Saturday, March 31, 2018

Recording Your Research

Genealogy is a lot of researching and perusing through records - whether in book or electronic format. It is important to document your research. For some it may help to make up your game plan before you start your research. For others it is easier to record it as you go. Regardless of how you decide to go about it...document it! Think of it as creating a bread trail for you to follow if you come across something that supports information you already have or reminds you of where you have already been.

TAKE NOTE: There are many different research forms out there and can overwhelm a newcomer. Remember to start small and wade into the water at whatever pace doesn't overwhelm you. Bookmark or write down sites that contain research forms you might be interested in and learn about them one at a time to see if they are right for you.

In this post we will be looking at a few examples of research forms that I have found helpful and provided a few links for websites that offer forms you can download and print. Many of the links will contain several forms and logs that you can select but I will only be focusing on a few of them. Feel free to learn about them as you go and see what works for you.

Examples of Research Logs:
Correspondence Log helps keep track of communication with anyone you have contacted regarding genealogy
Correspondence Logs are an excellent way of keeping track of any communication you have had regarding your genealogy. Cemeteries, funeral homes, county offices, libraries, historical societies or extended family - anyone that you have communicated with. It also allows you to include what information you have received. It's like creating your own personal family history phone book!
Library Research Checklist is very convenient for road trips to locate records and recording information found
 Library Research Checklists help keep track of information located at a specific location as well as a list of necessary supplies to bring. This form allows you to keep track of books that may provide insight into family members as well as noting what pages the information was listed on.

TAKE NOTE: You can also use the Library Research Checklist for books that are located online via Google or WorldCat.
Research Logs are helpful for keeping track of individual or family groups
 Research Logs allow for recording of date(s) information was found as well as the location (library, web, etc), source, information looked for/found and pages involved.
Newspaper Research Log tracks information gathered from newspapers
 Newspapers are an excellent place to get details regarding family events: births, engagements, marriages, milestone anniversaries and deaths/obituaries were often listed in newspapers. If you get lucky you may even get names of family that came from out of town to visit for the events!
Online Search Trackers help prevent researchers from visiting sites over and over for information they already have
 Online Search Trackers help researchers keep track of where they have already been and what they have learned from the site they have searched. With so many sources available on the web it is easy to get lost and not remember where you learned what...let alone where you have been! By using and online search tracker, you can glance over the sheet to see if you have already visited sites listed in your results from a search without wasting time on information you already have.
Research Checklist helps keep track of what stones you have unturned
Research Checklists are handy for keeping your research focused. On an individual level you can keep track of each type of record you have looked in for a particular ancestor and the date and location that you found them. It also provides helpful ideas of places to look for information that can help support other life events. For example - social security death index often lists at least a birth year for the deceased as well as the last residence. This information will help fine tune research for a birth certificate and you can check the last residence to see if an obituary was recorded in the local paper.

If you are clever with computers and what to create your own research log(s), here is a fantastic article from FamilyTree Magazine that is excellent on setting up a research log and walks you through it step by step on your computer:
Using A Genealogy Research Log
It also contains some helpful links at the bottom of the article.

Here are a few links to various research logs that are FREE to download:

Family Tree Templates and Forms - this site has an amazing variety of FREE forms, logs and trees that you can download for your personal use. You can also download a fillable form for a fee if you prefer the electronic route for storing all information. Browse the column on the left of your screen for even more break downs of various forms available.

FamilyTree Magazine Research Forms and Logs - while many of their forms are free for download, some do require users to provide an email address.

Ancestry Research Charts and Forms - while I try to keep most of my links to free sites, those of you that have an ancestry membership can use the charts and forms in this link for your research information. The selection is small and therefore will not overwhelm you.

Cyndi's List Printable Charts and Forms - provides several pages of various types of forms that you can use for your genealogy research and findings. Cyndi is excellent at letting users know which sites are free or require membership ($).

Try a few out and see what works for you. As always, comments and suggestions are welcome in the comment box. Happy Researching!




