About the Center

The Sandy Granite FamilySearch Center came about in a rather unusual way. Starting in the fall of 2013, Brighton High School changed its enrollment to include 9th-grade students, and Albion Junior High (across the street from the Family History Center) changed to include grades 6-8. This left the former Albion LDS Seminary building without any 9th-grade students, so it was basically unused at that point.

With permission from Church Headquarters, the LDS Seminary building has now been converted into the FamilySearch Center. Beginning February 18, 2014, it is open to all patrons, regardless of faith or location, with the property owned and maintained by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

  • Center Director: Doug Nielsen
  • Phone: 801-943-3005 – please leave a message if no answer
    • Address: 2720 Newcastle Drive, Sandy UT  84093  Google Maps
    • Parking: Only a few parking spots are available at the FSC (plus 1 handicap space), but patrons may park across the street at Albion Middle School or on Newcastle Drive. Please do not park in front of houses in the area.
    • Entrance: For patron safety, please ring the doorbell at the east entrance, and a volunteer will escort you into the center. Once inside, please sign in at the main desk.
    • Closed: Closed on Mondays, Saturdays, and holidays

Center Services

Volunteers

The volunteers who assist at the FamilySearch Center are not paid, and they are typically not professionals in genealogical research. They do have a desire to help and have been trained in the basic approaches needed to assist most family history researchers who visit the FamilySearch Center. There are two volunteers on staff at all times during operating hours, with shifts rotating every two hours. Please note that during busy times personal attention may be limited.

To volunteer at the Sandy Granite FamilySearch Center, contact Darla Silcox dcs84065@gmail.com or Carol Jensen at lazyj13@msn.com. Each shift is two hours long.

Meeting Areas

The main area of the FamilySearch Center is divided into a Research Room (north side) and a Gathering Room (south side). Wi-fi is available in the entire building, and dividers may be used to separate the rooms.

  • Research Area (Room 102) – There are 20 workstations in the Research Area for patrons to do family history research. (See Hardware and Equipment below for more details.) There is also an additional space next to each workstation, available power and cable outlets. This area is also used for classes taught at the Center. Modern A/V systems are installed in the Research Room (102) and Gathering Room (101) for presentations. Groups wanting to reserve the Research Room (102) should contact Jacque Fryer at jacquefryer@gmail.com.
  • Gathering Room (Room 101) – The Gathering Room is an open space with a large sofa sectional, tables, and chairs, and plenty of open space. It also has 4 desktop computers for research and 10 laptop computers. It’s designed for hosting youth, organizations, families, and anyone who wants to get together to discuss family history. This is an ideal area for working on group projects, such as photo albums, history projects, etc. There is a large whiteboard for activities. A modern A/V system is also installed for presentations. Groups wanting to reserve the Gathering Room (102) should contact Jacque Fryer at jacquefryer@gmail.com.

Research

Whether you’re brand-new with family history or an expert researcher – or somewhere in-between – there is a wealth of resources available at the FamilySearch Center for your family history research.

What If I’m New to Family History?

Remember, you’re not alone as a new researcher, and volunteers are ready and willing to answer your questions and get you started.
Here are several activities you can get started with:

  • Sharing stories about your ancestors
  • Sharing photos and digital albums
  • Participating in an indexing project
  • Doing research to find information about your ancestors
  • Preparing names to be submitted to an LDS temple for ordinances

You can start making headway with these activities by visiting the online resources mentioned in the Family History Links section below.