Using the Family Search Source Box to Help Others

The lane to Joseph Smith's Birth Place~Sharon Vermont

Your Source Box on Family Search is located in the dropdown menu by your name on the home page.  Your name appears in the upper right hand corner of your screen when you have signed into FamilySearch. When you click on the down arrow, one of the three options available there is Source Box. Open it.  There you will see a list of the sources that have been sent to your Source Box automatically when you have attached records to various people in your tree as you have worked on them.  Once you have attached them to a person you really should no longer need them. You can either delete them or you can save all of them to one folder.

I like to create a code so that I can find my sources box materials easier.  I have named my folder for already attached sources ZZ.  I am essentially done with them but can find them should a need arise. Incidentally, when I add a record for an individual as a source in the tree I always check the Title of the Document.  If it does not include the person's name I just add a - at the end of the title and add the name.  That way if I should ever need it again I can find it easily.   I don't envision needing them again but I may want to add something to my RootsMagic software some time.  If the name is not in your Source Box Document you would have to open every one of the attached documents to see whose record it is.  The title may just read 1880 US Census and there will be a lot of them.  Adding the name makes it easy to spot it without opening it.

The Source Box is essentially a large file cabinet.  Anything with a URL or web address can be kept in this source box.  Before we had Source Linker on the Tree we had to make our own sources and attach them to individuals.  That functionality still exists.  It is a simple process.

Creating a New Source

The first thing you need to do is have a url you have already copied from a page on the Internet.  Let's use the Freedmen's Bureau Records as an example.  Everything you read on the Internet has a specific URL in the address box at the top of the page.  Highlight that and copy it.

Now go to your Source Box via the dropdown menu next to your name on FS homepage.  Look at what is already in your box and look to the left where you can create Folders.

Add a broad-based folder on the left.  Let's say you choose AA (African American) or FB (Freemen's Bureau)  This is the place you will keep anything pertaining to African American Research.  The number of folders you can have is 50 at this time.   Keep in mind that you cannot  store huge files in the Source Box.  But you can store those in Dropbox or Evernote and then make a folder in your Source Box that uses the URL for downloading your large document from Dropbox or Evernote.  You could name those folders DB or EN.  You can put as many new sources as you want it each folder.  That is why you keep the folder's name broad-based.  I don't think you will run out of folders with the broad-based titles but if you do, you can always combine things and rename a folder.

Now click on Create Source

A box will appear that shows you how to make a source.  It give you an example.  Click in the title box and add your title.  FB ( Freedman's Bureau) How to Index The Records.

In box #2 add the url you have copied from the source by pasting it here.

In box #3 add where you found this source.  Example:  familysearch.org

In box #4 add what the record contains or any notes or hints you feel are good to know.

When you save it it will appear in your folder on the left FB (Freedmen's Bureau or AA African American)  Clicking on the Code FB in the left hand folder column will open all the files with that code in the Source Box field.  Open the link you select and there is your material.

That's it.  Pretty Simple!

Practical Application For the Patron

Think about how handy it would be to have something for a patron to learn more about at home.  It would be available in your own source box so that you could forward it to them via email.  That way they can learn about their subject of interest in their leisure time and keep it as long as they need it.

When a patron comes in seeking help we all have our own method of helping.  What I like to do is a little bit of triage.  Why are they in the library?  Find out what is needed and how long they have to spend in the library on this visit.  Find out where they are in the process of learning how to do their genealogy. Start from what they know and work from there.  As an example let's say a patron comes in, has a user name and password that they remember and they want to look at their portion of Family Tree.  The catch is they only have 1 hour.  What would you do?

I would have them look at their portion of The Tree and then show them the Help Center paying attention to where they can go for help via phone, etc. when they have left the library. I would send them the link to Elder Moon's 2 to 3 minute video helps on how to use the Tree for them to look at at home that I already have readily available in my source box.

Then I would spend some time looking at their section of the tree and making some attachments if necessary so that they can actually see a pedigree of their lineage. This is usually necessary if they have living people preceding deceased ancestors that are not attached to them until the bridge is built between a living person and their deceased parents.  If they see themselves on the tree and have something compelling to take away they have a good start.  Your hour is over and hopefully they will come back.

