LDS Church, FamilySearch launch project to index records of former slaves

LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- The Mormon church has a legacy of keeping some of the most detailed records of American history, particularly history surrounding former slaves in the United States.

FamilySearch, a non-profit organization sponsored by the Mormon church, has one of the largest genealogical databases in the world.

On Friday, the LDS Church and FamilySearch launched the Freedmen's Bureau Project to restore and index the family trees of four million former slaves freed after the Civil War. The index will include health records, labor contracts and death certificates -- all methods of narrowing your search to locate your family tree.

FamilySearch also launched an initiative Friday encouraging all Americans to log on and help them index the records. For more information on the Freedmen's Bureau Project, visit www.discoverfreedmen.org.