Friday, March 30, 2018

Pedigree Charts, Family Group Records and Vital Records in a Nutshell

Starting out with genealogy can sometimes seem like you are learning a new language so let's take a look in this post at some of the terms that are common in genealogy as well as helpful forms to aid you in your research findings. I will also provide some helpful links for reference.

Genealogy is all about record keeping and the better organized you are the easier it is to keep track of what you have so you don't spin your wheels. If you are someone that likes to have paper copies of your families that you are researching there are some excellent charts that you can fill in to include in your binder(s) and some are fillable and can be saved electronically to your computer. Which type of form you choose is really up to what is the most appealing to you. Let's look at the different types of forms and what they are.

🔍PEDIGREE CHART is a chart that shows the direct descendant of each generation. For example, my pedigree will start with me then list both of my parents, then their parents and so on as far back as the chart option goes. You can choose a format that only lists names or includes more information such as birth, marriage and death.


Pedigree Chart with birth, marriage, death (dates only, no location)

6 Generation Pedigree Chart with birth, marriage, death including location

5 Generation Bow Tie Pedigree Chart, boxes for name only
TAKE NOTE: When filling in your pedigree chart or family group record remember to use the maiden name for each of the women. A maiden name is their last name before they were married.

🔍FAMILY GROUP RECORDS list information for an immediate family. For example, if you made a family group record of your family it would list your spouse, yourself and your children and their birth, marriage (spouse name only) and death. Again, some forms include locations and some only list dates.

Landscape Family Group Record from Ancestry

Portrait Family Group Record

Landscape Family Group Record

Links to FREE Pedigree Charts and Family Group Records:
Ancestry Printable Charts and Forms
Cyndi's List Printable Charts
Family Tree Magazine Printable Forms

Now that we have discussed a few of the forms and charts that are used to record family events in genealogy, let's go over a few of the very important terms that you should become familiar with so when you ask a question you understand, or have an idea, of what they are referring to.

🔍VITAL RECORDS AND EVENTS are documentation (by government or family) of life events including but not limited to: birth, marriage(s), divorce(s), adoption and death. These are all referred to as primary sources in genealogy because they are records of the event at the time of or just after the event occurred. If you cannot find a primary source of an event and are using information from a journal, census record or some other source it is referred to as a secondary source because it was recorded later from an unknown source.

TAKE NOTE: Birth, Marriage and Death Records are often referred to with their acronym of BMD Records.

Vital records, in general, were not required by law until the 1900s roughly and it varies from state to state when that began and which records.

💎 GENEALOGY GEM: I strongly recommend requesting certificates directly from the state or county you are looking in. The prices are lower than going through a secondary site that will charge a processing or expediting fee.

Here is a link to an excellent vital records page from FamilySearch:
FamilySearch United States Vital Records Information
Scroll down and find "VITAL RECORDS OF EACH STATE" and select the state that you are interested in locating a record from. This will save you the time of requesting a certificate and fees for a record that they don't have. Each state and/or county will have a link to download and print the form request and will state how much each record costs.

Begin With the Death Record - it is easier to start with the most recent life event. You can gain information regarding place of birth as well as birth date, parents names and their birth location, mother's maiden name, spouse information, cause of death and often how long they have resided where they passed away as well as where they were buried.

TAKE NOTE: Keep in mind a few things when looking at death records: 
Who is the informant providing the information regarding the person that just passed away? Spouse/child, family member, close friend, nurse/doctor? Losing a loved one is a distressing time and the information, if related, may not have been thinking clearly so the information may not be 100% accurate. It's also only as good as they were taught the information. Don't be surprised if there are errors. It is not uncommon.

Move on to Marriage - by looking at where the first child was born. This may possibly shed some light on where the marriage took place. Don't overlook newspapers for engagement announcements and milestone anniversary spotlights not to mention photos that may have been included and details of the pending festivities. Place of birth, age or birth year, current residence and information regarding parents is often included in marriage license forms. Keep an eye out for any previous marriages as often it is referenced if the bride or groom has been married before the pending ceremony.

