrectly on my family name card
- Can I change the spelling of a name if the Family Ordinance Request is printed?
Ordinances Ready