Baptism information

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lajackson
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Re: Baptism information

#11

Post by lajackson »

eblood66 wrote:Looking at the baptism dates it looks like the line is somewhere around 92-93 but it isn't a hard line. I found a few in 92 with information and one in 93 but others in 92 without. But nothing after 93 until more recently.
I do not remember the exact dates (after all, it was 25 years ago), but it was around 1992-93 that they stopped recording who performed ordinances, including Melchizedek Priesthood ordinations. I believe it had partly to do with computer capability, and in particular, the ability to store data. That was also the time when they were switching from all caps membership records to upper/lowercase records.

By the very late 90s, someone realized it would not be possible to trace priesthood lines of authority, and the recording of who performed ordinances began once again. Computers had become more capable, as well. This was also the point where clerks were asked to scour their offices to look for paper copies of priesthood ordinations so that the information could be added into the system.
scgallafent
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Re: Baptism information

#12

Post by scgallafent »

russellhltn wrote:
jonesrk wrote:There might have been a time when they weren't tracked, but my baptism shows who performed it and that was from several years ago. Both my parents and I have changed units a few times in between.
I think I've had this discussion before. IIRC, it's not in CMIS, but it is in LCR. Once in LCR, it transfers to other wards just like HT/VT records. MLS has the information, but since CMIS didn't support it, there was no way for MLS to forward that information to other units.

I thought it odd that LCR was tracking something that the church explicitly stopped tracking years ago. I assumed MLS had it to assist in printing the Baptismal Certificate. Since it wasn't in CMIS, there was no way for MLS to forward that information to other units.
The data is in CMIS.
russellhltn
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Re: Baptism information

#13

Post by russellhltn »

eblood66 wrote:I don't know the exact dates of the original MIS release and placement of PCs into units.
I don't know as there's any connection there. MIS held membership information, but wasn't the membership record. The official record was still paper. MIS was a reporting tool. Prior to that, one had to wait for the quarterly reports (like the directory) from CHQ. I don't think it was until around 1997 that MIS got access to the modem that FIS used. Because everything had to be hand entered, MIS only had a simplified version of the membership record. I'm pretty sure things like dates in CMIS were just flags in MIS.

Something else to check - see who were baptisms recorded by missions as opposed to wards. There might be a phase-in process there.
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jonesrk
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Re: Baptism information

#14

Post by jonesrk »

russellhltn wrote: Something else to check - see who were baptisms recorded by missions as opposed to wards. There might be a phase-in process there.
Now that is an area where the data we get from the mission often doesn't have the person who performed the baptism, but it can and often does. I'm guessing that if varies a lot based on the quality of the data on the form and the mission clerk who enters the data.
russellhltn
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Re: Baptism information

#15

Post by russellhltn »

jonesrk wrote:I'm guessing that if varies a lot based on the quality of the data on the form and the mission clerk who enters the data.
I'm guessing it depends on if the baptism was done by a missionary or someone else. If it was a missionary, it would be easy to get the needed information. I don't know as the mission clerk would have access to the member data to look up the information if it was done by a ward member. Worse, if it was done by someone from another ward.
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