From time to time, I hear people say that their family history is “all done” (except for maybe a few brick walls). And the statement may come with a sigh of relief, as if to say, “Whew, I’ve checked that requirement off my list.”

But you know what? I’ve never met anyone whose family history actually was all done and I don’t expect to in this life. Why would that be?

1. Many “finished” genealogies were compiled years ago, some even before the advent of online records. Today many more records are available, and the number grows daily. It’s very likely those records contain additional names that could be added to these genealogies. And many of those names likely need temple work.

2. Closely related to the point above, people are constantly being born and dying. Unless someone is monitoring every possible branch of their family tree, it’s impossible for the tree to be complete. And that means temple work may be needed for people who are missing or who died after the research was done.

3. “Finished” genealogies may not include descendancy research.

   According to Elder Allan F. Packer, “One study calculated that if we went back 10 generations and did the work for their cousins and the cousin’s descendants, there is the potential for about 8 million people if there were only 4 children per family. Many had much larger families.”¹

   That means that unless someone has found around 8 million descendants, there’s a good chance more people are waiting to be found.

As you can see, it’s virtually impossible for someone’s family history to be “all done.”

At this point, you might be tempted to panic: “Eight million names? Are you kidding me? Now I'm overwhelmed and I really don’t feel like doing family history.”

Or you may want to go the opposite direction: “I had better get busy and find as many names as quickly as possible and get my family history all done.” (Unfortunately, this approach usually leads to misuse of finding tools, errors, and invalid ordinances.)

Elder Dallin H. Oaks gave an inspired response to both these concerns when he said,

There is always something you can do for family history. With only few exceptions, everyone can participate and is encouraged to do so. Regular, consistent effort is the key, guided by the Spirit.

Ponder and pray about what the Lord wants you to do for your family history and start there. In other words, find that little part of the vineyard that the Lord wants you to tend and go to work there.

Don’t worry about finishing your family history. That puts your focus in the wrong place. Instead, make an ongoing, consistent effort. You’ll see rich and abundant blessings flow into your life,³ and you’ll be grateful you realized that your family history wasn’t “all done” after all.