White Papers on Family Tree

FamilySearch has added 2 White Papers about Family Tree to the Help Centre at FamilySearch.org.  Even if you are not currently using Family Tree – waiting for the product to be a full version before you move to it – you should still make yourself aware of these White Papers.

Go to FamilySearch.org then to the Help Centre then to the section headed Family Tree Help.  Then click on See the Whole List.  As one of the White Papers deals with Temple ordinances you will not see it unless you are signed in.

The two papers are in pdf format.  The titles are:  1.  Dealing with Duplicate Records of People in Family Tree, and 2. Managing Ordinances in Family Tree.

Why are they called White Papers?  “A white paper is an authoritative report or guide that helps solve a problem.” (Wikipedia)

Please note that previous recommendations posted here remain.  Family Tree, while a great product, is not yet complete, so you still need to use new FamilySearch (nFS).  If you don’t want to be using 2 products then stay with nFS until Family Tree is completed.

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Keeping up with FamilySearch Family Tree and Other FamilySearch Products

Interested in the FamilySearch Family Tree or other FamilySearch products?  Want to learn more about it?  Want to keep up with the changes?  Do you want to give Feedback or Input into changes?

To learn about FamilySearch Family Tree go to the Help Centre at FamilySearch.org and scroll down to the section on Family Tree.  Several resources are there including instructions on how to get access, and a video.

The user guide is entitled “Using the FamilySearch Family Tree.”  This is a work in progress.  It is not complete – so we strongly recommend that you not print the document (available as a pdf) – try to study it online – use keyword searches – or the chapter headings and page numbers to help you navigate.

How do we tell when there has been an update to Family Tree?  Look at the date on the cover of the user guide – it changes when changes are made!  Most recent changes have been in Chapter 8 on Sources – an important chapter.

You may also be very interested in Appendix C in the user guide that offers a feature comparison between Family Tree and new FamilySearch.

There is a link in the Help Centre to Release Notes.  These do not seem to be as up to date at the date on the user guide!

Your input and feedback is very important – so please send comments and questions to FamilySearch Support.

Get Satisfaction is the name of the Feedback tool used by FamilySearch.  It is very helpful to explore this tool and learn how to use it as it covers all FamilySearch products and not just Family Tree.  Here is how to access it:  1.  Click on Feedback in the Help Centre (upper right side) – don’t be signed in when you do this – or you will have to navigate through 2 additional screens  2.  Click on the link to Share an Idea – and you go to a section entitled Ideas from the Community to Improve FamilySearch – has interesting material!  3. On the right scroll down the list of Products and Services, click on the link See All Products and Services, and then select Family Tree from the next screen to see discussions on Family Tree – often with replies from the product developers.  This is an interesting tool to learn about any of the FamilySearch products!

Don’t feel that you have to use Family Tree at this time. You can still continue to use nFS and wait until FT is more complete.

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New Blog + Billion Graves + Spring Handout

This week’s article has 3 parts!

1. We want to announce a new blog!  pfhn.wordpress.com or http://pfhn.wordpress.com/ Why?  To provide a place to post the latest versions of handouts for Family History – I just don’t like the idea of people going home from a presentation and typing in urls from a paper handout , and focus on FH articles for the public.  So peterfh.wordpress.com remains for FH Consultants and lds topics, and pfhn.wordpress.com is for public articles and particularly handouts. You are welcome to sign up for the new blog!  Your comments and articles are welcome!
2. Did you get the FH Consultant Newsletter from FamilySearch on 27 April?  Hope so – or it means that either you haven’t registered at familysearch.org/serve aka https://www.familysearch.org/consultant/  yet or that your email program moved the message into the spam or trash file!  Did you notice the interesting news that Billion Graves data will be part of FamilySearch as of 1 May 2012?  Not familiar with Billion Graves?  Their website is http://billiongraves.com/ .  They are trying to add 1 million records in the month of May.  There is also an article in the blog at FamilySearch.org https://www.familysearch.org/blog/billiongraves/   Billion Graves is a FamilySearch affiliate product (go to the link to Products at the bottom of the page at Familysearch.org and select Web)
3. Here is the latest version of the handout we have been using at our training sessions this Spring.