💎GENEALOGY GEM: Always pay close attention to witnesses for marital events. Often family members were called upon to step in for this job.

Bingo Baby! By now you have, hopefully, been able to find some vital record for your loved one that you are researching that stated where your ancestor was born. Again, using FamilySearch United States Vital Records check out your state you are looking for to learn when the government began requiring birth records. Check FamilySearch, Ancestry, Cyndi's List and Google before you order the certificate to make sure it isn't available online for free!

If at first you don't succeed, try, try again! Don't give up if you can't find a record the first go round. Make a note of where you looked and come back later and try again. Records are being added to the internet on a daily basis. Happy Hunting!

Tuesday, March 27, 2018

How to Seek and What to Find - Death Records

Well done, Pixar! Miguel and Hector from Coco. Best. Animated Movie. Ever!!
Have you seen the movie Coco? (Official Trailer here) If you haven't, do yourself a favor and see it. Now. Go. It's fantastic! The colors are amazing. The characters endearing. The message...OUTSTANDING! Just take some tissues - you're gonna need them. You're welcome. This movie did a wonderful job highlighting the importance of family history and remembering those that came before us.

So now that you have seen the movie...you are pondering the question, "Where's my Hector? Who am I forgetting? Who is missing from my ofrenda?" (If your brow is furrowed and you are confused, go back and read paragraph one. Go. Now. You're welcome.)

Family history is done by reading the story of a person's life backwards...you start with the end to find the beginning. Huh? Yes, you read that right. As you start doing research in your genealogy you want to start with the present and work into the past. As you go back in time you will need to gather some vital information along the way (no pun intended...honest!).

💎GENEALOGY GEM: As you begin genealogy you start with the death of the person you are starting with and then work back to marriage ending with birth gathering clues along the way to find the needed information. Each event sheds light on the event that took place before it.

When you begin your family history you want to start with what you know and work up the tree to find the missing pieces. It's like putting a puzzle together and looking for the pieces that are missing.

My go-to websites for searching are (listed in order of preference):
Ancestry ($ - free at most libraries and LDS Family History Centers)
FamilySearch (Free)
FindAGrave (Free)
Cyndi's List (Free)
Google (There will be a separate post on the wonders of Google to come!)

So let's give an example:

You are married to your spouse and want to start working on family history. You start by putting in as much information as you can about yourself, your spouse and children. If your children are married, include their spouses information as well as your grandchildren. Include dates of life events (birth/marriage/death) and location (city, county, state, country) filling in as much information as you can.

💎 Genealogy Gems:
Maiden Names - Any time you are adding a female to a family history file, you use her maiden name. If you do not know it then you can leave it blank until you find out what it is.
It's All in the Details - You want to include as much information on locations of life events (birth, marriage, death) as possible. If you only know the state, start with that. You can go back and add more details as they are uncovered.

Once you have put the information regarding your family into your files you are going to move up to your parents and your spouses parents and add in their information - including dates of life events (birth/marriage/death) and location (city, county, state, country). Keep moving up your tree filling in information on grandparents, great grandparents and so on doing this back as far as you can or have the information for. If you have information on siblings for each set of grandparents and great grandparents as you move up your tree, fill in what you can.

For an example, let's say you hit a snag when you reach your great grandparents. You don't know much about them and your parents can't recall much about them either. All you know is where they died. For this example I am just going to go step by step using Ancestry to search. This will give you a starting base of how to search on Ancestry. (I will use FamilySearch for the next example.)

Go to Ancestry and sign in if you aren't automatically signed in. Once you are logged in, click on "Search" on the toolbar.

Ancestry Search Button
You can select Birth, Marriage and Death but to "grab" a larger selection of records select "All Collections"

Ancestry "All Collections" in Search Bar
Add in as much as you can in the First/Last name field. In this case we are assuming we only know about death information so click on "Death" and add the information that you know in the provided fields.
Ancestry Search Engine
When you have added what you know into the search fields, click on "Search".

