PRESERVING YOUR PAST AND YOUR PRESENT FOR THE FUTURE

So Just What Can You Do with FamilySearch? Create a family tree and preserve it on the web Search for vital records that will give you infor- mation about those in your family who have died Connect with others who are working on the same line as you are Record memories, such as photographs and stories, that will be available to those who come after you

BEFORE YOU CAN BEGIN…

Getting an account for FamilySearch is free and easy. This is the page that comes up when you click “free account.” The most impor- tant thing to remember is to make the set-ting for your address “public”

Put in the information you know, and see what information FamilySearch already has on your family.

You can get record hints to help you find digitized records that will help you find information about your ancestor.

FamilySearch will even remind you when you don’t have any sources for an individual.

If you don’t want to look at your family in a tree… Try a fan chart

When you are in the family tree view, you can get brief information by clicking once on the persons name. This shows you complete birth and death information, as well as how many sources, memories and discussions there are for this individual.

For more information, go to the person page

The top half of the person page: Shows (on left) the vital statistics of that individual Shows (on right) suggested sources for the individual Shows websites you can visit to get more information for source material Allows you to edit information if you have more up-to-date or accurate vital statistics Allows you to find out who submitted information and contact them. This promotes collaboration between people who are working on the same line.

Finding Sources 1. In the research help box, click on one record. 2. A summary of the record will appear. 3. A box will appear that compares your information to the record. If they are for the same person, put in the reason for attaching. and click attach.

Searching records from FamilySearch is free, but to search from other partner sites you have to have your own sub- scription or come into a Family History Center where you can use these sites for free. You can see that Ancestry has a lot of records of my father.

Sometimes we find information in the database which is not correct, and sometimes we put in information which is not correct. In either case, we need to make corrections. In this case, click on the statistic which is wrong, and this edit box will come up Then, click on edit, and the box will look like this Highlight the actual information to be changed, and type in new information. Type in reason you made the change: be specific. Then click save.

Sometimes it is fun to know that there is someone out there trying to research the same line as you are. And sometimes it is just plain helpful. When you are in edit mode, click on the name of the person who entered or modified the information (in this case, me). When this box comes up, click on send a message, and an box comes up and you can send an to the person who entered the information.

Bottom half of person page

Gives the names of spouses and children Allows you to add spouses and children Gives the names of parents and siblings of the individual Allows you to add parents and children Allows you to print the family in a variety of formats Permits you to check for duplicate individuals on FamilySearch Shows all of the sources that have been attached to the record Permits you to delete a relationship if someone has submitted information you know to be inaccurate (Please note: if you do this, you should have actual proof in your possession)

If you need to add children or spouses to a family, go to the family members part of the person page. Then click on the appropriate “+” sign. Put in whatever information you have, and click “Find.” Possibilities will be shown and you can select one if it matches. Otherwise you will have to add the information manually.

PRINT CHOICES

Merging Individuals: Sometimes a person is in the database more than once, even though the individual ‘s name may have a minor spelling difference. To find out if there are duplicates, click on “possible duplicates.”

Check all of the information carefully to determine whether it is the same, or similar. Remember that in the 1800s, spellings vary and people often did not know their own birthdates. Any new information can be added by clicking the add button. When you are satisfied, click “continue merge” or “not a match”

The final merge page will come up. Be sure to fill in the box “reason this merge is correct,” and then click “finish merge.” HOWEVER, you are not finished, because there was a second possible duplicate, so you will have to go back and repeat the merge process for the other possible duplicate.

1. On the person page, you can view spouses and children. It is fairly obvious that Elizabeth is not a child of these parents. Look at the birth dates. 2. Click on the small button (shown at the beginning of the arrow) and you will get a new page, shown above.

1. This box will open. You will need to put a reason for deleting the relationship in the box, the click Delete Once you click Delete, you will get a box like the one below.

One of the most exciting features of FamilySearch is that it gives us the opportunity to record different types of memories for ourselves and for future generations. How many of us have boxes of old photographs sitting around that we don’t know what to do with. Furthermore we have no idea how to interest our children in them.

This is a picture of my dad that I want to import to FamilySearch. It is easiest to put these pictures on the desktop. Click on the plus sign on the photos page and you will be ready to drag and drop your photo.

Photos, continued 1. When this screen comes up, pull the edges of the box so the circle surrounds the face of the individual. Then add a title, a description if you want, and put the name in the “Who is this?” box. 2. Next, click on the red dot to connect the photo to the person on you family tree. 3. Then click on this red dot on next page. 4. When this box comes up, type in the PID and click select.

1. Now you have a photo on the person page and on your family tree. What if you have many photos of the same person attached to his name? Click on the photo and… 2. You will get a box like the one on the right, showing all the photos attached. Simply click on the one you prefer, and that will be the one that shows on the person page and family tree.

1. Adding stories is a really easy thing to do. First, click on Stories under the Memories menu. Then click on “Add a new Story” 2. Then, follow the directions on the screen to the right. Attach a photo if possible, give your story a title, and type your story into the box marked “Story. Once you save, it will be attached to the proper person.

How many of you have ever lost a birth certificate or other important document? Now there is a way to put them in FamilySearch so you will always be able to find them. 1. Click Submission Agreement 2. When this screen appears, drag your document onto this screen. 3. Finally, you will see a box that says completed. Click on the blue lettering below and it will take you to a new screen…

1. The document will appear – draw out the box around it and put the name of the person in the Who is this box. 2. Hit enter and you will get a box like this. Click on the red dot. 3. Put in the person’s PID 4. At the next screen, click on Attach 5. Add a title, and a description if you wish, and you are done!

Adding Audio memories is really just the same as adding photos, stories, or documents. If you have a microphone on your computer, record your memory and save it to the desktop. FamilySearch will accept MP3 and.m4a files. Use the same process to drag and drop your file and attach it to your family tree. Think of what it will mean to your grandchildren and great grandchildren some day to be able to hear your voice, look at pictures of you, and read the stories you put in.