Stake Family HIstory Meetings April/May 2012

1. Our purpose: To follow the Spirit and empower members to identify their ancestors, link them into families, and ensure that temple ordinances are performed for them.

Process:  Ask, Find, Teach

Clarifying questions are very important. There are 5 main places to Find answers – (1). Learn at familysearch.org, (2). Help Centre at nFS and Help at familysearch, (3).  FHCentre Director, your fellow consultants, (4).  Telephone 1-866-406-1830 or email support@familysearch.org,  (5). Weekly articles at peterfh.wordpress.com .

1. Teach Temple policy – who we do work for – 110 year rule  – help everyone understand and follow Temple Policies – refer to page 30 in Member’s Guide – First Presidency letter 29 Feb – use the Tutorials and Guides from the Help panel or Learn How to use FamilySearch from the new FamilySearch home page – quote policy don’t interpret
2. Indexing on mobile devices – IOS and Android – in beta – app seems very stable – but work done is not being rolled up into Stake statistics yet – uses “snippets” – look for icon at top of screen to see page view (so can compare lettering)
3. Helping with LDS Account problems
   1. When registering – User name – keep short – minimum 4 characters
   2. Passwords – think of a word plus a number – minimum 8 characters including at least one number
   3. Contact name – use something meaningful e.g. first initial last name
   4. Forgot username and/or password – follow Forgot? on sign in page
   5. Forgot username but no or wrong email or not available to use email – click in box and use membership number and birthdate.
   6. How to sign in to help someone else – helper access numbers – where to find them – limitations on being a helper (e.g. no discussions available) – see kd 100546 – when do you use Sign in to Help Someone Else?
   7. Update email, change username, password and access # in Update My Profile and Preferences on welcome page of nFS
4. Update on FamilySearch.org – end of Previous site coming soon?
   1. Blog link – check periodically – includes news on changes
   2. Records – search wide – then narrow with filters
   3. Trees – new options – search PRF or AF or both
   4. Books – now moved to Familysearch servers so collection can grow – and it is already larger – full text access to family histories
   5. Learn – for Research Wiki, Research Courses, and Discussion Forums
   6. Catalog – still not final version
   7. Help – be aware of options
   8. Signing in makes a difference – e.g. more images available
   9. Future of the IGI – told it will be made available again in 2013 (??)
5. Building your tree on nFS
   1. Sign in – build your tree – combine duplicates – update Summary View – find relatives needing Temple work – move to temple list – print Family Ordinance Request (FOR)
   2. Are we making any progress with “mytreeitus”?
   3. FORs – how to email – beware of old FORs
6. Family Tree (FT) -  Demo of some of the features
   1. Dilemma – not complete product yet – so must still use nFS – will this be confusing?   will names be delayed going to the temple?  Should we be learning to use it or just be aware of it?
   2. For Help Learning FT – go to FamilySearch.org click on Help and scroll down to Family Tree Help – currently there are 5 resources there: Navigating the FamilySearch Family Tree (video), Navigating the FamilySearch Family Tree (pdf), Using the FamilySearch Family Tree (pdf), Gaining Access to the FamilySearch Family Tree (pdf), Release Notes (pdf)
   3. If you want to use FT you can have it – FamilySearch need people to give feedback during development – but be cautious about who tries it.  Providing feedback with good easy-to-follow examples can help the engineers to fix problems.  Go to FamilySearch.org, click on Help and scroll down to the section on Family Tree, click on Gaining Access to the FamilySearch Family Tree (pdf) to submit a request.   …If you have questions or comments, please go to http://getsatisfaction.com/familysearch/products/familysearch_family_tree_beta .   Note: This site is described as a “beta site” but uses live data, so please be careful. It is partly “read-only”, so changes sometimes need to be made in nFS to appear in FT.
7. Keeping your own file – feel stronger than ever that this is important to do if we can – what software to use? make sure you can move data to and from nFS without re-typing it.  See list through Products link at FamilySearch.org or link on right to software on sign in page for nFS
8.   Please read our weekly article – and submit suggestions for articles and even articles themselves.  We welcome your contributions. You can subscribe to automatically receive articles.  http://peterfh.wordpress.com/  Also public notes at http://pfhn.wordpress.com