Information that we know is added into the proper fields

We have a match! David Lincoln Herman was married to Clara E. Herman. We now have more information than when we started! We know the names of his parents, an approximate birth year and the exact location of his death.

TAKE NOTE: Make note of the death location county - King county in Washington state. If you wanted to try to find the death certificate online you now know what county to look in. If ordering a copy is the only option, you know what county to contact to order the certificate.

Results from Ancestry Search

By clicking on the link (Washington Select Death Certificates 1907-1960) in the search results you will open up all of the information provided with this search.

Death Information Ancestry.com
Looking left to right:
  • Unfortunately, there is not an image connected to this record. In some cases you get lucky and you can click in the left hand image box and see the actual certificate. 
  • In the middle box we learn that he was married which means his wife was alive at the time of his death, his age at the time of death and the FHL (Family History Library) Film Number in the event that we wanted to see the image the information was taken from. 
  • The option of saving this record to my tree on Ancestry is provided by clicking "Save" which will connect this record to the person or people recorded on this record. 
  • The box on the far right is giving suggested records to look at that could be related to the David Lincoln Herman I am looking for. If you look at the 4th suggestion down it's a Birth Index for South Dakota that could be linked to my David Lincoln Herman. I would click on it to make sure. (SPOILER ALERT: both of those birth index links are to my grandmother and great aunt - his two daughters - that were born in South Dakota)
TAKE NOTE: Keeping a record of where you find information, or citing your sources, is very important with genealogy. Most records found on FamilySearch and Ancestry contain a source citation at the bottom of each record. Copy this information and attach it to the record found or make note of it in your file. This makes locating the record easier next time you need to refer to it.

Source Citation and Information for Ancestry Record Found
Scroll down on the death record page and you will see the "Source Information/Citation". I strongly recommend that you add this to whatever program you are storing your information in. When someone disagrees or adds information to your tree that you disagree with, the person with the source information to back up their information will have proof of the information by having the ability to refer to the source the information was taken from. Plus, if you come back later and wonder where you got the information that you have included - you will have the source right at your fingertips a click away!

💎GENEALOGY GEM: Always click on the "Show More" button in the "Suggested Records" box, You never know what treasures may be hiding there that you may have otherwise overlooked. In this case, we find a link for FindAGrave that is going to provide a great deal of information!

Ancestry FindAGrave Record

Gold mine! We now have David Lincoln's birthday as well as where he was born. We know what cemetery he is buried in. **There is a bio on FindAGrave which means that there is additional information besides the information given to us on the screen. It could be a copy of an obituary, a newspaper article or a synopsis that someone attached to his grave link.

TAKE NOTE:  FindAGrave always provides a link for the researcher to click on to view the web page of the person you are viewing. By clicking on the URL provided, the page will open in another window so you don't lose the original window you found the record in.

FindAGrave Infomation and Photo Request Button

Many graves on FindAGrave have uploaded photos of headstones and memorials provided on the website. If photos are attached for the person you have clicked on they will appear to the left of the name of the person on the FindAGrave website.

💎GENEALOGY GEM: Don't be discouraged if pictures are not included on the site for your loved one. You can select "Request Photo" and a request is put in for a volunteer to submit a picture of the grave site of the person you are searching for. All photos are contributed on a volunteer basis so be patient and gracious. It goes a long way!

By scrolling down on the page, we are rewarded with the biography that somebody added to the site.

Scroll down to access the Bio information
We now have death dates for his parents, Rachel and David. We have information about his occupation - in the hardware industry in Rapid City, South Dakota. We have information about a marriage to Lizzie Haines we didn't know about, including the year and the fact that she died. We have his marriage year to Clara Parker - we didn't know her nickname or maiden name so double reward! We know when and where Clara died and we have information about his daughters including marriage and death. We lucked out on this find! This bio also provided several geographical locations which will help in locating records regarding the family.

