New Release of FamilySearch.org

Many (including me) have asked why they keep changing the website and why couldn't we keep Record Search Pilot. FamilySearch held a webinar yesterday at which those questions were answered. The programming they were using would not allow for continuing expansion needed to keep adding records. The only way they could continue to grow and keep up with current technology was to change programming. They noted that IGI and Pedigree Resource File (and new.familysearch.org - to be called FamilySearch Family Tree) would be phased in to the site. No time line was given. You will note in the announcement below that the old site is still available - in very small print at the bottom of the screen.

They also promoted the RootsTech Conference to be held at the Salt Palace in SLC February 10-12. IF you wish to make your voice heard with programmers this is your chance. You should have received an e-mail November 15th giving Family History Consultants a 50% discount on registration - $75 rather than $150 until January 7, 2011. Registration and class schedule is online at rootstech.familysearch.org. The syllabus will be accessible to registrants online prior to the conference.

If you would like to see the slides from yesterday's webinar go to wiki.familysearch.org and enter "bloginar" in the search block.

The following announcement was written by FamilySearch:

Updated Site Now Available; More Improvements to Come
SALT LAKE CITY–FamilySearch announced several changes today for its family history website,
FamilySearch.org. Online patrons will find millions of new records and images, over 40,000 helpful
articles, over 100 interactive courses of instruction, and a dynamic forum to ask personal genealogy
questions. The changes have been in testing for some time. FamilySearch will continue to implement
the new website in phases to ensure all critical elements are functioning as desired. Once complete, the
website will be promoted more broadly.
The new site offers the following free benefits to FamilySearch patrons:

• Millions more scanned, historical documents and indexes that are published more
frequently.

• An improved search experience that looks through more content and gives more
accurate results.

• A thriving online genealogical community where patrons can give and receive help.

• One user name and password for all FamilySearch products and services.

• Responsive, reliable, and scalable hardware and software that will allow the site to grow
and improve.

FamilySearch has published a helpful document called “Adjusting to the New Version of
www.familysearch.org” and a video tutorial that summarizes the changes to the new site. These new
guides can be found under the “Changes at FamilySearch.org” link.
The prior version of the site will still be available through the transition period.

23 Things You Can Do To Enhance Your Skills

23 Things You Can Do To Enhance Your Skills

One of the treasures that can be found at the Beta
FamilySearch Web site is the following page:
https://fch.ldschurch.org/WWSupport/23things/.
The site describes it’s purpose this way:
Listed below are “23 Things” (or small exercises) that you can
do as a “possible” way to enhance your skills with Family
History and/or Genealogy on any level. The exercises will
expand your knowledge of the Internet and Web 2.0
technology.

Family Tree Magazine's Vintage Advice

David Fryzell's "Vintage Advice" in the January, 2010 lists 10 tips for research.
1. "Look for clues in clusters" - neighbors & family
2. "Rev your engines" - keep up to date with web sites & technical advancements
3. "Look sideways to find mystery women" - adjacent cemetery plots, wills, land records, marriage records, death records, immigration records, newspapers and pensions.
4. "Construct a chronology" - timeline
5. "Strategize to win the name game" - spelling variations
6. "Use online family trees wisely" - note the "wisely" - use as clues
7. "Rely on the Family History Library"
8. "Join a genealogical society - and not just the local one."
9. "Become a genealogical geographer"
10. "Remember to look in the library.

Internet Bookmarks for World Research

Protopage.com offers a free service for anyone to develop a website where anyone may save their favorite websites in a format that can be accessed from any internet connected computer. A website has been created that is open to the public, but made for the Plano Stake consultants. It can be found at: http://protopage.com/planofhc.

