Records from places without MLS?

I was attempting to request the records for a member in my Branch, but MLS and the Clerk Resources could not find them. I suspect this is because the previous ward does not have access to MLS. How do I get the records?

It shouldn't matter whether the previous unit has access to MLS. After all, membership records reside in central Church databases, not in individual wards (records are simply assigned to a particular ward or branch).

So if you are having difficulty requesting the records, I would think it is because:

• No record actually exists for this person. That could be because the mission did not create and submit the correct paperwork when he or she was baptized, or because something else went wrong.
• A record was created, but it has incorrect information that doesn't match the data you are using to request the record (wrong name, or birthdate, etc.)
• A record was created correctly, but you are using incorrect information to request the record.

kummmatthewa wrote:I suspect this is because the previous ward does not have access to MLS.

I take it your member is from some remote place in the world? It's possible they haven't been dilligent in their record keeping. Many years ago I had a case where CHQ said a member's record was in a church area office, but when we attempted to request it, the area office said it didn't exist. I think that area was still on paper-based records at the time. Oddly, the fact that their name was in the church's member index wasn't sufficient evidence.

I'd continue to work with Local Unit Support. I'm not sure if the practice has changed, but it might require a search of the historical record to find evidence of their baptism to create a new record.