New online resources from FamilySearch and Library and Archives Canada

We were pleased to see 2 announcements recently:

1.  On 18 November FamilySearch announced the addition of 15 million indexed records to their website.  We hope you got the email with this information (if you didn’t then you need to register at consultant.familysearch.org).  We just want to make sure that you realize that all these new records are only being added to the Historical Records section of the beta.familysearch.org web site – and not to the pilot.familysearch.org web site.  Beta.familysearch.org will in the near future replace familysearch.org.  Please use Feedback on the beta site to report and errors or suggestions for improvement.  Here is part of the announcement:

A Lot to Be Thankful For: 15 Million New Indexed Genealogical Records

Digital images and indexes include 34 collections from 13 countries

The collection of indexes and images available on FamilySearch’s beta website continues to grow by leaps and bounds, with the addition of 34 collections of genealogical records. These records include 15 million indexed records and 2.5 million images. The bounty of information covers 13 different countries around the world: Mexico, Chile, Colombia, Honduras, Guatemala, Brazil, France, Spain, Germany, Belgium, Jamaica, Canada, and the United States. Search these records now at Beta.FamilySearch.org.

2.  On November 18 Library and Archives Canada announced the release of new online tools to help with immigration records.  Transcriptions of headings of different forms used to record the names of immigrants arriving in Canada between 1865 and 1935 are now accessible on the Library and Archives Canada website. Links to different databases and websites offering nominal indexes or digitized images of immigration records have been regrouped on a single web page.

These pages can be accessed at the following addresses:

Immigration Records Headings:
http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/genealogy/022-908.012-e.html

Immigration Records Indexes:
http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/genealogy/022-908.013-e.html

Thank you to Dick Eastman (http://blog.eogn.com/) for alerting us to the announcement.

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EASy as a Source at beta.FamilySearch.org

When using historical records at beta.familysearch.org you might come across a “system origin of “EASy” and wonder what it means. For an example, see the record for Anna Pereira, baptized 19 Mar 1783 in São Luiz Rei, Mostardas, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, in the “Brazil Baptisms, 1688-1935” collection. According to the FamilySearch website, EASy stands for Extraction Administration System. This is the system used prior to FamilySearch Indexing“

Thank you to Ancestry Insider for telling us about this!  http://ancestryinsider.blogspot.com/

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The Future of FamilySearch

There are changes ahead!  – and we want to help you be prepared!   We have been fortunate to have attended training sessions and presentations where information on the changes has been given.  We thought, however, that perhaps the best way to summarize the changes was to share with you a handout used by Ron Tanner, project manager at FamilySearch, at the recent FH Expo in SLC.

Please:  1.  Familiarize yourself with the new version of familysearch.org (currently accessible from labs.familysearch.org or directly through http://beta.familysearch.org/ ).  Use it as much as you can.   Watch it develop.

2.  Note that the article states that nFS will become the Family Tree within the Familysearch.org web site – I have heard this term used but the name change has not been officially announced so maybe the new name for nFS has not been finalized.

3.  The section on Future Enhancements refers to changes to what we currently call nFS.

FamilySearch 2010 and Beyond

Presented by Ron Tanner

at FH Expo in SLC 27 August 2010

Overview

Sometimes doing genealogical research can be confusing. Unfortunately there are times when the software and services intended to help researchers end up adding to the confusion. FamilySearch is in the process of a major initiative to replace the existing FamilySearch.org website with new and improved software and hardware while at the same time integrating the different FamilySearch services into one, easy to use website. This presentation discusses the replacement of http://www.FamilySearch.org, the integration of the various FamilySearch services into one easy to use site, and near and long-term enhancements to the services.

3 Steps to an Integrated FamilySearch

The effort to replace http://www.FamilySearch.org with an integrated site is monumental. Because of the size and complexity of the task, it will happen in multiple steps. These steps are described below.

Step 1: Integrate

The first step is to integrate most of the FamilySearch services into one easy to use site. You can see our progress on this by looking at the FamilySearch beta located at beta.FamilySearch.org. The FamilySearch services being integrated are:

• Forums
• Wiki
• Indexing
• Record Search

Step 2: Replace http://www.FamilySearch.org

Once the initial set of services mentioned above are integrated, the FamilySearch beta will replace http://www.FamilySearch.org. At this point, all of the integrated services will be available at one website, http://www.FamilySearch.org.

Step 3: new FamilySearch becomes the Family Tree

Shortly after the FamilySearch beta replaces http://www.FamilySearch.org, we will integrate new FamilySearch into the http://www.FamilySearch.org web site. New FamilySearch will then be renamed Family Tree and simply be a service of http://www.FamilySearch.org.

Features of the Replacement Site

While the replacement site will have Forums, Wiki, Indexing, and Record Search all integrated into one easy to use site, it will also have additional services and capabilities. A brief description of all the planned features for the FamilySearch beta follows. These features are added to the beta website as they are built so depending on when you look at the FamilySearch beta, they may not all be incorporated yet. They will all be in place before the FamilySearch beta replaces http://www.FamilySearch.org later this year.

