Issue 18.13
Part 1
It is time to look at your family tree. https://familysearch.org/tree/ Because it is a consolidation of multiple record repositories, there are many data issues. The best practices can better help you successfully navigate the Family Tree. First, learn how to use the program. Click on Help in the upper right hand corner of the webpage and on the Ask a Question page, under Family Tree, click on See all Family Tree training materials (manuals, videos, etc.) This will give you a good, basic understanding of the program and what it can do.
Look at your family. Anyone can access the Family Tree, you don’t have to be an LDS member to use this program, and it is totally free. If you are new to the program, start with yourself, click on Add Husband to find or add your father and click on Add Wife to add or find your mother. Remember to just type in anyone in your family who is still living. The system does not search for living individuals for privacy reasons. Then once you have the living people added, then you can search the Family Tree to see if anyone else has added your other ancestors. If they have, you can link to that ancestor and he/she will bring the rest of the linked pedigree with them. If they have not been added, type in what you know about that ancestor, the system will automatically search and then if no matches are found that you are sure are your ancestor, then add them to the Family Tree.
Add information that is correct to the best of your knowledge or sources. Family Tree users now have an avenue to correct incorrect or inaccurate information. Click on the information, click Edit and correct it. Then explain why you believe your information is more correct that what was already there. If you are not certain, look for documents to back up your theory. If you do find your ancestor in the system, you can add what is missing. They may have a death date, but not a death place and you know where it was. You can also add the burial date and place and link to a source such as a cemetery record or another online record such ashttp://www.findagrave.com/.
Continued next week…..
For more information, contact Shanna S. Jones shannasjones@msn.com (435) 628-4900.