July Updates From The Family Search Blog

Each month, FamilySearch publishes a list of new changes and updates to the FamilySearch.org website. This list includes changes to Family Tree as well as other parts of FamilySearch.org. In some cases, these changes will also be published as individual articles where the need to do so exists.

 Recently Released

FamilySearch: List View in Memories Gallery

There is a new way to look at memories within your Gallery. The Gallery has new arrangement options as well as visibility for you to date and place information on each memory.

Note: The arrangement options will not show memories missing information. For example, if you select Title A-Z, only memories with titles will show, though your count on the My Memories album does not change.

FamilySearch: Memories Tab on the Family Tree People Page

The process of uploading or attaching memories to a person through the Memories tab on the Family Tree people page has been simplified. The single Add link to do both has been replaced by two buttons within each section: the first one, Upload Memory, uploads a new memory, and a second button, Select from Gallery, selects a memory from previously uploaded memories.

FamilySearch: People Page Updates in Memories

Updates to People page within Memories. 

1. If a person is linked to your tree, the name of the person in Memories and the tag on each memory will now match the vital name showing in your Family Tree.
   
2. The People page will default to the Close Relatives Show option.
   
3. The Show option of Close Relatives will allow you to sort by options of Last Name and First Name. Last Name sort will then also sort by First Name. First Name will then also sort by Last Name. 
   
4. 
   

Read The Instructions Before Attempting Repairs In The Tree

pinterest

Some people get very frustrated by the fact that Family Tree is always changing and that people keep messing up "their tree".  
I think we as staff members know the premise of our Tree pretty well, but sometimes we have patrons that just don't understand. Perhaps we could give them a few of the principles of a wiki-based program in correcting errors and collaboration and then give them a link that includes this blogpost series by James Tanner.  We can have this link handy in our toolbox inside our source box for just such occasions.  

Here is a portion of blogpsot #3:

Some people are overwhelmed with the obvious errors in the FamilySearch.org Family Tree. They immediately conclude that the Family Tree is either not working or there are so many errors that the job itself of cleaning up the Family Tree is overwhelming. Neither conclusion accurately represents the reality of the Family Tree. Yes, there are a lot of problems, but these problems are really opportunities to correct the Family Tree and thereby add individuals who need Temple ordinances.

I will repeat my first two Rules for cleaning up the Family Tree:

Family Tree Accuracy Rule No. 1:
You and your family are responsible for the accuracy of your portion of the Family Tree.

Family Tree Accuracy Rule No. 2:

No one has or will verify the accuracy of your portion of the Family Tree except you and your family.

Now I will add another rule:

Family Tree Accuracy Rule No. 3:
Accuracy in the Family Tree is like cleaning a house. There are different perceptions of what is already clean and what needs cleaning.

One of the things I like that he includes is some information and screenshots of the Get Help sections of Family/Search Family Tree.

There are many levels of support and help for the website and all of its parts. In the upper, right-hand corner of the screen there is the Help Menu.

Each of these links goes to a different type of help and support. But the basic, question answering help is in the Help Center. When I am asked a question, I usually sit down with the person asking and show them the answer in the Help Center.

Check it out. If you think it might be helpful to you in the Library or in your wards why not capture it and save it for the moment you need it.  

http://rejoiceandbeexceedingglad.blogspot.com/2016/08/what-to-look-for-in-cleaning-up_22.html

What I like to do is copy the url above which is the 3rd post in the series.  I chose that one because it has the links to the first two posts at the bottom of it.

Next I go to tinyurl.com and paste the link into the box provided.  It then gives me a tiny url that is just more manageable. 

http://tinyurl.com/zlcgk2z  Now I have a nice, compact link to create my toolbox link in my soucebox on FamilySearch Family Tree.  You can find the source box directly under you name after signing in.  The drop down menu has it as one of the selections.

Open the Source Box and create a source.

