Issue 48.10
If you ever read my columns you have heard of new.familysearch.org, familysearch.org, beta.familysearch.org, indexing.familysearch.org, wiki.familysearch.org, and the list goes on. By the end of November 2010 we will have the updated version of the FamilySearch website which will give you a richer family history experience by putting all FamilySearch content, services, and products on the same site. The site is www.familysearch.org. You will know it is the new site when you see Search for an ancestor at the top of the page.
You can enjoy these benefits on the updated FamilySearch website:1)More scanned documents and indexes that are published more frequently. 2) An improved search experience that looks through more content and gives more accurate results. 3) A thriving genealogical community where you can give and receive help. 4) One user name and password for all FamilySearch products and services. 5) Responsive, reliable, and scalable hardware and software on which the site can grow and improve.
The new version of the FamilySearch website still contains the resources that you used on the previous site. How you find them has changed. Instead of searching Ancestral File, you will click Trees. To search the 1880 U.S. Census or 1881 British census, you will browse by location and click the appropriate area of the world, then click Census & Lists. Plus the new version of the FamilySearch website contains many more censuses than the previous one. They are all FREE.
To search the International Genealogical Index (IGI) you will click Historical Records. The Historical Records feature lets you search the transcribed records of birth, marriage, and death that were previously published in the index. The patron-submitted records are temporarily unavailable due to lack of genealogical integrity. You can no longer search by batch number.
To search the Vital Records Index for Mexico or Scandinavia you would Browse by location, click the link for the appropriate area of the world, and click the place filters for Mexico or Scandinavia. You can use the Record Search Pilot (all the records indexed so far at FamilySearch Indexing) by clicking Historical Records, enter the individual that you want to find.
You cannot currently search the historical books directly, instead you find the book in the Family History Library Catalog and then search for book you want. It is a lot easier to use than it was before and has a lot more information.
Shanna Jones is a professional genealogist, now accepting new clients. For additional information, Shanna can be reached at (435) 628-4900 or shannasjones@msn.com.