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Putting our FAMILY in Family History – The First Annual Raymond Stake “Family” Family History Fair

Last weekend we had the pleasure of attending and helping with the Raymond Stake Family History Fair.  We thought this was a very very successful event which other stakes might want to try.  The Raymond Stake has been kind enough to share their plan with us.  About 150 people attended the Fireside and over 160 people attended the classes on Saturday.  The lunch of soup, whole wheat bread, cookies, and apple crumble (made from dried apples) was delicious.  Obviously a lot of planning and preparation went into the event and we have included some of the outlines. Another element that made the event so successful was the large number of presenters and helpers from organizations throughout the stake.   Congratulations Raymond Stake!

The following is an extract of their outline for the fair.  Please contact us if you need a complete copy of the outline and contact information for the FH leaders in the Raymond Stake.

On Friday evening, April 20^th and during the day, Saturday April 21^st, The Raymond Stake will host a Family History Fair, centered in Family History activities that we can do as families.

Our Goals

• Help our stake families to understand their ancestors and how they contribute to who and what we are today
• Provide family centered activities to help us learn about and enjoy our family backgrounds and history
• Show what is available and build interest within our Stake in family history and genealogy work

The Format

Our fair will be in two parts. It will begin with a family fireside on Friday evening at 7:00 pm at the Stake Center Chapel. Peter & Linda Darby, our Area Family History Advisors, will be the speakers. During the day Saturday we will host a “drop in” smorgasbord of family centered Family History activities at the Stake Centre and Cultural Hall. This will begin at 9 am and continue till around 4:30 pm. Attendees will be able to choose from a range of concurrent activities, classes, displays and programs, each one repeating 6 times, at 9:30, 10:30, 11:30, 1:30, 2:30, and 3:30. Some of the activities may require a previous signup with designated times for attending. Others will be “free form” and “drop in”. All will be designed for entire families to participate in. Each will take about 45 minutes, and allow 5 to 10 minutes for questions after, and 5 minutes to move the group out and a new one in. Lunch will be provided in the Cultural Hall between 12:30 and 1:30 (the Stake Emergency Preparedness group will be handling this so it could be interesting as well as filling).

The planned activities and their coordinating/sponsoring High Priests groups are: 

#1 – Build Your Family Tree and put it on your mantle, save it for a rainy day. (1^st Ward)

#2 – How can I write a journal when I can’t even write a note? (4^th Ward)

#3 – Can I really learn anything useful from my grandmas and grandpas, aunts and uncles? (7^th Ward)

#4 – What is indexing and do I need a dictionary to do it? (5^th Ward)

#5 – What does our family stand for, how are we unique, and where did we get our family traditions, traits, habits, recipes and all these things that make us who we are? (3^rd Ward)

#6 – How were the lives of our ancestors different from ours, and how were they similar (9^th Ward)

#7 – What is this whole NewFamilySearch thing, why is it “new” and is my family really lost enough that I need to be searching for it? (8^th Ward)

#8 – I’ve got all these old photos and artifacts and stuff – are they good for anything and if so, how can I save and use them? (6^th Ward)

#9 – What’s at the Family History Centre and what can it do for my family? (2^nd Ward)

There will be two additional activities that are not repeating “classes” but will be more of a service booth approach:

#10 – “The Doctors are IN” – what FH problems can we help you solve? (Area FH Advisors)

#11 – Haven’t registered for new FamilySearch yet? – Here is your chance – (Stake Clerk and FHC Staff)

What’s next

We are working with the High Priest Group Leaders to define and refine the activities and help find ways to make them whole family experiences. Someone has been assigned to coordinate a publicity campaign and we will all keep reinforcing in a positive way that this is a “Family” Family History event. We also plan to have family history related displays in the Cultural Hall and North Stake Centre foyers, – posters, materials, some artifacts and such.

Please contact (member of HC or FHC Directors) with suggestions, feedback and ideas.

 

Putting our FAMILY in Family History – April 21, 2012

Activity #1 – Build Your Family Tree (and put it on your mantle) – First Ward

Message – Families are made of real people who are connected in ways we can understand

Activity Description – As a family, talk about what a family tree is. Families can make a physical family tree that can be taken home and displayed, and can also register and receive a fanchart printout showing 9 generations of their family ancestors.