World Digital Library

Pieces of the world's history from Afghanistan to Zimbabwe have come together on a single free Web site. The World digital Library, a collection of documents, photos, maps and art from countries and sultures around the globe. From Family Tree Magazine, September 2009, Page 12

Family History 101

Family History 101 provides excellent basic information for research in several record types, which includes a glossary of terms. Their home page can be found at: http://www.familyhistory101.com/

Granite Mountain Records Vault Videos

Jay Verker, President of FamilySearch, gave the keynote address at the National Genealogical Society Conference last week. As a part of his speech, he showed 3 videos of the Granite Mountain Records Vault. Those can be viewed by going to this URL:
http://www.newsroom.lds.org/ldsnewsroom/eng/news-releases-stories/familysearch-shares-plans-to-digitize-billions-of-records-stored-at-granite-mountain-records-vault

FamilySearch Presentations at NGS Syllabi

Most of the syllabi for the FamilySearch employees' presentations at the NGS Conference can be found at: https://wiki.familysearch.org/en/FamilySearch_Presentations_at_NGS_2010

Celebration of Family History

A Celebration of Family History was held in the Conference Center. President Henry B. Eyring and author, David McCullough, spoke; the choir sang and 5 videos were shown. They are online and can be viewed by going to: http://newsroom.lds.org/ldsnewsroom/eng/.

I'm sorry that you all were not able to enjoy it. Over 14,000 did, which is the largest genealogical event ever in the US.

The bagpipe video is humorous and very enjoyable, but what followed that video is the main item of discussion by all attendees. The reason is that as the video was ending, you heard bagpipes playing Amazing Grace. Jared McCloud was one of the pipers. As they finished going through it once, the Tab Choir and Orchestra joined in. The result was incredible - never has that song been performed better. Everyone there would like to have a video of the entire evening, but if they can only have one thing it is that song. It is ironic that the most humorous part of the evening turned into the most memorable and moving.

President Eyring and David McCullough gave excellent remarks, both encouraging collaboration in research. Mr. McCullough also pressed learning the story behind the events and gave several examples of events in the lives of famous people.

While the entire evening was filmed, it is not yet known what will be available for release.

Conference Week Announcements and Updates

The main thrust of the FamilySearch speakers at both the BYU Computerized Family History and Genealogy Conference and the National Genealogy Conference was collaboration and bringing the genealogical community together. It has also been strongly suggested that you should not believe any one source, but a collection of sources from a variety of types of records. Please note below the online lessons on Inferential Genealogy.

FamilySearch announced that they released 300 million new names this week to the Beta site at: http://fsbeta.familysearch.org/. (It is also accessible through the Labs site.) I asked if they were only on the beta site and they said that they were also at Record Search Pilot, but that they had a much better search engine on the beta site. All videos shown and all presentations by FamilySearch people refered to the Beta site.

What is the Beta Site? It is the next incarnation of familysearch.org. It is supposed to be released this summer, but it was supposed to be released last summer also. You might want to check it out since there is a change coming, and it is a big change.

FamilySearch has added several new courses through both familysearch.org and fsbeta.familysearch.org. One of the most remarkable ones is Inferential Genealogy presented by Dr. Thomas W. Jones. It can be found at: http://broadcast.lds.org/elearning/fhd/community/cbig/player.html. We were given a preview at a lunch presentation by Don Anderson, FHL Director among other FS positions. I had not heard of Inferential Genealogy previously, but it is very good.

If you are wondering how inferential relates to genealogy, here are a trio of definitions that may help: 1) of reasoning proceeding from general premises to a necessary and specific conclusion; 2) derived or capable of being derived by inference; 3) based on interpretation; not directly expressed. It is an inter-active presentation.

Wednesday night at an Ancestry event they made three announcements.
1) The search screen is changing -- again! They have found that many people do not enter dates and places so they are simplifying their search screen, but it can be expanded to add as much information as desired.
2) Last month they announced that they had sold their printing business. They announced that they are putting The Source and Red Book online in wiki format which can be accessed at no charge. It is coming "well before the end of the year".
3) They are in the final stages of development of Family Tree Maker for MAC. For all of you Mac users, this may be good news. I asked them if it was going to be possible to transfer all information from PC programs, including sources, images and events. The short answer was "Yes". Please remember that they are not NFS certified and no one is talking about it.