I now have my great great grandparents names, a birth date and location, my great grandmothers maiden name, his first wife's name and marriage years for both wives as well as a source to back up death date and location!

P.S. Shout out to my great friend, Audra, for the great tip of introducing "Genealogy Gems", "Take Note" and being my editor-in-chief. You're amazing!! :)

Monday, March 26, 2018

RootsMagic - Family History Software


RootsMagic is a software program for genealogists to use to create their own personal files for their family history findings and trees. I really like this program because it is able to communicate with www.familysearch.org and Tree Share for www.ancestry.com. I like this program too for the similar feel to the old PAF (Personal Ancestral File) program that I was taught on. I also like the program for the fact that it has a program download that is *FREE* with the option to purchase various packages or bundles depending on what features you plan to use.

TAKE NOTE: I use the free version and have been for several years and LOVE IT!

You can download RootsMagic Essentials and RootMagic for *FREE* at www.rootsmagic.com. You can also download or order CDs for RootsMagic bundles (accompanying programs) for $30-$75 depending on which bundle you choose. I don't know much about those cause I'm pleased with the basic version that I have.

Let's get started by walking through the downloading process.

Go to www.rootsmagic.com and from the main frame box in the center of the screen you can select either "RootsMagic" (first screen shot below) for free or purchase downoad or "RootsMagic Essentials" (second screen shot below) to download for free.

RootsMagic Purchase download or FREE option

RootsMagic Essentials free download
Once you have the program downloaded, you are ready to create your Family file. We will take a look at that step by step as well.

To create a file, click on the "File" tab and then click on "New".

Creating a new family file
I generally like to create a file name using the surname of the family and I include the month and year that I created it to keep track of my file. I back it up monthly on a flash drive so that if technology fails me, I have a recent source to restore from. But go with what makes sense to you.

Naming your family file and options you can view

At this point in creating your file you can also select the format of your dates (I prefer DD MM YYYY but there are several to choose from in the drop down menu). I also select the "LDS Support", "FamilySearch FamilyTree Support" and "Enable Webhints". The free download doesn't support all of these options but in the event that I upgrade or share the file with someone else, the features will already be selected. Click OK when you are satisfied with your file name and choices.

Now you have three options on how to get started creating your file and - YES - we are going to look at all of them!

MANUAL INPUT - this means that you take each individual in your family tree from whatever source you are getting your information from and adding them...one...by...one. If you know you have one in FamilySearch or Ancestry scroll down and read the next step. this step is a piece of cake! If you don't have a family tree anywhere else on the internet or in electronic format - get typing! Click on the blue square and start adding in the information. I begin with myself and my immediate family and move back each generation and add everyone that I know. It is easiest to start with yourself and what you know and work your way back, but I don't want to get ahead of myself. 

Manual input for family tree

FAMILYSEARCH - if you have a tree on FamilySearch we are going to walk through how to import (or download) it into your family file that you just created. To begin, click on the "FamilySearch" logo on your icon tool bar.

TAKE NOTE: If you can't find the button, which mine some how disappeared in the last few minutes, click on "Internet" and select "FamilySearch".
FamilySearch logo

FamilySearch button to connect with the website and gain access to your tree
You will be directed to a sign in screen so you will need to have your user id and login information.

Log in to FamilySearch with your username and password
You can choose at this point to stay logged in to FamilySearch so you don't have to type in your information each time - my personal preference - of you can leave these options blank and log in each time you want to access FamilySearch. Click "Sign In".

FamilySearch Sign in via RootsMagic
Click "Import" at the top of the FamilySearch Central box.


Importing will download your family tree from www.familysearch.org into your RootsMagic file.


💎GENEALOGY GEM: I recommend selecting yourself as the starting person. It gives me a better visual on where everyone I am related to falls in the family tree. If you want to start with someone else in the tree, select the FamilySearch ID and enter it in the box provided.