Target Group – Families with younger children for the physical tree and any family for the fanchart

Coordinator – 1^st Ward High Priests

Possible assisting organization – Stake Primary people and ward people as needed

What we need

• A simple way that people can select pieces, put names on them and construct a tree form showing their family relationships
• Some posters and discussion points or illustrations about relationships, what they are called and how they fit together
• A computer and printer setup to load and print fancharts from the NewFamilySearch website

The Take-home – an individual family tree, a visual reminder of how and who makes up our family

 

Activity #3 – Can I really learn anything new or useful from my grandmas and grandpas, aunts and uncles? – Seventh Ward

Message – Our ancestors and their experiences can be a blessing to us, but only if we know who they are and what they did. We can find these things out by talking to them about their lives and keeping notes or a recording in some way

Activity Description – Examples of Q and A family firesides, possibly a church video on interviewing, ask some of the questions and get the answers, talk about recording with ink and ipods

Target Group – Families with living relatives (that’s most of us)

Coordinator – 7^th Ward High Priests

Possible assisting organization – Stake YW, YM

What we need

• Illustrations of things learned from our progenitors and family members
• An opportunity to interview someone about a specific event as a learning process
• Discussion and examples about ways to preserve an interview
• A real interview with a family member about some significant event – marriage, first child, mission

The Take-home – a better knowledge of a family event or member and an understanding of how to find out about other events that have meaning from our past

 

Activity #4 – What is indexing and do I need a dictionary to do it? – Fifth Ward

Message – Indexing can be fun and it blesses us all – it is a powerful way to help Family History efforts

Activity Description – A presentation/demonstration about indexing along with actual involvement in indexing records

Target Group – All, with some emphasis on the “gadgetized” youth

Coordinator – 5^th Ward High Priests

Possible assisting organization – Stake Indexing director

What we need

• A location with a computer or two, a large monitor or projector and internet access
• Some demonstrations and illustrations about  the Church indexing program and why it helps us
• Discussion about the youth site at LDS.Org/youth/family-history
• Demonstrations on a smartphone/iphone and/or a tablet
• Some fairly easy record sets to work with
• Those taking this class will need their membership number and birth date if they are not registered already

The Take-home – an understanding of indexing and its importance in family history work

 

Activity #9 – What is at the Family History Centre and what can it do for my family? – Second Ward

Message – Tools, resources and training for our research needs can be found at the FHC

Activity Description – Show what is available at the FHC and what help we can receive there

Target Group – all

Coordinator – 2^nd Ward High Priests

Possible assisting organization – Family History Directors

What we need

• Sample setups from the FHC, one computer workstation, one microfilm reader, one microfiche reader, internet
• A presentation/discussion about what you can do at home and what you can do at the Center
• Illustrations of ways the FHC can complement family research at home

The Take-home – an understanding of where a Family History centre can help a family in their Family History program.

 

 

 

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Research Basics: Primary and Secondary Sources

(From the Monthly Newsletter published by Ralph and Linda Miller, Area Advisers in New England – we thank them for letting us use their article)

In family history research, we use a variety of sources to get information – people, books, internet, religious and government records.  All of these are “sources.”

Often we find conflicting information from different records.  Ages may vary – a little or a lot.  Name spellings may vary.  Sometimes the differences are slight; sometimes they are major – completely different names or places, for instance.  So which source is right?  What information do we select and what do we discard?

Sources are classified as primary and secondary sources.  Which type they are is determined by time – how soon after the event the record was made.  

Primary source documents are records made at or very near the time of the event.  Who made the record is not important – when it was made is the key factor.  A birth certificate, for example, is a primary record for date and place of birth and the name at birth.  A diary or letter could be a primary source – Susie had a baby last Tuesday, or I went to Harry’s funeral yesterday – both of these are primary source records for the event they describe.

Secondary source records are records that are made later.  This is all the other records not made at or very near the time of the event.  There is no specific amount of time that determines which kind the record is.

