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The Mormons have an extensive program to microfilm vast numbers of old records which are an aid to genealogy. For example, they microfilm records of churches of all denominations, ancient land tax records, military records, shipping lists, census records and so on. They make these microfilms available to all people, regardless of religion, and depending on your location, the microfilms can be viewed for free or for a specified charge.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints or LDS, now has a website [https://familysearch.org '''FamilySearch''']. Records may be found in two sections of the website under the category Search, subcategories Records (also called Historical Records) and Genealogies.
Records found in the Historical Records category include index transcriptions of microfilmed records, and are accurate records, apart from transcription errors or omissions. In addition, there are digital pages of images of church, and other, records which have not been transcribed, so it is necessary to browse these collections.
<br>First click on Search. To access the India and Ceylon records, then click on the map for “Asia and Middle East” and select either India, or Sri Lanka. Click on "Start researching in India".This will bring you to a Search facility which searches all the searchable databases for India (a handy new feature available from c October 2014). The direct link is [https://familysearch.org/search/collection/location/1927063 '''India''']. If you want to search a particular database (for baptisms, marriages or burials), click on "view all collections". India related baptisms, marriages and burials can also be researched at [https://familysearch.org/search/collection/list#page=1®ion=ASIA_MIDDLE_EAST '''Asia and Middle East Records''']. The searchable India records are '''transcriptions''', are described as index records and do not contain images.
From this group of records, [https://familysearch.org/learn/wiki/en/Sri_Lanka,_Colombo_District_Dutch_Reformed_Church_Records_(FamilySearch_Historical_Records)'''Sri Lanka, Colombo District Dutch Reformed Church Records 1677-1990'''] are also available with images online, but are not searchable. Note, the images may take some time to load. An India List post gives some hints for browsing these [[Ceylon]] images.<ref>India List post [http://archiver.rootsweb.ancestry.com/th/read/INDIA/2011-02/1297851646 "LDS - Asia & Middle East - Sri Lanka/Colombo"] dated 16 February 2011 </ref> Another series of images only (not searchable)(added March 2013), accessible from the same link is [https://familysearch.org/learn/wiki/en/India,_Gujarat_Diocese_Protestant_Church_Records_(FamilySearch_Historical_Records) '''India, Gujarat Diocese Protestant Church Records, 1854-2012'''] Some of the records are in the Hindi and Gujarati languages, but there are some records in English, as evidenced by one of the [https://familysearch.org/learn/wiki/en/File:India,_Gujarat_Diocese_Church_Records_DGS_7251285_3_Baptism.jpg sample records] shown. A further set of images only (not searchable) was added May 2015, [https://familysearch.org/learn/wiki/en/India,_Madras_Diocese_Protestant_Church_Records_(FamilySearch_Historical_Records) '''India, Madras Diocese Protestant Church Records, 1743-1990'''], baptisms, marriages and burials from the Church of South India, Madras Diocese. These are the type of records known as [[Church records#Bishops' Transcripts|Bishop's Transcripts]], copies sent by parishes to the Diocesan Office. '''Note''':The category date range allocated by FamilySeach for these latter records may be very unreliable. As an example for [https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-1942-37715-183-8?cc=2174941&wc=3NH8-16F:1584404203 Marriages: 1872 Jul-1877 Jun], page 1 shows some marriages from 1843, and the majority of the records on the first four pages are either earlier or later than the dates specified. (The images for Madras Diocese Protestant Church Records appear to be extracted from, or perhaps may be the complete set, of eighteen microfilms, [https://familysearch.org/search/catalog/1123389?availability=Family%20History%20Library catalogue entry]).
To confuse matters, the (small) number of records for "other" areas in Asia such as [[Macao]], [[Singapore]], [[Bencoolen]] etc available on the FamilySearch website now are not found in the Asia category, but in the “All Published Collections” category, subcategory "Other", in a group of records called "World Miscellaneous" and may be accessed through the following links:''' [https://familysearch.org/search/collection/1783956 World Miscellaneous Births and Baptisms], [https://familysearch.org/search/collection/1809045 World Miscellaneous Marriages], [https://familysearch.org/search/collection/1809046 World Miscellaneous Deaths and Burials]'''. Included in this group are records from [[St. Helena]], [[China]] and a small number from [[Indonesia]], [[Iran]], previously Persia, and a few records from India and Bangladesh.<ref>[https://familysearch.org/learn/wiki/en/World_Miscellaneous_Births_and_Baptisms,_Coverage_Table_(FamilySearch_Historical_Records) World Miscellaneous Births and Baptisms, Coverage Table (FamilySearch Historical Records)] FamilySearch Wiki. Retrieved 19 September 2014</ref>