Families were big and if you are new to genealogy and unsure of how many offspring each family had - go big! I like to go back 15 generations and choose 15 descendants as well. The chances of me missing a child that is in the tree are smaller. If this overwhelms you, choose a smaller number of generations and you can always import more generations later.

Selecting your start person (I recommend starting with yourself) and the number of generations and descendants you would like to download from FamilySearch into your RootsMagic file
A feature that I truly appreciate and love in RootsMagic is how smart it is! If your computer happens to fall asleep during the process of importing or the program is interrupted it knows where it left off! When you click resume or start the import again it will ask if you want to resume from where it left off. Brilliant!!

Once the file has completed importing you can cruise around your family tree and view it in pedigree format or in family groups...but I don't want to get ahead of myself!

Congratulations! You have your family file ready to go! In a future post I will explain how to sync with FamilySearch and see ordinance work and gaps where research needs to be done.
From here you can see who’s work is in progress, who needs more information, who is “matched” to FamilySearch and who has work ready to be done. (LOVE THIS PROGRAM!) 


TREESHARE - a recent addition to RootsMagic is the ability to import your family tree from www.ancestry.com. How great is that?! The steps are similar to FamilySearch but we will walk through it just to be safe.

✍TAKE NOTE: If you can't find the button, click on the carrot at the end of the icon bar and click on "Add Button" and select the TreeShare for Ancestry button.
TreeShare for Ancestry logo

TreeShare from Ancestry allows members to import their tree from the website into RootsMagic

Because www.ancestry.com is a subscription site, you will need to login to access the tree(s) you want to import.

Sign-in for Ancestry to access TreeShare import
Just as with FamilySearch, you can choose to stay logged in to Ancestry via RootsMagic.

Ancestry Sign In allows you the option of remembering password and staying logged in just as with FamilySearch
Click Sign in.


Download and Connect to import your Tree from Ancestry
✍TAKE NOTE: if you have family files in RootsMagic that you would like to contribute and share with www.ancestry.com you can select "Upload and Connect".

Select which tree you would like to import and click "Download Ancestry Tree"
As with downloading any file, this can go at lightning speed and it can go slower than molasses in a snow storm so walk away if you don't like waiting.

Once it is complete your file will be saved to RootsMagic along with any media files that were attached to your tree.

Congratulations! You now have your own personal family history file to help you take the next step in research! YEAH!

Sunday, March 25, 2018

Adding to FamilySearch Memories - Phone Edition (iPhone)

The Memories app from FamilySearch is a wonderful tool for catching genealogy on the go. If you don't have it, I highly recommend downloading it. It is available for Android and Apple.

Image result for adding memories to familysearch via iphone

With this app, you can instantly add photos, audio and documents to your tree.

Begin by adding the app to your phone and sign in to your FamilySearch account. If you have any memories already in your gallery, you will see them when you open the app.

To begin, open the app and click on the green circle in the lower right hand corner.


You have a choice to add document, write story, record audio or add photo.

1. Add document - this will open your camera roll so that you can select the photo of the document that you took a picture of. Once you select the correct photo you will click upload in the upper right hand corner of your phone screen. It will then be in your gallery (where are all of your items that you upload are stored). Now you can go to your gallery and select the document. By tapping on names in the document a rectangle will appear and allow you to attach people from your tree to the document.

2. Write Story - you can add a photo, give your story a title and then type in the story. You can go back and edit it at any time through your computer later if needed. This is a great chance to capture a story told by a family member while the details are fresh in your mind.

3. Record Audio - you will need to give your phone access to your microphone. You can choose a topic on the main screen and record the answer to the question. If you do not want to use a selected question you can click on "begin recording" button (green) on the bottom of your phone screen. Once you select a question you click on the green microphone in the middle of the screen to start recording and then ask the question and record the answer.
   
TAKE NOTE: Try to keep your recording under 5 minutes to keep listeners attention but you do have a 15 minute limit.