Now you have this at your finger tips when you need it. Using your source box creatively is helpful.   Otherwise it just holds all the documents you have already attched to people in your tree. You can create one folder for all of them, in the unlikely event you'll ever need them again.  Then you have 49 other folders to store things that can really help you remember the things you need to know and to help patrons.  If you need more help with this let me know.   

Considering DNA?

If you are considering DNA but really feel you lack some knowledge in this area The Family History Guide just added an 8th Project called DNA..  www.thefhguide.com  I have looked through the goals and it looks like there is a lot of pertinient infromation regarding this chance to find out more about your origins.  Here is an excerpt from the first article in the new goals section of the DNA Project.

"By the 1980s it had been established that DNA could be used very effectively for identification purposes, leading to widespread use in the fields of forensics and criminology. Only very small samples were needed, with sources varying from a body to traces left by a body, in what is referred to as “genetic fingerprints.” DNA paternal testing soon followed, effectively proving paternity far past the limits of earlier blood tests. A major achievement occurred in the early 1990s, with the exhumation and identification by DNA testing of the remains of members of the royal Romanoff family of Russia.

First public attention was brought to potential use of DNA as a genealogical tool in the late 1990s. Of special significance were efforts to determine if Thomas Jefferson was the father of some or all of slave Sally Hemmings' children."  

The Family History Guide supplies many answers to our 
questions in Family History in one convenient place  Check out Project #8 DNA.

Google Tech Tips By Lisa Louise Cooke

Google Images

Not all browsers are created equally.  Google Chrome has some distinct advantages when searching on Google.  I don't know about you but I've always been fascinated with Google.  I've learned that it can be a little bit like pulling the arm on a slot machine if you just guess with your search terms and see what happens. Finding out some of the intricacies of using this amazing tool is really worth all the effort.  Not only for Family History and Genealogy but for any search you do on any subject.  The best way to hit the jackpot most of the time is to learn how to do just that.

I've read a lot about Google and one person that I know of seems to have to handle on how to use this tool and explains it in simple terms that I can understand.  Once I get the general idea then, like everything else, I need to try it.  A few times and I've got it.  Then I own it as Stephen Covey taught us.

With this in mind I'd like to add some Google Tech Tips from Lisa now and again on this blog.  I thought this one was amazing.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dXb0DmtSH4k&feature=autoshare

Lisa Louise Cooke is the owner author of genealogygems.com

She is my go to person for a lot of technolgy tips.  To me she is the place that genealogy and technology intersect in a way I can understand.  Lisa takes the mystery out of Google Searching.

Google Images

FS Blog on Social Media and Family History

Google Images

More and more people are doing their family history without even realizing it.

If you do not enjoy writing perhaps one of the social media options would be great for you.  This blog post was put on FS this week and I think it is something to ponder.  

Every time I  think I don't have time to do my personal history or that of my family's I think about how much more time I'd have is our deceased family members have left a little bit more to work with.   

I enjoy switching to Family History in Real time when I get frustrated with  researching.  It is refreshing to sit down and tell my story because I know it.

Switching things up between a lot of these media options really adds interest and variety to this lifelong pursuit.  It fun, easy to learn and just about anything can be made into a book these days. Social media can be used for something so much more important like communication with living relatives, finding ancestors and relatives, special groups, etc.  And the options are seemingly endless for photo storage and sharing.

In the article below by Steve and Jill Decker pay particular attention to the blue links at the bottom.  Social media program are simple to learn and have a very minimal learning curve.

Social Media: Real-time Family History in the First Person

June 30, 2016 By Steven Decker

By Steven and Jill Decker

Never has so much first-person family history been contributed by so many – and most do not even realize they are doing it. Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and other social media outlets are forces that can be utilized to document and share a family’s history in the here and now. They are modern methods to journal our activities and, unlike handwritten diaries and journals, they are accessible to multiple “friends” or “followers” at the same time. Often the history is accompanied by photographs.