Most records are both primary and secondary source documents.  A birth record, as stated above, is primary for the name, date and place of birth, and the mother’s name and occupation..  However, it is secondary for the mother’s age and place of birth. A death record is primary for the date and place of death, and secondary for other information – the birth date, birth place, parents’ names, etc.

Secondary records aren’t bad – we depend on them.  Sometimes they are the only information we can get.  But when there are conflicts, evaluate the sources to determine which is most reliable.

Government records are not necessarily more or less reliable than personal records like journals or letters.  Again, it comes down to how close to the event the record was made.  A letter that says “I went to Harry’s funeral yesterday” is a better source than even Harry’s headstone.

Likewise, a story from a letter describing an incident (such as a battle in a war) may be more accurate than a regimental history of the same incident written many years later.

Census records are always secondary records.  They are good, but they are simply a record of what the enumerator was told about who lived in the house.  They are very useful, but they are not primary for proper name, age or birth date, or place of birth.  Still, they give a lot of information and sometimes are the only source available to us (vital records may not have been kept then).

Likewise, books are always secondary sources.  They may contain information gathered from primary sources (or they may not), but they are secondary records.  Internet sites with compiled genealogies are secondary sources.  Even if they name the source they used, they are still secondary sources for you.  That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t use them,  just understand that they aren’t primary.

What records are acceptable sources for temple ordinances?  We are asked to find the best information we can.  If a better source is easily available, we should use it, but we do not need to rely only on primary sources – because many times they do not exist.  New FamilySearch uses relationships as well as dates and places to identify someone.  If Harry was John and Susie’s son, it is clear which Harry we are talking about, even if the birth date is a year or two off (Harry would probably appreciate that).

What if you find better information after an ordinance has been performed?  You can always update the record in New FamilySearch, using either the “edit” feature on the detail view (if you submitted the information you want to change), or adding corrected information in the “summary” view (if someone else submitted the information you want to correct).  You also can add notes to clarify, and you should enter the source with enough detail that someone else can evaluate your source.

Ordinances are valid even if dates, spellings or places are incorrect.  Never re-submit a name for ordinances if the ordinance was done for the person but the date or place was wrong.

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What happens to reserved temple names when a member dies?

You can find the answer in the Help Centre (make sure you are signed in first if you are using FamilySearch.org).  I search for Deceased Member and get 2 helpful knowledge documents (remember you can search just by the number):

1.  1025085 which is from A User’s Guide to the New FamilySearch Website (20 February 2012)  (LDS Version) Handling Ordinances That Were Reserved by a Member Who Is Now Deceased or Incapacitated

If a Church member reserved ordinances and then dies or cannot complete the ordinances for other reasons, those ordinances remain in their current state unless someone else has the cards and finishes the ordinances. If cards were never printed or if the cards have been lost, you need to work with a system administrator to see what can be done.

Currently, system administrators cannot change all of a deceased member’s ordinance reservations at once. Therefore, please limit your request to ten individuals at a time. Your request can include more individuals if they are in the same family.

Please send the following information to support@familysearch.org:

The person identifier of the individual whose ordinances need to be unreserved.

The name and death date of the deceased individual who reserved the ordinances.

Your relationship to the individual who reserved the ordinances.

Your full name.

Your birth date.

Your helper access number (which you can find in your user profile).

If the individual who originally reserved the ordinances is not deceased but is no longer able to print cards or perform temple work, please explain the circumstances.

This knowledge document then has links to other related topics

2.  103836  How long does it take Church membership to transfer deceased Church members’ information to the new FamilySearch?

The Church Membership Department has to be notified of the deceased member’s death date.  The time period for Church membership to transfer a deceased Church member’s information to the new FamilySearch may take up to a year from the date the Church Membership Department receives the information.

Personal comment: when a friend passed away and I was helping the family retrieve all the names from his reserve list, the ward clerk sent in the notice of death and within days the account was closed!

Remember that previously printed temple cards remain valid.

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Teaching Members to Understand and Follow Policies for Submitting Names

Note:  apologies for the duplicate article to those of you who subscribe by email.  We have had a computer operator error! – i.e. Peter pressed the wrong key, sent out the article by email, but didn’t post it to the website! – it’s an important article anyway which is only emphasized by sending it out twice!