• Search. One of the biggest enhancements being developed concerns the way in which FamilySearch can help you find information. It is easy to do a simple or advanced search from the home page. The search allows you to search for and access digital images and transcriptions of historical records (all of the records that are in Record Search and more), family trees (records in Pedigree Resource File and Ancestral File), Learning (articles from the wiki and online classes from the Family History Library and other sources), Catalog (the Family History Library Catalog). You can also find a family history center near you.
• Getting Started. Getting started makes it easy for new users to get going with their family history. New users can explore rich information about famous ancestors, start their own tree or get step-by-step instruction through videos and other resources to help them start their family history.
• Learn. The learn section of the site provides access to all of the learning articles in the research wiki, research forums and a course catalog of online classes on a variety of family history topics from getting started to German handwriting.
• Library. The library section of the site provides information about the family history library and helpful tips for using the library. It also provides access to the Family History Library Catalog and the Family History Center Locator.
• Indexing. The indexing portion of the site allows users to volunteer to index historical records so the records can be found by the historical record search feature. It also provides information about what record sets are being indexed and the progress of volunteers to index them.
• Blog. Users can keep in touch with the latest and greatest information from FamilySearch about product offerings, research strategies, industry news and more by following the blog.
• Help. Users that need help or support on FamilySearch products can use the help features to get the support they need.

Features on the Near Horizon

In addition to the great features of the FamilySearch beta, we will also be releasing some new features for new FamilySearch. These features are described below.

• Single Sign-on. With single sign-on you can use the same user name and password for all of the different FamilySearch services. Members of the LDS Church can also use the same user name and password for other LDS Church web sites.
• Ancestor Discussions. Every ancestor in new FamilySearch will have a discussion page. Users can create and respond to discussions about their ancestors. This feature makes it much easier to collaborate with other users of the system.
• Invite Friends and Family. The initial roll out of new FamilySearch has been limited to members of the LDS Church. We plan to slowly start letting registered users of new FamilySearch start inviting their friends and family members regardless of religious affiliation to use new FamilySearch.

Future Enhancements

FamilySearch is also in the process of adding some other high-value features to the website.

• Change Log. The change log will track all changes to ancestors in family trees and allow users to undo changes when needed.
• Ancestor Pages. Ancestor pages provide a much richer and easier to use interface to how ancestors are viewed in family trees.
• Photos, Records and Stories. Users will be able to add photographs, historical records and stories to ancestor pages. Adding these artifacts adds richness to the ancestor and puts the evidence and sources into the forefront of the experience.

Conclusion

At FamilySearch we are working hard to deliver an easy to use set of services to support people working on their family history. The first steps toward this new world are the integration different FamilySearch services into one site and then the replacement of http://www.FamilySearch.org with this integrated set of services. At the same time, FamilySearch continues to add high-value features and move toward a world where users can fix any wrong data, undo bad changes, add artifacts and communicate with each other. We want to get the help of millions to find billions and build the human family tree.

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Division numbers in standardized Prairie place names in nFS

This is a follow up to the article on July 25. I am grateful to the people in the FH Dept in SLC who helped me find information on this question.
Let me express my appreciation and admiration for those working on the list of standardized place names. What a monumental project – and remember this is also a global project. Place names change over time. I think all of us as genealogist realize the importance of using the correct place name for the time of the event we are documenting.
The Division numbers that were appearing in Prairie place names in nFS were census division numbers. After the census created and used them, other administrative functions found them useful for voting and tax purposes. This is helpful information, and if we were citing information from the census it would be very important to know the census division number.
For examples of the census division number do a search in Wikipedia for say Calgary and in the information box on the right you will see the census division number.
Is a census division number part of a place name? I don’t know anyone who includes a census division number as part of a place name. I have been told that they will be removed from place names in nFS in the next update to the standardized names list.
I was assured that “Standards maintained by the Church follow the philosophy of representing what the world regards as proper for modern and historical context; following geographic, governmental, religious, cartographical norms, not just genealogical usage norms.”
The census division information may be used in the update to Record Search and in other FamilySearch products.
It is important that we help the good people working on these projects. Their work is important and they deserve our help, so please send in Feedback any time you see something that needs to be changed or if you have a suggestion for an improvement.

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FamilySearch News and Rumors

Last week the following article was posted by the Ancestry Insider (http://ancestryinsider.blogspot.com/), one of my favourite sites to read:

“James Anderson posted a newsy item on FHCNET last month with a bunch of insider rumors he’d heard during a meeting for community volunteers working on the FamilySearch Wiki.

• New FamilySearch (NFS) version 0.99, released in December, has improved place name support. Anderson previously could not enter, but can now, a location with five levels. This might be necessary when including a cemetery name in addition to city, county, state, and nation.
• Anderson heard that NFS will roll out to Asia before it goes to genealogists outside the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
• FamilySearch knows that sourcing is a problem in NFS and solutions are being worked on. (I sure hope so!)
• FamilySearch also knows that an uncombine is much more onerous than combine and is working on a solution.
• IOUS problems are nearly resolved. Solving this problem has consumed a lot of resources that can finally be applied to enhancing NFS.
• Randy Bryson, a FamilySearch employee, had indicated that Record Search would be getting a large amount of unindexed images added in about six months time. And if not in six months, then some other time…  ”

Comments:

Bullet #1 – anyone noticed any changes in place names?

Bullet #2 – I have also heard that the Asian Temple districts will be added before nFS goes public – but it is important to remember that there are still plans to go public.  I get concerned when I see people who have set their user preferences to share telephone numbers and physical addresses to their homes on nFS!

Bullet #3 – I too am looking forward to improvement in the sourcing section of nFS.  Currently I am not moving my sources or notes over from my personal record management file.  I do try to insist that when people add new information to nFS that they give source information.

Bullet #5 – IOUS = individuals of unusual size which are those people with many many duplicates.  It would be nice to hear that this problem has been resolved . . . .  but I have not heard any official word yet.

Bullet #6 – Record Search is a very valuable collection of records – some  with only images which means you see the originals but there is no search feature, some indexes without images which means we have to go elsewhere to see the original images, and images with indexes which are the best!

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