FAMILY HISTORY HINTS

We have created this blog to help anyone get started in using the online FamilySearch website, which can be daunting at first!  We will start with the very basics, giving step-by-step instructions, so if you are not a beginner, skim the first few blogs and dig in where you feel you need pointers.  If you want to suggest a topic you need help with, we are always taking requests!  Please provide feedback at anytime by posting a comment or contacting your Ward Temple and Family History Leaders.   Thank you.  Gordon and Lisa Clark.

Setting up a user account is quick and easy.  Whether you're a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints or not, you're VERY welcome to use this free site. Step 1 :  Go to https://www.familysearch.org/en/ Step 2 :  Click on "Sign In" Step 3 :  Next, if you are not a member of the church, you will click on "Create a Free Account"--and it really is completely free to use this website! If you ARE a member of the church, you will need to click "Sign In with Church Account"--the same account you use to access LDS tools on your phone.   Step 4 :  Enter your username and password. Congratulations !!  You are now able to access billions of records about the genealogical history of the human family.   If you DO NOT HAVE a church account set up , it's easy to do, and will also allow you to access many other features at churchofjesuschrist.org.  Here's how you set up your church account:   Step 1 :   G...

As a member of the The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, you get a FREE membership to several search sites that allow you to hunt down names of your ancestors.    The one I use the most is Ancestry.com because I find it the most user-friendly and it's a good place to start.    From the familysearch website:  " Church members with free Ancestry accounts can access 99 percent of Ancestry’s databases. " (A few premium features can also be accessed by walking into a  family history center and using their computers.  Or you can pay for a subscription.) Step 1:  Go to  familysearch.org/partneraccess Step 2:  Click on "Join for Free" under the ancestry.com logo. Step 3:  Click on "Create a Free Account" Step 4:    S ign in to FamilySearch using your LDS account username and password. Step 5:    Click on the red button that says "Create Your Free Ancestry Account" Step 6:    Clic...

Here is where we stop to do some off-line homework.  You will need to find the name and a birth date and/or death date of an ancestor of yours who is deceased.  Then we can find or enter him or her in family search. Step 1:  Sign in at familysearch.org. Step 2:  I recommend taking a few minutes to review the " Getting Started " information.  This will answer many questions you've had in your mind about using this site.  You can access this at https://www.familysearch.org/home/etb_gettingstarted OR by clicking on help at the very top right of your home screen. Step 3:   It's likely that your family tree is already in the system to some degree.  You can view your tree by accessing your tool bar across the top of the screen.  It looks like this: Step 4:   Click on "Family Tree" and then open "Tree." Step 5:   At this point, take some time to explore the different views of your tree. You can discover what happens w...

Step 1:   Log into your family search account. Step 2:   Open a new tab on your browser and log in to your account on ancestry.com. Step 3:   Click on "Search" on the toolbar at the top and open "All Collections." Step 4:   Enter the information you have on the person in the appropriate field.  You can click on other links to add information you have about other life events or the family relationships you know about. Step 5:   A window will open with a list of sources, with the most likely options at the top.  This does NOT guarantee that this is the person you are looking for---just that it best matches the parameters you entered.  You must use your judgment to determine if it is the person you are interested in. Step 6:   When you click on a link from this list, you will open a document that will hopefully give you the information you need.  Also, be sure to refer to the " Suggested Records" in the column on the righ...

You can enter the vital information of a person you have found that is not yet in the family search database.  There are a lot of steps, but it's pretty simple and straightforward. Step 1:   DOUBLE CHECK the person at the top of the page.  For example,  if you are adding a relative for William H Keller, make sure William H Keller is the person listed at the top left of your page. Step 2:   Determine the relationship you want to add.   For example, when I do a search for William in Ancestry. com, the 1880 census shows a son named Charles for him and his wife, Hannah. When I check on family search, Charles is not listed as a child of William and Hannah.  He is missing. Step 3:   I do as much research as I can by searching on Ancestry.com and/or other sites to find birth and death dates for Charles Keller. (See Blog entry #7 entitled "How to do a Search on Ancestry.com") By following the links, I find Charles' grave on Find a Grav...

Citing the source where you found the names and dates you enter into family search is a vital step that often gets left undone, and leads to mixups or insecurity in the information.  It only takes a few quick steps to validate the work you have done! Sorry--Still writing this post.  Stay tuned--the rest is coming soon!! Step 1: Step 2: Step 3: Step 4: Step 5: Step 6: Step 7:   

It may seem scary to print out your own cards to take to the temple, but let me reassure you.  If you have done your research and you know the dates and places are as accurate as you can make them based on the documents you have found, you don't need to worry about "making a mistake." As you go through the following steps, the name will be checked by the system to make sure it is temple ready and you can feel confident in going ahead and printing out a card.  So here we go. Step 1:   There are a couple of ways to know if a person is ready for their ordinances to be performed. First is to click on their name and look at the introductory box that opens up. Notice the that the color of the boxes in the Temple row are colored a light green.  Green means "GO!"  You may request the right to perform these ordinances!  Just click on "Temple" and it will take you to the requesting window. You can also access a person's temple information by clicking...

You can print family ordinance cards at home on normal, white paper, using the following process: Step 1:   You may access the list of all the ordinances you have requested by going to the tool bar at the top of the page and clicking on "Temple."  In the dropdown box, click on "Not Printed."  This will pull up a list of names that you have received clearance to print, but have not printed yet. Step 2:  Click on the box next to the left of the name(s) you want to print--it allows up to 45 names at a time--so that a blue check mark appears in the box(es).  Then click "Print." Step 3:  A window will open us to allow you to choose how you want to print.  I'll explain what both of these options mean. You would choose "Print Family Name Cards" if you want to print these cards at home.  If you want the temple to print them for you, select "Print an FOR" (which stands for Family Ordinance Request).     Step 4:  With either ...

COMING SOON!