Hide and Seek on FS Record Collections

Pinterest

Do you ever feel like Family Search has hidden the records you are seeking like a squirrel hides nuts for the winter?  Seriously it has gotten so much better since the last time you gave up and went to another big website.  I have complied this list of links so that you can navigate more successfully in Record Search.  Happier hunting to you!

Searching for Records on Family Search

 http://tinyurl.com/j97snwn   A FS Video on some simple searching techniques.

*************

https://familysearch.org/ask/#/search/

Here’s how to get there from the home page:

familysearch.org>Sign on>Get Help>Help Center>Search Icon>

This section has several areas to explore. Frequently asked Questions, Tips and Tricks, Research Strategies, Other Resources.  Take a look at each section.

 Tips and Tricks-

This contains some very basic search ideas, a video (Requires Silverlight installation) and some handouts that can be printed for those beginning their journey in genealogy.

 Research Strategies-

This is part 2 of the searching techniques on Family Search. It goes into greater depth on how to find and browse through records that have not been currently indexed by name of the person you are seeking. There are things here for all levels of users. This is worth checking out for your use and to help patrons. 70% of our records are currently Browse Only. 

It is harder to find something that way but the collections contains a wonderful array of records. There are ways to filter these records to make the browsing more manageable. Learn them.

The first video listed above goes into filtering for best results on the person details page in the Family Tree.

On FS website go to the search page from the dropdown menu on the toolbar. To find the indexed records use the search box.

For the browsable records go to the main search page also under the search tab. You will see the search box on the left and the clickable maps on the right. Look down in the lower right corner for the over 2,000 record collections on FS.

The last video on the page goes into advanced searching of these browse only records.

 Other Resources-

 Check out the Riverton FamilySearch Library for a lesson on Searching on Family Search. The resource allows you to teach and use the handout or pass it along to patrons. It is great for teaching the step-by-step method of finding records. They have a good one on Genealogies and Books. Ogden has many great links there as well.

*************

Also check out the resources on The Family History Guide. This is one of the best ways to learn about Genealogy and Family History in an organized sequential way. It is a Family Search Partner. You are going to be hearing a lot about The Family History Guide in the next several months.

 http://thefhguide.com   Click on Project #4 Discover.

*************

Another blogger named Amy Johnson Crow did this presentation and it is great!

http://www.amyjohnsoncrow.com/2015/09/11/find-collections-on-familysearch/

Below is her Video found on YouTube.

https://youtu.be/MWFqCe2FaEc

*************

The last resources I am including is this in current video from RootsTech entitled Finding Elusive Records. This is by Robert Kehrer (pronounced Care) 60 minute presentation.

 https://www.rootstech.org/video2/4741844756001

There are so many helps out there to train us how to master the learning curve to success in our searching for records.  Each of the big databases has them!  The name of the game in FH and Genealogy is resources!  Consider adding these links to your Source Box to help our patrons learn to search effectively through the records.

How to Create a GEDCOM

Two weeks ago we talked a little bit about GEDCOMs.  Jim asked how we do it so I found a lesson that I can share with you about it.  This lesson was prepared by the Riverton (Utah) Family Search Library. The downloadable version is found on familysearch.org>Get Help>Search Icon>Other Resources>scroll down until you see GEDCOM.  Click on link to download and/or review.  You can also download it from this link in my dropbox.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/ab5vpg9kv9535z2/Creating%20a%20GEDCOM%20File%20-%202014-08-27%20%281%29.pdf?dl=0

Here is the tinyurl for the same lesson. http://tinyurl.com/jj8f2a4

I am planning to add it to my source box because I can bet someone will ask how to do this someday and I want to be able to help them with it.

So what is a GEDCOM and why do we need it?  This is a system created by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to help transfer genealogical data from one program to another.  You can transfer all or a partial amount into a program that stores and organizes your genealogy.  It saves you from having to re-enter everything one person at a time.  It also helps you from making mistakes as you transcribe your data while inputing. 

You can also GEDCOM into some of the big databases.  Be very careful to add just a little at a time until you know what you are doing. When another person sends you a GEDCOM always enter it into a separate and new file until you know exactly what they have sent and what you want to use.  Be cautious but not fearful.  You do not want to commingle your data with theirs until you are sure.  It is very hard to untangle when that happens.  

As I mentioned two weeks ago, I heard that exact same admonition from a teacher years ago and it scared me half to death to even try it.  Remember me and my fear of making lumpy gravy because I wasn't stirring it the right way or fast enough?  I was married quite a while before I was brave enough to attempt it without my Mom at my side.   Don't do that...just be careful and follow the instructions.  If you come to a step you are not sure about, reinvestigate or ask someone. being mindful of what you re doing can eliminate the fear.

Private Spaces on Family Search For The Living

Pinterest

Ron Tanner had some great new things to say about the Private Spaces for the Living on Family Search/Family Tree recently.  You can catch it right here:

https://youtu.be/Adx0pET1IMQ

New Classes Added To FS Learning Center

Several new classes have been added to the FS
Learning Center.