 Because you now have their email you can follow up and give them some addition help that you can research after they leave.  Add a new URL with that additional information in an appropriate folder in your source box.   As you build your source box over time, you will become more valuable as a staff member in assisting patrons.

In my opinion this is much more effective than just sitting and doing the work for them.  Family History is a life long journey.  I have learned that if I help someone through their entire learning process they do not build any confidence in doing it on their own by my simply saying click here, click there.  We want them to do it and to think about why they are clicking here and there.

Practical Application for the Staff Member

The Source Box being used as a tool box can also be very helpful to us as we try to help others.  Who can remember all the nuances of Immigration research, or DNA components, or a blog post that had a particular list on how to do something for a specific situation?  Not me.  I love having that information in my Source Box.  You can refer to it along with your patron to refresh you own mind and help them at the same time.  Each time I have a situation that I can't figure out with a patron I can research it and create a source and send it to them.  Each time I read an article or blog post or anything pertaining to all of us that do this great work, I can create a source.  You have the capability of creating and organizing your box in any way you wish.  The flexibility is amazing.  And because it is on Family Search it is all right there with you when ever you sign on the FS any time or anywhere. You can even study some of these things in more depth when you have a moment to kill while waiting for someone or something on the go.  If you like the ideas presented here, how about copying the link for this post and creating a folder in your Source Box for helping patrons.

HP (Helping Patrons)
 http://alegacythatmatters.blogspot.com/2015/07/using-family-search-source-box-to-help.html


My Links added to my folder FB (Freedmen's Bureau) 

http://search.ancestry.com/search/db.aspx?dbid=1105

https://familysearch.org/blog/en/breaking-1870-brick-wall-significance-freedmens-bureau-records/

http://www.discoverfreedmen.org/

http://mappingthefreedmensbureau.com/maps/


Of course you can create other sources that are not from the Internet but we can talk about that in the comments or in class if needed.  Let me know.  B

FamilySearch/FamilyTree-July Updates

I know I say this every month but I truly appreciate Steve Anderson over at Family Search for gathering all the updates for the month into one place.  He does such a great job and if you have ever done blogging you appreciate him even more.  One of the things that I think makes genealogists so special is that they are willing to work so hard to learn and then share with others.  It is a gift we rarely think about because the entire community is this way.  I  think it is rare, don't you?

https://familysearch.org/blog/en/whats-familysearchjuly-2015/

Freedmen's Bureau Records

https://www.dropbox.com/home/Staff%20Training?preview=Lesson+44+-+Freedmen%27s+Bureau+Records.pdf

Using American Ancestors Dot Org

American Ancestors is the website for the highly regarded New England Historic and Genealogical Society (NEHGS).  It was established in 1845 in Boston and is one of the oldest and largest genealogical societies.

This website (http://americanancestors.org) is a comprehensive resource for Family History research.  It contains over 400 million records and should be a definite Go-To for England, New England, Pennsylvania,  New York and Virginia research.

As a member of the church you can access this affiliate Family search site.  Go to this link:

https://familysearch.org/partneraccess   

Follow instructions.  
Write down your username and password.

The level we have access to is most similar the level of Research on the paid site.  There are some areas of the website that are restricted and the lesson below outlines that for you.  All patrons on the computers in the OFSC can access American Ancestor in the library.

The lesson can be downloaded at this link:

http://tinyurl.com/nukxlwx  There are some things to practice on the lesson link.

Thanks to Linda for pointing out the value of this newly acquired partnership for Family Search.  Yet another great way to help our patrons in their quest to find their family.

Occupations of Old

Yesterday we attended the annual Staff Appreciation Dinner at the Library.  It was very nicely done as usual and most appreciated by our staff.  it seems high time we did something special for Carol Holladay and Debbie Smith to show our appreciation for their appreciation.  Those ladies work tirelessly on our behalf.  Thank you Carol and Debbie!

After the dinner we played a little game to see who knows what some of the occupations from the past were called.  Most of us failed the test miserably.  So I thought it might be fun to list them here for the rest of you and for us as a reminder.

