Today we worked on the temple ordinance process. There are several ways to find and reserve ordinances.
1 - From the Pedigree chart, look for green temple symbols. Those indicate that there is an ordinance that is ready to reserved for someone in that family. Click on the temple symbol, and it will open a box. An ordinance code in green means it is ready to be reserved. If it is a possible duplicate, there will be a message. Be sure to check the duplicates before reserving. Also, if the individual was born within the last 110 years, there will be a message. In order to reserve such an ordinance, you must have permission from an immediate family member.
2 - From the Person page, click on the Ordinance tab, under the name at the top of the page. I do this each time I finish working on a person. If there is temple ordinance work ready, I can reserve it right then.
3 - From the Pedigree chart, choose any ancestor. Those born in the early 1800's may be the most likely to have descendants who need ordinance work done. Click on the name you choose. Then click on Tree in the box that appears. That will put this person at the center of the pedigree chart. Then switch the pedigree view to descendancy, which is the fourth symbol. That opens a chart with the chosen individual at the top. His/her spouse and all the children will appear. Any individual with a gray arrow pointing to the right has more descendants. Go through the list, checking to the right column for a green temple. I find it easiest to go down the list one name at a time, opening the arrow to the right whenever it appears. That way I don't miss anyone.
4 - I reserve most of my temple ordinances from RootsMagic. Go to File, then FamilySearch Central, then log in to FS from the page that opens. Choose the option for names of people who are ready for temple ordinances. A list of names appears on the left of the screen. Click on the name to be checked. FS info appears on the right and RM info on left. You can see if the ordinances have been completed and move the information to RM. Or you reserve them by checking the ordinances and then the Reserve box.
Regardless of how you find the names to be reserved, there are some important rules to follow.
1 - Any one born within the last 110 years must have permission from immediate family. Immediate family is defined as spouse, parents, children, or siblings. Notice that is not grandchildren or nieces and nephews.
2 - You must be related to the individual you are requesting. In other words, you have added them to your tree. The only exception is if you are sure they belong in your tree, but you have not found the link yet. For instance, you visit a cemetery and find a family plot. There are a couple of gravestones there with the same family name, but you do not know how they fit in the family. You may go ahead and do their work. However, you cannot just walk around the cemetery and gather random names to do.
3 - You may not do famous people or Jewish holocaust victims or survivors, unless you are the immediate family.
4 - Always make sure you have checked for duplicates before reserving any ordinance work. We do not want to repeat work that has already been done.
We also talked about the Temple Tab at the top of the page, to the far right. This tab only appears in accounts for LDS members. It is where all your reserved names are kept so you can get the work completed. There are five categories.
1 - All Reserved. This lists every name you have reserved.
2 - Not Printed. This lists all the names that have been reserved, but have not yet been printed. When you are ready to print them, just follow the instructions. You can now print the cards at home.
3 - Printed. These are the names that have been printed and you are in the process of completing.
4 - Shared. These are the names that you have shared with another person or with the temple.
5 - Opportunities. This shows a list of people, back to your great-great grandparents, who are ready for temple ordinance work to be reserved.
As soon as work is done at the temple, your lists will be updated with the date an ordinance is completed. Once all the work is done, the name will drop out of your Temple lists.
I will be out of town next week, so there will not be a class. We will be back again on the 15th.
