CHURCH'S RESEARCH IS BOON TO GENEALOGISTS

The Web site ellisislandrecords.org has quickly become a boon for the nation's genealogists.

It opened April 17, providing the names, ages and other details about the 22 million passengers and crewmen who arrived on ships at the United States' now-defunct immigrant processing center during the busiest period of 1892 to 1924.

About 40 percent of Americans can trace an ancestor to the checkpoint, which closed its doors into 1954 due to low volume.

Those who feel the thrill of discovery and a feeling of oneness with their ancestors through ellisislandrecords.org can thank the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Church volunteers painstakingly entered the handwritten records into computers.

Mormons trace genealogy for religious reasons. But members of the church cared enough about everyone else to make their work easily accessible.

We owe them a debt of gratitude.