4. Add Photo - click add photo and it will open your photo gallery on your phone for you to select a photo or to take a photo of whatever you would like to add. Click upload in the upper right hand corner. You can crop, rotate, edit or save the photo. The app will take you back to your gallery. Double click on the photo you just uploaded. You can add a title to the photo. In the lower right hand corner click on the silhouette with the green plus sign by it. This will take you to the photo to "tag" or identify the people in the picture. Click on each person and type their name in the add name box and resize the circle to only include the person being identified. If the person is already in your tree the autofill box will appear. Just keep typing until you see the name of the person you are selecting or ad the persons name into the field.

Congratulations! You are ready to add memories to your family tree!


Wednesday, March 21, 2018

Adding to FamilySearch Memories - Computer Edition

Now that you are feeling a little more confident moving around FamilySearch let's talk about a great feature that they have...Memories! This is a great place to store audio recordings, photos and PDF files to help future generations get to know their ancestors. If you have any questions or need clarification, please leave it in the comments section and I will respond asap. We will start with uploading photos from a computer since that may very well be where you are reading this from so let's begin!

You will need to have the photos/documents that you would like to upload on a flash drive, in your dropbox account or saved to your computer. You can scan them at your local FamilySearch Library or with your personal scanner at home. (NOTE: if you scan them at a local FamilySearch library or a secondary location, make sure you have a flash drive to save them to!)

Log in to your FamilySearch account. Click on the Memories button found in the tabs in the upper center portion of your screen.


On the next screen you will click  the Add Memories button.


I've given an overview of what each button is in the image but just in case, the buttons just below FamilySearch offer the following options:
Overview walks you through adding memories
Gallery is your storage area of all items you upload to Memories
People is a photo index of anyone with a memory attached to them in your tree
Find allows you to look for someone by name from your tree.

By clicking Add Memories you will be taken to your Gallery (storage area where anything you upload to Memories will be saved). Do not worry if your page only has the green plus button and a grey box below it. It just means the blank canvas is ready to be filled with people from your tree!

Click on the green plus sign.


This screen allows you to either "drag and drop" the files you want to add or choose them from your computer, flash drive, dropbox or wherever you are storing your photos. You can select multiple photos at once or individual photos.


Once you have selected your files it may take a few moments for them to upload. Because FamilySearch is a family oriented website, all photos are screened before they are "available" for public viewing. Your uploaded photos will be ghosted out with "Screening" across them for about 24 hours while they are approved. In short, if the photo contains any nudity, drugs/alcohol or guns it will be removed. If you have photos containing any of these items or situations, crop the photo down to exclude them.
Once your photo(s) are uploaded you will be redirected to your gallery where the selected files will appear. Anything you upload will be stored to your gallery on FamilySearch.

By clicking on the small green person icon or "add title" button you will be taken to a screen that will allow you to identify the person or people in the photo you have uploaded. You will also be given the chance to add details regarding the photo to shed more light on the story.


The nice thing about Memories is once you have the photos uploaded you can come back and add details to them at your convenience. But don't let the information fade away so make notes at the time you gain access to the photos!


Add Title - Every photo needs a good caption! You can add a title to the photo that identifies the event being captured, the family name - whatever you want. But give it a title.

Details -
  • Event Date: If you know the date, include it! It helps give at least an estimate of the ages of the people in the photo.
  • Event Place: Helps to place the person or people at a certain location or area.
  • Description: Was it a birthday party? Wedding? Christening? Family Reunion? If you know anything about the circumstances surrounding the time the photo was taken, add it.
  • Photo Credit: This will list your username for FamilySearch and the date you added it.
  • Stories: If you know any additional details in relation to the picture here is a great place to include it. "This picture was taken just before Sally jumped into Grandma's pool and Joe had to jump in the get her out."
  • Add to Album: Yes, you can organize your Memories into albums. I don't have any great words of wisdom on how to do your organizing, so go with what works for you. Nuclear family, Surname, whatever works for you! But it is not required to separate photos into albums if you prefer not to.
Share - You can send photos to family members through FamilySearch via Facebook, Twitter, Google+, Pinterest, Email or copy the link and send it through your own personal email.