Collier.....................................Coalminer/Quarry Worker

Accoucheuse...........................Midwife

Cooper...................................  Barrel or Cask Maker

Cordwainer or Cordiner..........Shoemaker

Currier.....................................Hide Curer

Alewife....................................Tavern Keep or Barmaid

Farrier/Ferrier..........................Metal Worker/Blacksmith

Besomer...................................Broom Maker

Goaler......................................Jailer

Chataugua...............................Travel Camp Orator

Joiner or Wright.....................Woodworker

Necessary Woman.................Chamberpot Tender 

Margrave................................German Nobleman

Huckster................................. Door to Door Salesman

Husbandman...........................Farmer

Pugger.....................................Clay Maker or Treader

Sawyer....................................Logger or Timberman

Tucker.....................................Lace Seamstress

Surety......................................Bondsman

Yeomanette.............................Navel Reservist

Selectman................................Alderman

Tanner.....................................Hide Processor

Suttler......................................Peddler Selling to the Military

Executrix.................................Female Estate Administrator

Yeoman...................................Cultivator of a small piece of land

Corsair.....................................Pirate

How did you do?  You never know when these things will come in handy in your research.  

Tree Connect Update

While we have been in the UK I have been reading about problems with Tree Connect from several of the blogs.  I have been a proponent of Tree Connect from its initial launch because it is a great way to add sources from various websites into your Person Details Page in Family Search /Family Tree.

While checking it all out this morning I found this message from the creator of Tree connect.  It is going to be even better but right now it does not appear to be ready.  See The creator's explanation here. http://dovy.io/recordseek/recordseek-redesigned-from-the-ground-up/

So if you have never used Tree Connect to enhance your sources on your ancestors give it a try when it is done with the facelift.  I'll be watching it and will give you an update when the API is re-certified with Family Search.  API=Application Programming Interface.  It is a a set of routine applications and tools for building software applications.  It allows two programs to combine data without messing up or changing either database.  Examples are Tree Connect, Relative finder, Puzilla, etc.  Many of the certified partners are APIs.

In the meantime while they are revamping Tree Connect, you can simply copy and paste a URL of a record you need from a different site and add it into your notes on the person details page of Family Tree.  I did it this morning on a Swedish record I found on My Heritage and it worked just fine. I like trying to find new ways to overcome the obstacles of ever changing technology and software.

Family Tree~June 2015 Updates ~ Steve Anderson

June 1, 2015 By Steve Anderson

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.

Use Mobile Apps to Reserve Ordinances for the Temple

You can now use the mobile app to reserve ancestors’ ordinances for the temple. For anything you do with ordinances (such as reserve or share), you will need a live connection to the Internet. This ensures the integrity of the data and verifies that the temple ordinances are still available.

The recent enhancements to the mobile apps should greatly increase your ability to find ancestors and reserve the temple ordinances for them.

New Memories Feature
When you add photos from a person’s Memories page, Family Tree automatically adds a tag to the photo. You usually have to adjust the position and size of the tag, and you may want to add a description or add tags to other people in the photo. That’s easy if you add one photo at a time.

Many users prefer to upload several photos for a person and then adjust or add the tags. You had to go to the person’s Memories page, open one photo, adjust or add the tags, and then return to the person’s Memories page to open the next photo. You had to go to the person’s Memories page between every photo. Users have asked if we could simplify the process. So we did.

Arrows have been added to the page where you tag the photo. Open one photo, adjust or add the tags, and then click anarrow to go to the next or previous photo. You no longer have to go to the Memories page between each photo.

 New Partners

FamilySearch works with a variety of partners to provide you with as many ways as possible to find, add, and share information about your ancestors. If a product or feature is listed as “FamilySearch Certified,” it means the product is compatible with FamilySearch.org and has features that conform to our strict standards of quality.

To see new and existing partners and certified products, see www.FamilySearch.org/apps. New partners are added as their products are certified.

New Icon Colors

For consistency, the color of available ordinances have changed from light blue to light green . This makes the temple icon, the ordinance status icon, and the ordinance fly-out the same color. The color of an ordinance that is In Progress and is printed is now dark green.

