Missing Membership Record Number

I am a member of the church that was baptized 38 years ago, and received patriarchal blessing, priesthood and endowment, before the church start to use Membership Record Number.

I am from South-America (Venezuela) and I was living in Utah (Provo) and attending a ward there. During that time (1991) I went to the Provo Temple and received my endowment.

Few years later I came back to Venezuela and begin to attend my former ward here.

The problem is that the clerk can not find any record about me, my mom and my sister have the records and membership number. They never moved and keep attending the same unit.

I think my records are still in my last ward in Utah, Provo.

How I can help the ward clerk in order to have my recors back in my ward.

I have all the information about dates and brothers that perform the ordinances.

Atentively, Rafael

sajor wrote:How I can help the wrd clerk in order to have4 my recors back in my ward.

Although it can be helpful to supply a membership record number, your current ward clerk should be able to request your membership records to be moved into your current ward, even if you don't have the actual number. All that is really needed is your full name and birth date. So just give that information to your ward clerk and ask him to request your membership record.

Assuming all the ordinances were recorded properly, when your membership record arrives, all that ordinance information should be included. Once the record has arrived, I would recommend that you ask the ward clerk to print you an Individual Ordinance Summary so that you can verify that all the information is correct and that all the ordinances have been properly recorded.

In addition to Alan's response, if your clerk still can not find your records, have him contact the area office for more direction.

As for the membership number, if you have a temple recommend, even an expired one, they frequently have the membership number written on that.

sajor wrote: I am from South-America (Venezuela) and I was living in Utah (Provo) and attending a ward there. During that time (1991) I went to the Provo Temple and received my endowment.

I am almost positive that Membership Record Numbers were in use by 1991. All that should be required to locate your records is your birth date and complete name.

jbh001 wrote:I am almost positive that Membership Record Numbers were in use by 1991.

Oh, yes indeed. I'm sure they came into existence when the records in SLC where computerized - long before any computers showed up in the local units.

Thanks Brothers four answers.

As far as I recall I can not remember any Membership Record Number in my temple recommend (Back to 1991).

As you say I gave the clerk every piece of information I have about my records:
Ful Name (First name, Second Name and my last two surname)
Date of birth
Date I was baptized
Date of confirmation
Elder date ordenation
Patriarchal Blessing
Endowment date (I already check with the Provo Temple and they have the endowment records)

As you see he has all that is necesary. Why still is telling me he can not find any records.

He tollme he checked with the offices in Caracas, Venezuela (main office of the church in my country) and they do not any information there.

Are there any HQ office where he can request my records.

Thanks in advance, Rafael.

The main headquarters is in Salt Lake City, Utah. However, I'd expect that the area offices would have access to the same information.

The next step might be for you to call yourself and see what can be done.

In the worst case, they might have to re-create your record based on historical record. If you have your baptismal and priesthood ordination certificates, that would help.

jbh001 wrote:I am almost positive that Membership Record Numbers were in use by 1991. All that should be required to locate your records is your birth date and complete name.

I knew what my membership file number (now MRN) was in 1981. It was only eight digits. They added the three zeros in front later, although they may have always been there at Church Headquarters.

If the prior unit is included in the membership request, the area office will know that they should go to CHQ to keep looking.

sajor wrote:As far as I recall I can not remember any Membership Record Number in my temple recommend (Back to 1991).

As you say I gave the clerk every piece of information I have about my records:
[...]
Endowment date (I already check with the Provo Temple and they have the endowment records).

There ought to be a way to trace the endowment record back to the actual record number, but I don't know if it can be done. It just seems like it should be a possibility.

Can you contact your ward in Provo to see if they can send your records?

Can you check with your mother to see if you show up on her record as her child?

Has your ward clerk tried requesting the record using alternate dates. For example, in the United Stated it is common to list the month first followed by the day, but in most of the rest of the world it is just the reverse. Thus 08/10/2009 means August 10, 2009 in the United States and October 8, 2009 most everywhere else. Obviously, dates greater than 12 eliminate this ambiguity: August 13, 2009 is still 08/13/2009 or 13/08/2009.

If your birth date could be interpreted more than one way, I would try having the ward clerk request your record both ways.

Also it is common for Latin countries to use 2 surnames. The United States does not follow this custom.

So if your full name was "Juan Paco Garcia Gomez", it might be worth it to have the ward clerk try:
Juan Paco Garcia
Juan Paco Gomez
Juan Paco Garcia Gomez
Juan Paco Gomez Garcia

And if (for example) your birth date was September 1, 1980: have the ward clerk try both 01-Sep-1980 (09/01/2009 US) and 09-Jan-1980 (01/09/2009 US).

(Note: Don't post your birthdate to this forum.)

It might be simpler to just call Clerk Support (or have your ward clerk or bishop call their area office) and try these various combinations over the phone instead of multiple MLS requests.

I want to thanks all the brothers that gave advice about my lack of membership records.


I am working really hard en helping my ward clerk to fix this situation, I'm trying to find my former ward in Provo-Orem, but from one in the past, there are 18 right now. Too expensive for international calls.


I'm giving a chance writting to the main office in Salt Lake and asking if they cant sent the information to the clerk in my ward. I used the address below.


Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day SaintsMembership Records Dept.50 E. North TempleSalt Lake City, UT 84111


What do you think? Is this address ok as far as you know.


Atentively, Rafael

sajor wrote:What do you think? Is this address ok as far as you know.

Use 84150. It will get there faster.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
Membership Records Dept.
50 E North Temple St
Salt Lake City, UT 84150