Much has been reported in the media regarding baptism for the dead in recent weeks.   This is a good time for us to review and teach people to understand and follow policies regarding submission of names to the temple

There have been reports of members of the church not following temple policies and entering names of deceased holocaust victims or famous people to whom they are not related.  People rightfully have been offended.  We should be following our own temple policies.

We have also become aware of other members ignoring temple policies and taking names of unrelated persons to the temple.

On 29 February the First Presidency sent a letter to every unit of the church asking us to follow temple policies. The letter asks members to seek assistance from their Family History Consultant – so be prepared. On 9 March you should have received a letter from the FH Dept to Family History Consultants, Family History Center Directors, and Staff (if you did not receive this letter then go to https://www.familysearch.org/consultant/and register).

Please help members to understand and follow the direction of the First Presidency.

Here are some useful links:

1. There are 2 articles in the Church News and Events section at lds,org:  http://www.lds.org/church/news/church-asks-members-to-understand-policies?lang=eng and http://www.lds.org/church/news/names-submitted-for-temple-ordinances?lang=eng – the second link is the text of the First Presidency letter
2. Church News 1 March 2012 – this article includes comments by Dennis C. Brimhall, the new managing director of the Church’s Family History Department – http://www.ldschurchnews.com/articles/62066/Family-history—Church-asks-members-to-understand-policies.html# 
3. CNN offers an interesting article on the topic from the public perspective (link shared with me by a good friend):  http://religion.blogs.cnn.com/2012/03/09/mormons-crack-down-on-proxy-baptisms-whistleblowers-access-blocked/?hpt=hp_t3

No doubt you will find many other references.  There was a segment of the CBC radio  program “The Current” devoted to Baptism for the Dead.

People asking about our beliefs is a good thing.  Helping people understand our beliefs is wonderful.

You might want to read the following article from Mormon.org under the menu Values:  http://mormon.org/family-history/ The first article is entitled “Why Family History is Important.”

Where can you read about temple policies other than the letter from the First Presidency? We would suggest that you use page 30 of the Member’s Guide to Temple and Family History Work (bearing in mind the one change from 95 to 110 years when needing permission from the nearest living relative).  You can also use the Tutorials and Guides from the Help panel or Learn How to use FamilySearch from the new FamilySearch home page.  A search in the Help Centre for Temple Policies will take you to the Users Guide for nFS.  If we need more information the church will provide it for us.

Here is a quote from page 30 of the Member’s Guide :

“Do not submit the names of persons who are not related to you, including names of famous people or names gathered from unapproved extraction projects, such as victims of the Jewish Holocaust.”

May we strongly suggest that you do not become the judge of what is appropriate to submit.  If asked a question about submission policy then quote the relevant section.  Avoid contention or debate.  If pressed further then suggest the person talk to their priesthood leader.

When we started writing this article a few weeks ago the objective was to make sure everyone was aware that the policy for obtaining permission to perform ordinances has changed from 95 years to 110 years - this is the only change in temple policy of which we are aware.  Here is the policy (remember to sign in before accessing knowledge documents):

Knowledge Document ID 113599

“The policy for obtaining permission to perform ordinances has changed from 95 years to 110 years

At the RootsTech 2012 conference, it was announced that the 95 year rule relating to getting permission before doing living ordinances is changing.

The new policy is as follows:

Before doing ordinances for a deceased person born in the last 110 years, please remember that close relatives may not want the ordinances performed, or they may want to do the ordinances themselves.

You may do ordinances for your own deceased spouse, child, parent, or sibling, but please consider the wishes of other close living relatives, especially a living spouse.

If you are not a spouse, child, parent, or sibling of the deceased, please obtain permission from the closest living relative before doing the ordinances. The closest living relatives are, in this order: an undivorced spouse (the spouse to whom the individual was married when he or she died), an adult child, a parent, or a brother or sister.

Verbal approval is acceptable. Family members should work together to determine when the ordinances will be done and who will do them.

For information on what to do with family ordinance cards that were printed by mistake, see 1008370.”

Thank you for all that you do to help people understand how to do Temple and Family History work.