Here is the legend for the current colors:

Coming Soon

Unreserving Ordinance Reservations after Two Years

In the next few months, FamilySearch will begin unreserving temple ordinances if no ordinances have been done for the person in the last two years. This applies only to members living in the US and Canada. If you have reservations that you haven’t been able to complete, now is a good time to share them with family members through email or to share them with the temple.

Please keep the following in mind:

• If you share the reservations with the temple, the ordinances will not be unreserved. The temples will ensure that the ordinances are completed.
• Reservations for a deceased person will only be unreserved if the most recent ordinance was completed more than two years ago. (So the name will be unreserved if it has been more than 2 years since an ordinance was done for the person.)
• Unreserving inactive temple reservations has become a priority due to the large number of ordinances that have been reserved for more than two years, and also to comply with instructions from the First Presidency to ensure that temple work for ancestors is completed in a timely manner. This will also allow more members to participate in the temple work for their own ancestors.

There are nearly 12 million ordinance reservations held by FamilySearch patrons in Family Tree. Amazingly, about 5% of FamilySearch patrons hold 60% of those reservations. Users with large reservation lists will be alerted to this upcoming change through email and postal mail where possible.

What You Can Do

If you have a large reserved list, there are things you can do to help ensure that the work for these ancestors is completed in a timely manner. Here are some ideas to help you get started.

• Review Your Temple Reservation List - To see your temple reservation list, sign in to FamilySearch.org, and click theTemple tab at the top of the screen. To sort the names by the date you reserved them, click Date Reserved. The system rearranges the names and puts the ones that have been reserved the longest at the top. Decide which ordinances you will be able to do yourself and which ones you could share.

• Share Ordinances with Family Members by Email -You can use email to share temple ordinances with family members and friends. This is a convenient, “cardless” way to share the blessings of doing temple ordinances.

1. On the reservation list, click the box next to the ancestors you would like to share with a family member or friend. (The system puts a check mark in the box.)Tip: To remove the check mark, click the box again.
2. Click Share, and in the drop down list, click Share with Family or Friends.

 3. Enter the name and email address of the family or friend you are sending the ordinances to, add a short message if you want, and click Send.

On your temple reservation list, the names you have shared will be marked with an envelope icon. The names remain on your reservation list until they are accepted by your family or friend. When the names are accepted, the names disappear from your reservation list and appear on the temple reservation list of the person you shared them with.

If the names are not accepted in 2 weeks, the share envelope icons are removed, and you can print the family ordinance request, share the ordinances again, or unreserve the names.

Share with the Temple

If you don’t have family members or friends who are able to perform the temple ordinances, you could share the ordinances with the temple. This is a great way to ensure that the ordinances are done in a timely manner. Members all over the world who attend the temple can help complete the ordinances.

Unreserve the Ordinances, and Reserve Them Again

In a few cases, an ordinance may have been on your list for two years, and, for special reasons, you need to continue to reserve the ordinance on your list. (For example, some families hold the ordinances for a deceased father until a son is old enough to do his father’s ordinances.) You can unreserve the ordinance and then reserve the ordinance again to keep it on your list for another 2 years. This should only happen in rare instances because holding names leaves the ancestors waiting for the temple ordinances and keeps others from participating in providing the ordinances.

Do Nothing

A final option is to just do nothing. The uncompleted ordinances that qualify will be automatically unreserved, and other family members will be able to reserve and do the ordinances.

If you don’t have names on your temple reservation list that will be unreserved, you can still benefit from this feature. Watch for ancestors who might be coming off one of your relatives’ lists. You can reserve the ordinances and help complete the temple work. Don’t reserve more names than you can reasonably do in the near future. If you can’t get them done soon, please allow others to reserve and do the temple work.

We’re excited about this new development and know that it will lead to many more of Heavenly Father’s children receiving the saving temple ordinances.

More Color and Icon Changes

We will be making more changes to the colors and icons in the next month.

• For temple ordinances, “Needs More Information” will go from orange to purple.
• “Record Hints” will be changed to a bright orange with an image that looks like a record.
• “Research Suggestions” will change to an image that looks like a sign post.

Here’s an example of the new icons and colors on a Descendancy view.

Again thank you Steve Anderson!