How can I find out if my ex-mother-in-law was baptized

[adnil3]

My ex mother-in-law passed away last year. I wanted to try to do her temple work, but I think she may have been baptized and confirmed while living. Her parents were sealed in the temple. She never went to church and there is a possibility that she could've had her name removed as well. Is there any database that would show me this information? Thanks

[sbradshaw]

If she was a member at the time of her death, the regular process is that the ward clerk would record that she passed away on her membership record. Within a week or so, the membership record marked as deceased would trigger a record to be created in FamilySearch that includes her ordinance information. So, you could search FamilySearch to see if a record is present. Note that there may be multiple records for her in FamilySearch created by yourself or other relatives, but only the one created by the Church would have her ordinance information. If there are multiple records, they can all be merged together.

If she was a member but not active, the ward may not be aware that she passed away, and the membership record may still be in her ward. Your ward clerk could try requesting her record through Leader and Clerk Resources to see if it exists. He could then record the death and trigger the FamilySearch process.

If she was never baptized, there isn't a membership record, and there will not be a record automatically created for her in FamilySearch. You can create the record yourself and follow the regular process to perform ordinance work for a deceased relative.

I don't know if there are special policies related to temple ordinances for members who had their records removed, if that's the case for your ex-mother-in-law. Your bishop or your temple president may be able to get an answer – but it may be worth searching FamilySearch or working with your clerk to find her membership record first. There is not a public database of individuals who have had their names removed from Church records.

[Cmanrogers]

I don't know if there are special policies related to temple ordinances for members who had their records removed, if that's the case for your ex-mother-in-law. Your bishop or your temple president may be able to get an answer.

If she did, it would require First Presidency approval (see Handbook 28.3.5). It's also important to know that permission from a close relative of the deceased is required for anyone born within the 110 years.

[codyzzd]

Reach out to the local Church unit where your ex-mother-in-law lived. They may have records or be able to provide guidance on how to proceed.