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Making a Fan Chart from nFS for Someone Else and one other important item

Many of us have been enjoying our 9 generation fan charts based on data from nFS (using createfan.com).   We sometimes get asked, can we make a fan chart for someone in our ward or family?  Thanks to Charles Schmalz, the Director of the Ogden FH Center here are the instructions to make a fan chart for someone else (from his March 2012 Newsletter):

“To print a chart stating with yourself:

1. Go to https://createfan.com

2. Click Login

3. Type in nFS Username and Password

4. Click Sign In

5. Click Create

6.  Open or Save the resultant Fan Chart (PDF format) Starting with You (9 generations)

To view other Fan Charts starting with other PID Numbers

1. Click on TreeSeek.com hyperlink – you MUST complete steps 1-6 above before going to TreeSeek.com

2. Click on Start Now!

3. Click on Login underneath the tree

4. Type in nFS Username and Password

5. Click on Create Tree if you wish to enter another Person ID (PID) as shown below. Your results are stored to the website server.

6. Enter Person PID number in the box you desire to be the start of Ancestor Fan Chart

7. Click Create data set button and wait patiently for process to complete

8. Click the Starting Person For the fan chart you desire as directed from

the following menu given below: Just click the pull-down above, make your

selection, and then do the next step below.

9. Click Create Chart button

10. Open or Save the resultant Fan Chart (PDF format) Starting with input PID (9

generations)

NOTE: When you complete the above process once, you only need to return to the TreeSeek.com website for additional charts.”

Wouldn’t it be nice to print a large colour fan chart?  Bill reminds us that if you have Adobe Reader v 10 you can print as tiles – and then put the tiles together.

Our American colleagues always tell us about being able to get large charts printed at places like Kinkos (didn’t they get bought out by FedEx?) or services like genealogycharts.org and generationmaps.com/familychartist .  Shipping of the charts to Canada might be prohibitive (? has any tried it?).  Where in Canada can we get large charts printed? Staples will print a 24″ by 36″ colour chart for $29.99 from a pdf file.  You can upload the file to their website and pick the print up at the store.  I tried Costco but they only print jpg and tiff files and not pdf. Does anyone know where you can get a large colour chart printed in Canada?

How to become a FamilySearch Missionary 

Have you noticed that there are some delays in getting your telephone calls to FamilySearch Support answered?  There is a shortage of missionaries!  Please consider helping or look for people you know and gently persuade them to help.  You can serve from home!  15 or more hours a week.  This knowledge document gives the details:

Document ID: 100134

Part-Time Church-Service Missionaries Needed

FamilySearch Patron Services Division

Interested in FamilySearch?

Church-service missionaries help provide e-mail and phone support for users of FamilySearch websites and FamilySearch computer programs by answering questions about family history products, programs, and services. Missionaries will receive training and can then offer e-mail and phone support from their own homes.

Availability: Missionaries are expected to serve a minimum of 15 hours per week for at least a year. Days and times for actual service are scheduled with a Mission Leader once the first eight weeks of training have been completed.

Requirements:

• Contact Elder Whiting before talking to your local priesthood leaders–there are some technical requirements that must be met before you can serve.
• Minimum requirements for a home computer: 1.0 GB RAM, Pentium 4 processor, Windows XP, and a high-speed (broadband, DSL, or cable) Internet connection. When you contact us we can help you determine if your computer will be suitable for the services you will be providing. Click here to see a more detailed list of computer system requirements.
• Church-service missionaries are called by their stake president and set apart by their bishop.

Skills: Missionaries should have a good understanding of computers, along with good troubleshooting and communication skills. It is helpful if they have experience in one or more FamilySearch areas including Historical Records, Indexing, FamilySearch Centers, Research and new FamilySearch. Previous experience as a ward family history consultant, as a family history center director or staff member, or as an indexing program director or worker is also very helpful.

