Prime Minister Tony Abbott was presented with a framed family tree and three folders of research on Friday 22 May by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints that detail his family history over hundreds of years.

The presentation was made in the Prime Minister's residence by Elder Quentin L. Cook of the Church's Quorum of Twelve Apostles and Elder Kevin W. Pearson, president of the Church's Pacific Area.

Elder Quentin Cook Prime Minister Tony Abbott Elder Kevin Pearson Left to right: Elder Quentin L. Cook, Prime Minister Tony Abbott, Elder Kevin W. Pearson. Sydney, Australia, 22 May 2015. 2015 by Intellectual Reserve, Inc. All rights reserved.

They were accompanied by David Cray, the Church's director of government and interfaith relations in Australia.

Elder Cook said: "Prime Minister Abbott's history is rich with examples of faith, love of family, leadership and service. We were honoured to present Mr Abbott with his family history."

Prime Minister Abbott was born in London, England, on November 4, 1957 to an Australian mother, Faye Abbott and an English father, Richard Henry (Dick) Abbott.

He is a Rhodes Scholar, a lawyer, economist, feature writer for The Australian newspaper and The Bulletin magazine. He lives in Sydney with his wife Margaret. They are the parents of three daughters, Louise, Frances and Bridget.

Elder Quentin Cook Prime Minister Tony Abbott Elder Kevin Pearson Left to right: Elder Quentin L. Cook, Prime Minister Tony Abbott, Elder Kevin W. Pearson. Sydney, Australia, 22 May 2015. 2015 by Intellectual Reserve, Inc. All rights reserved.

Mr Abbott's parents are both only children. His grandparents emigrated from England and the Netherlands to Australia between 1912 and 1939. His paternal grandparents came as adults and his maternal grandparents came as children.

His great-grandparents, Earnest Richard Abbott and Ada Grace Yabsley, were entertainers. He was an actor and theatre manager and she was an author and actress. They performed with a theatre company throughout the British Isles.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has also presented personal histories to other world leaders including US presidents, George W. Bush, Bill Clinton and Barack Obama; British prime minister David Cameron; Australian prime ministers John Howard, Kevin Rudd and Julia Gillard; and New Zealand prime ministers Helen Clark and John Key.

After the presentation Elder Pearson said, "The Church has been involved in genealogical research since 1894 and its vast family history resources are available to the public for free at FamilySearch.org."

