MESA, Ariz. -- On a given day, about 75 people, including many Gilbert residents who have banded into genealogy clubs, come to the Mesa Regional Family History Center with a common query: "Who am I, and who are my ancestors?"

They couldn't have chosen a better place to ask.

Run by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the center offers personalized help, along with 20,000 books, 500 maps, 200,000 rolls of microfilm and 52,000 microfiche among a myriad other sources to help people draw their family tree.

Researching family history and identifying ancestors is bound up with the Mormon doctrine.

"We believe that we have a responsibility to our ancestors," librarian Marilyn Crandall said. "We believe in Christ, but what if you were born in 1600? You didn't hear about Christ; would you be condemned to hell? You need the opportunity to hear about Christianity, the church, as part of your education in the afterlife."

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