For more information, contact:

Elder Whiting, Coordinator
FamilySearch Field Missionaries
Toll Free: 1-800-453-3860 ext. 20850
E-mail: WhitingJ@familysearch.org

To obtain additional information about becoming FamilySearch Missionary:

1. Go to http://www.lds.org/.
2. Click Menu.
3. Click Missionary Service.
4. Under Church-Service Mission Opportunities click Current Opportunities in the middle column.
5. Click View “At Home” Service Opportunities.
6. Click FamilySearch Missionary (#1321)
7. Click Request Information
8. Enter your name and email address and then click Submit Information

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1. FH Centre equipment – replacement and parts, 2. 110 year rule

 

by Bill Buchanan

Recently on a forum on the Internet the question was asked about how to get replacement parts for microfilm readers in FH Centres.

At http://familysearch.org/serve there are videos of talks in the FHC

Director area.  One of them is about Family History Center Equipment from the Open House 2011.  In this talk we are told about computer and printer replacement – well worth listening to – and close to the end (28 min 14 sec) Donna Miller tells us that we can get replacement parts for microfilm readers by asking for them from FH Centre Support at FamilySearch.  The following direct link will take you to the talk.

http://broadcast.lds.org/elearning/FHD/Local_Support/FHC/Open_House_2011/Family_History_Center_Equipment.P2G/Player.html

(shortened form http://goo.gl/1Mwbg )

It seems likely that microfilms will be with us for another 10-15 years or so, although they will decrease in importance over time.

It might also be good to check with your FM group.  They may be aware of surplus parts or even surplus replacement microfilm readers in your area.

2. 110 year rule

You might want to review the following knowledge document that is available in the Help Centre at either FamilySearch.org or new.FamilySearch.org

Knowledge Document 113599

“Information regarding the upcoming change from the 95 year policy to the 110 year policy

At the RootsTech 2012 conference, it was announced that the rule relating to getting permission before doing living ordinances is changing. The new FamilySearch website is currently being updated to accommodate this new policy. This update will be available in the next few weeks. Until then, please keep in mind this new policy.

The new policy is as follows:

Before doing ordinances for a deceased person born in the last 110 years, please remember that close relatives may not want the ordinances performed, or they may want to do the ordinances themselves.

You may do ordinances for your own deceased spouse, child, parent, or sibling, but please consider the wishes of other close living relatives, especially a living spouse.

If you are not a spouse, child, parent, or sibling of the deceased, please obtain permission from the closest living relative before doing the ordinances. The closest living relatives are, in this order: an undivorced spouse (the spouse to whom the individual was married when he or she died), an adult child, a parent, or a brother or sister.

Verbal approval is acceptable. Family members should work together to determine when the ordinances will be done and who will do them.

This is scheduled to be released in the next FamilySearch update.

For information on what to do with family ordinance cards that were printed by mistake, see 1008370.”

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Christmas – and the last article for 2011

It is time to wish each of you a wonderful Christmas.  May you and your families feel the true spirit of Christmas as you celebrate the birth of the Saviour.

Thank you for all that you do to help others with their temple and family history work.  We have enjoyed our visits with you in 2011 and look forward to seeing you in 2012.

This is our last article for 2011.  We will resume on 8 January 2012.

We hope that 2012 will be a wonderful and special year.

1. To Turn the Hearts Leader’s Guide and DVD are on their way or already at Stakes and Wards!  There are some wording changes as well as formatting changes.  Please destroy any copies of the draft copy including any copies of the pdf file you downloaded previously.  While only 5 copies of the Guide were sent to each unit, they will be available shortly through Distribution.  Please download a copy of the pdf file from either Serving in the Church at lds.org or familysearch.org/serve/.  An example of a change can be found by comparing the old page 11 from the draft version which is now page 12.  The draft version wording “position the High Priest Group Leader as the coordinator of the ward council’s temple and family history work . . .” has been changed to say “the bishopric ensures that the high priests group leader acts as the coordinator of the ward council’s temple and family history work.”  Please study the final document. .
2. Please continue to review familysearch.org/serve to see new training resources.

For Christmas we would like to give each of you a colored 9 generation fan chart of your family history.  Go to createfan.com, and log in with your lds account. Then click on Create.  You get a coloured fan chart which you can save and zoom.  We hope you enjoy your chart!  Instructions are in a video available on the FH for Youth website at lds.org/fhy in the section entitled See My Family Tree.  Createfan.com is a 3rd party affiliate service that prints a chart from your file at nFS.

Every best wish for Christmas and the New Year!

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