Favorites - Can't get enough of that cute picture of Grandma and Grandpa before he went to war? Click the heart and add it to your favorites so you don't have to go searching for it.

Now comes a really important step...tagging or identifying the person or people in the photo! This is a simple and painless step but the most important in my tiny opinion.


If there is only one person in the picture you are working on, click on the photo somewhere in the facial area. A circle will appear that you can enlarge or shrink the circle as well as move it around to surround the person you are identifying.
Once you have the circle where you like it, begin typing their name. If they are in your tree an autofill drop box will appear where you are typing and you can select the person you are looking for or continue to type their name.
If you are adding someone that is not in your family tree, click "add new".
Continue to do this until all of the people are identified in your picture.

Ta-dah! You have successfully added a memory to FamilySearch!

TAKE NOTE: If you upload photos to anyone that is LIVING, only YOU as the submitter will be able to see them until the person "tagged" in the photo has passed away. If you tag someone that is living in a photo with someone that has passed already, it will be available for public viewing.

You can add PDF files to Memories as well. The only difference is that when you go to identify any names in the PDF the tag will be a rectangle instead of a circle to fit the text that you are tagging.

Next Post: Memories App (iPhone edition) - uploading memories to your gallery from your phone!



Wednesday, March 7, 2018

Ready, Set, Now What?

Ready to get started on your genealogy but not sure where to start? This post will, hopefully, help you get started so sit back, relax and get ready to have some fun! The website with the largest efforts to create "One Tree" is www.familysearch.org This is a great starting point to see what is out there so you don't reinvent the wheel. Once you open the website, create a *FREE* account by clicking on the "Free Account" button in the upper right hand corner.


TAKE NOTE: If you are a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (LDS) and have an account on www.lds.org your login is the same for www.familysearch.org.


You need to create a username, provide your email address and create a password. If you are a member of the LDS church you will need your membership number. All others will need their birthdate to add in.

Accounts may not activate immediately due to verification processes but are usually ready within 24 hours.

Now that you have created your account the fun begins. You can create your family tree but it will take a little bit of work on your part.


Select the Family Tree tab and you will need to add your spouse in as well as your children. By clicking on "Add Husband/Wife" you can add all information asked for. As you fill in the information it will autofill with "standardized options" that you can select to include as much information as possible. Repeat the same steps as needed to "Add Child".

💎GENEALOGY GEM: When adding in a wife in a marriage you always use the maiden name. So if your ancestors names are John Smith and Jane Doe, add them in as such. If you don't know Jane's maiden name - for the time being - add her in as Jane and leave Surname blank.

Once you have added your immediately family you want to click on the carrot to the right of you and your spouse. You will need to repeat the same steps for your parents and your spouses parents as well. You continue this process until you reach the first family member that has passed away.

TAKE NOTE: All searches on www.familysearch.org are looking for deceased people.

When you are ready to add in the first member of your family that have passed away you can search for them in the database and then add them in by selecting them. The more information that you add in to the search engine the more likely the match will be.

If you have a family member that already has a tree on FamilySearch you can ask them for the ID number that is listed next to the name of the individual you are trying to add. It is a 7 digit number and is not case sensitive. It generally includes a hyphen (-) as well. Just click on "By ID Number" and enter the number and it will bring up the individual you want to add without having to type in all of their vital information.



Once you have reached this point your tree will automatically generate the additional generations and family members that have been added. You only need to add vital information of living members and then the tree will populate itself once you "link in" to the departed member of your family on both sides of your tree. You will need to repeat this step with your spouses side of the family as well to link in to their tree as well.

Generally the tree will populate itself within 24 hours of you adding in your relatives.

Congratulations on joining www.familysearch.org!