Alan Mann on Person Pages

Person pages are the wave of genealogy future

By Sharon Haddock,Mormon Times,Tuesday, Apr. 27, 2010

SALT LAKE CITY -- New on the genealogy scene right now is the person page -- a feature that ideally would one day include every person who has ever lived on the earth.

Alan Mann, manager of Genealogical Community Services with FamilySearch.com speaking at the Conference on Computerized Family History and Genealogy on April 26 at the Salt Palace, said person pages is the most significant new thing in online family history.

Person pages are different from online pedigrees, he said.

Person pages allow genealogists and website users to link all kinds of information to a basic site -- information such as images of official documents, photographs, histories, government records, and comments from people who may have known the person.

Footnote.com could be easily linked to Ancestry.com, to FamilySearch and a variety of other web pages, saving on duplication of effort and providing a wealth of resources in one place.

Footnote currently has a free person page available, Mann said, that is simple to access and augment.

Footnote has already created a page for every person they have in their existing database and the home page is kept up to date with recent member discoveries and improvements.

Suggestions are made on the home page as to how to refine a search (a typical search brought back 99,570 matches) by place, category, collection, date, etc., expand a search and ideas about what could be added. (Would you like to see a census, add an image or a comment?)

Images and photographs already on a home computer can easily be imported.
Audio and visual images are probably going to be part of the menu in the near future, he said.

While some of the linked sites may require a fee for use, most do not, he said. Those who cannot pay the fees can access the pay-for-use sites through a public library or family history center.

And most records and documents are public records.

"Person pages is where we're headed and where we need to be," Mann said. "The ideal would be a page for everybody who has ever lived."

The Footnote information is not presently Google searchable and living individuals should not have person pages, he said.

Mann said in the future a gatekeeper would probably be needed and to him FamilySearch is the logical choice because FamilySearch is not trying to make money on their resources.

Spelling Names

Rookies assume an ancestor’s name has only one correct spelling.

Rookies may reject sources that show the ancestor’s name spelled differently than expected. They often insist the family has always spelled the name just one way. They may be uncomfortable with variant spellings because they assume different spellings are a sign their ancestors were uneducated. They overlook the possibility that it was a clerk (not family) that spelled the name differently.

Consequences: Missed sources, missed opportunities, missed clues, incomplete and stunted genealogies.

Experienced researchers would find it unusual if they found only one spelling in all of the records for a particular person. They expect and actively seek out as many variant spellings of the name as possible. Experienced researchers look for names under middle names, initials, abbreviations, and nicknames. They use the International Genealogical Index to find alternate spellings to surnames. And they use spelling substitution tables to figure out even more possible alternates spellings of the surname.

Notes and Sourcing

Rookies are poor note keepers.

Rookie family group records have meager source citations, and are limited to births, marriages, and deaths. Their research logs often consist of small slips of paper tucked into the pages of a spiral notebook. They have a tendency to make handwritten copies of sources. Their copies of sources are scattered and poorly organized. Finding a particular document may take 5 minutes or more.

Consequences: Poor organization and note keeping often results in redundant searches, missed documents, overlooked clues, poor correlation and analysis, incorrect conclusions, dead ends, and false connections.

Experienced researchers document AS THEY GO, keeping up-to-date, well-source-footnoted family group records, and research logs. Veterans make photocopies of sources whenever allowed by the repository. They add all events including things like each census, military service, and family moves to their family group records. They are well organized. Thanks to their research log they can have any document copy about the family in their hand in moments. They use their records, especially the family group record, as their best source of ideas about where to search next because of all the clues they have packed onto it. They use their research logs to document their research strategies as well as the sources searched.

Narrow Research Goals

Rookies often have vague research goals.

Rookies often have little focus and act scatterbrained. When questioned about the person and event they seek, a rookie may not have anyone specific in mind. They just want to find ancestors and have no one in particular. Further, they are often without a family group when they ask questions.