Excerpt from the blog post on FS by Sylvie Pysnak of FS

England, Wales Research
England & Wales Census Records 1841-1911 & Indexes
England and Wales Civil Registration

Sweden Research
Reading Gothic Handwriting for Swedish Genealogy
Spelling and Phonetics for Swedish Genealogy

Norway Research
How to find ancestors in Digitalarkivet of Norway
Norwegian Emigration: The Experience

Spain, Latin America, Mexico Research
Búsquedas eficaces
Recursos en línea para España
Censos sin secretos
Recursos en Línea para Inmigrantes
Investigación genealógica en Centro y Sudamérica
Recursos en línea para México
Nuevas Herramientas del Árbol Familiar

Various Research Content
Research in Poland
Hansen’s Map Guides: Finding records with parish maps
RootsTech 2016 Videos

"You Have To Put Your Hands On It!"

Let's Chat!

It has been awhile since I have talked about this.  An integral part of learning a process is actually doing it.  Think about learning to sew or play the piano or shoot hoops or anything that requires that you do something physical.  How long do you have to listen to someone playing the piano to do it yourself?  Forever?  No, that probably would not help too much. You have to put your hands right down on it and practice.  A Lot!  

So it is with genealogy and family history especially when coupled with technology.  We run up against this all the time in teaching people how to do it.  And complicating it is the fact that every single person has their own set of talents and limitations and experience and family to find.  

Where do we start?

Practice and repetition are critical.  That is how we learn and retain things.  Today I'd like us to think about what we can do to make it easier on ourselves and the patrons we serve.

What do you think would be the best way to attack this problem and find some viable solutions?

Brainstorming is good!

  Let's discuss it.

Do you know your strong points and weaknesses as you try to learn all of this endless sea of information?

What do you think would be the best way to learn it step by step?  How do we eliminate the Swiss cheese brain?

Where do we turn to fill in the gaps in our understanding?

What motivates us to want to do it in the first place?

Rootstech~Don't Forget About It!

Pinterest photo

Rootstech is past now for 2016 but its relevance remains high.  Here are the links I briefly talked about last week and the first one is from one of the Keynote Addresses.  Bruce Feiler is a noted NY Times Best Seller author and motivational speaker fro us as family historians.  He wrote the book, "Secrets of Happy Families" a few years ago. His talk was amazing.  For a real treat set aside 30 minutes to enjoy it.  No place is the energy of Rootstech felt more profoundly as in the General Sessions with several thousand people in attendance.

Bruce Feiler
https://www.rootstech.org/video2/4739709018001

Lisa Louise Cooke on Advanced Google Searching
https://www.rootstech.org/video2/4741690732001
Robert Kehrer Searching For the Hard Ones on FS:
 https://www.rootstech.org/video2/4741844756001

Let Rootstech work for you all year long.  Check out their archives at rootstech.org/

Partner Websites Access for LDS Users of Family Search

This past week Jim and I went to Sonoma for a little Day Trip. These are my favorite dates.  I love that one on one time with my husband and partner.  It is fun to reconnect without all the noise of daily life with its constant interruptions.  Sometimes when we are running in high gear it reminds me of when we had toddlers and babies and could never quite get a sentence completed without something else that needed our attention.  Day Trips are the complete antithesis of that feeling. They are calming, relaxing, centering.  They always add bing outside of nature enjoying nature which is so refreshing and grounding.  Thus we love to bring a picnic and dine al fresco.

So you may be thinking...what does this have to do with the topic of this lesson FS Partner access?  I had looked for a beautiful tree to share on this topic.  When I saw our photo it reminded me of why partners are so cool.  Partners work together, share with one another and make life more efficient and pleasant.  Partners are unique, each offering something special to make the whole experience better and richer.  I have had several people ask me about this access this week which prompt the topic for this lesson.

Now instead of having every big genealogy and family history entity working alone, the bar has been raised and now they are working together for the common good.  Each of the big partners offers something different.

They all have family trees.  People ask all the time, why do we need more than one tree?  If I could sum it in two words it would be RECORDS and COLLABORATION.  We have institutional partners and we have individual partners.  Those individuals being anyone who has contributed to the trees on any of the sites.  They are either related to us or they are not.  That information alone gives us far fewer haystacks to search through.

Each site offers records you cannot find on the other sites.  So with the new record hints this is valuable.  If you don't put your stuff out there you will not be getting a varsity of hints.  Why not let the computers do the searching when possible?  If our game is to find, we need to seek in various places. We should all take advantage of the free subscriptions offered to members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.  So how do you sign up?

Here is the direct link to the page you need to learn about and sign up with the partners:

https://familysearch.org/ask/#/partners/

If you want to go back another time here is the way to get there from the home page.

Go to Family Search at familysearch.org.  Get Help>Help Center>Scroll down to the Bolded Icons>Look for the Shaking Hands icon.  Double click.  Read everything on that page.  Please note that you must sign up for each of the partners individually.  You will need a username and password for Ancestry, My Heritage, Find My Past and American Ancestors.  Make it easy on yourself to remember and be sure to write them down.   (Hint) They do not have to be different on each site.

Enjoy the excitement of having more records and better collaboration.
When you want to learn more about how to use any of these sites don't forget you can learn about all of them on http://the fhguide.com.