Here are some recent social media subjects for our family:

• A trip to Bryce Canyon National Park and other vacations.
• A family member and coach commented about his association with student-athletes and about his association with the Tour of Utah.
• The preparation for our niece’s wedding.
• Thankfulness that a recent cranial surgery on an infant went well.
• Political views.
• Religious views.
• Bucket lists.
• Birthday wishes.
• Insights to senses of humor.

You can see the rich and varied story that is told through these simple, one-off posts.

Of course, social media is not without its issues when it comes to sharing family history. Not every social media claim is accurate: users may use profile pictures of heroes or loved ones rather than themselves or, for whatever reason, may say they are from a place to which they have never been. That said, imagine how many events and special occasions would pass unnoticed by large numbers of family and friends without social posts. Social media can be a great way to share family memories and instill a real sense of belonging among today’s spread-out families.

Here are some ideas and resources that can help you create your own social media strategy for family history:

• 3 Ways to Use Instagram for Family History by Tyler S. Stahle, blog post,
  
  https://familysearch.org/blog/en/3-ways-instagram-family-history/.
• Kludge Fellow of Digital Studies, Katrin Weller, also offers advice in a Library of Congress blog post, Preserving Social Media for Future Historians
  (https://blogs.loc.gov/kluge/2015/07/preserving-social-media-for-future-historians/).
• For ideas about how to use Pinterest see:
  https://www.pinterest.com/conniesmith1/family-history/,
  http://lisalisson.com/2015/06/25/pinterest-for-genealogists/,
  or https://www.pinterest.com/familysearch/.
• Facebook is Family History by Maggie Stevens, blog post,
  https://familysearch.org/blog/en/facebook-family-history.

93 Year Old Holocaust Survivor Reunited With Her Family

This is a heartwarming story of what family history and genealogy can do for the living as well as the dead.  I thought I'd include it to point out the joy this work can produce.  It is so much more that pedigree charts and family group sheets.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=83ilEVS423I

Makes one appreciate Freedom and Liberty even more!

The Family History Guide Webinars 1 & 2 #3 Just Added

Sometimes in Family History the path gets dim.  We have searched and searched and tried different things only to run out of ideas.  When this happens we often don't know what to do next.  Sometimes our patrons in the library have the same problem.

To shed some light on the path to perfecting our tree we need help.  In fact a lot of the time we do. The two links below do an excellent job of sharing some insights to the Family History Guide.  They are presented by the creator and CEO (Bob Taylor) of the website and are very informative.

This website is clearly not for everyone.  It is not for people that just want a simple answer so they can get it done with very little effort.  It is for the people that truly want to learn how to do something and understand the principles behind it. It is for people that like to be interactive learners not passive learners.   It is for people who like sequential learning as well as for those who have a good understanding but are just missing some of the pieces.  It is not for the casual user because it required that one does something.  You will get your hands on it which is something we have learned is essential to actually learning and retaining anything.  It is for people who enjoy multimedia learning through articles, videos and studying by topic.

It is broken down very nicely in the links below so that you can find exactly what you need in a few minutes or less.   The Webinars are previously recorded and can be found on the BYU Family History Library YouTube Channel.

https://youtu.be/oehBzaa3hd8  Part-1
https://youtu.be/tub0_6Uj1Oc  Part-2
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EeALO94O0ck  Part-3

The videos are about 40 minutes long.


FYI You can go to  a Family History Center and access it under Premium Sites in the Portal.  You can access it in Get Help on Family Search in the Learning Center Classes.

Since it is a website and not an App you can access it on any of your electronic devices by entering www.thefhguide.com.  You can find them on Facebook for the up to the minute updates and enhancements.  It is not an LDS site but works closely with Family Search now.  It is being used in 120 countries already after less than one year after their launch in July of 2015.

If you are helping Boy Scouts get their Merit Badge in Genealogy there is a whole new section for the scouts, parents and instructors.  Having been a part of that in the past I can tell you it is great.

Anyway just another resource and, in my opinion, one of the very best for working on Family History.  It just keeps getting better.