Consequences: Lack of focus means a rookie is unlikely to stay on task. They often cannot figure out sources to search. Therefore their general focus often results in general lack of progress.

Experienced researchers work on one specific event in one person’s life at a time. They can name the person and event, such as, “I want to document Katie Beller’s birth.” The nature of the event suggests a variety of sources that might have information about that event. Further, veterans carry with them a well-documented family group record showing that individual ancestor so the researcher can review the clues. They tend to continue to research that one event in one person’s life until they find it.

Records Check List

Family Tree Magazine has a Records Checklist to help make sure all pertinent records have been searched. All of the records will not apply to everyone, but it is a good list to use as a reference. You can find it at: http://familytreemagazine.com/upload/images/PDF/recordschecklist.pdf

Rookie Mistake - Be sharp

There are many mistakes made by all researchers, rookies or not. Success is made by not making rookie type mistakes. This is from FS Wiki under Rookie Mistakes.

Rookies don't sharpen the saw enough. Rookies neglect their genealogical education. They don't take enough classes, read enough, or travel to the places where their ancestor's lived to learn more.

Consequences: Cultural background of ancestors, and advanced research skills may go unlearned.Rookies fail to understand the individuals they are researching, their connections to their family, or the family in its community connections. Without an understanding of the cultural background some sources may be overlooked.

Experienced researchers take and visit ancestral stomping grounds. They strive to understand the culture, the community, and the family they are researching. Experienced researchers continue to look for new and better ways to find ancestors.

NGS and BYU Conferences

Be sure to see the following website for activities and benefits the Church is providing around the subject conferences: http://www.familysearch.org/NGS2010.

You might also be interested in the topics offered at the NGS portion of the conference, April 28-May 1 at: http://members.ngsgenealogy.org/Conferences/2010Program.cfm.

The BYU Computerized Genealogy Conference information can be found (soon) at: http://ce.byu.edu/cw/cwcompu/

Hope to see some of you there.

Research Log

Keeping a Research Log is an important practice for everyone researching their family. There is an order of in which tasks are done to facilitate recording sources.

1. Find Source
2. Record Source
3. Search Source
4. Record Results (both in log and database

Please notice that the source is recorded before it is searched. Using this order is the only way an accurate log is kept.

FamilySearch.org Beta

The FamilySearch.org website will be making a change in the summer to whatever the current beta site (see labs.famlysearch.org) develops into with Record Search and FS Wiki as tabs. As usual, no specific date was given.

New Computers in the Family History Library

For anyone heading to Salt Lake all the computers have been replaced with new computers with 21" flat screen monitors. The CPU is so small that it fits on the back of the monitor.

If you are planning a research trip to the FHL, be sure to plan ahead. You may find it helpful to view the tutorial Power Point presentation Family History Library Trip Preparation in the FHC.

New FamilySearch E-Learning

If you have taken the New FamilySearch E-Learning course before December, 2009, you should go through the training again. It has been updated to match the current .99 version.

Historical Books

Please notice that the Historical Books are made up of multiple listings: Book Collection, Serials, Filipino Cards, Liahona-Elders Journals, Oral Histories, Medieval, Gazetteers. The total listings is currently 55,148 in the collection. These are on BYU's servers which do not count individual collections beyond 20,000. You will find that the Book Collection and Filipino Cards reached that limit last November.

Books continue to be digitized at a rate of 7300 pages per day. When the servers are changed in April all that has been digitized will be added. Strangely enough, the Filipino Cards take more space than the books!

News from Salt Lake City

The Family History Library is holding a series of classes on New FamilySearch. Part 4 of the series is Teaching New Family Search that covers information needed by all consultants working with ward members. New FamilySearch provides lots of help under the E-Learning Courses under Training and Resources in the Help Center. Check it out. There are lots of videos, and guided practices and handouts. They are very informative and helpful.