Issue 52.10
Using the newest version of www.familysearch.org is easier than ever before. When you search in historical records, you enter some information about an ancestor. The website then finds records of births, marriages, deaths, censuses, and other events that might contain information about him or her. For some records, you can see both the index and the photographed record. For other records, you might be able to see only the index. If images are hosted on another website, you can see the index on the FamilySearch website, which is all free. To see the image, go to the owner’s website. You may need to pay a small fee to see, save, or print a record on another site.
Try it out. Go to the Home page, www.familysearch.org and click Historical Records. Enter information about the individual that you want to find. I think less information is better unless you are looking for John Jones or another really common name. To see more search fields, click Show advanced. To hide these fields, click Hide advanced. Click Search. Scan your search results for records of interest to you. Collections that have a camera icon by them will include the images. Collections without a camera have only the index.
If you do not see the record that you want, refine your search results: In the Search fields, enter more information about the individual that you want to find. For example, add a date or place. The Search field is located in the top left corner of the screen. Your search results automatically narrow to only those records that match what you entered.
To narrow your search results to a specific type of record, click a record type or other filter. The filters are located beneath the search fields. You may need to scroll down to see them. The number that is next to the filter name indicates how many of your search results are in that record type. To start a completely new search, clear the information from the search fields, and enter your new search.
To see if the system also found records from trees that match your search, scroll to the bottom of your search results. Click a link to see a tree record. Only records from Ancestral File are available in trees so far but records from the Pedigree Resource File will soon be added. When you find a record of interest, click the individual’s name to see the complete details.
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.