Climbing Your Branch of the FamilySearch Family Tree
TLDRAlice Childs, an accredited genealogist, shares her passion for preserving family histories through the FamilySearch Family Tree platform. She emphasizes the collaborative nature of the platform, aiming to create a unified global family tree. Childs provides a comprehensive guide on navigating the FamilySearch interface, editing and standardizing family details, and attaching sources to profiles. She also discusses strategies for dealing with inaccuracies and duplicates, and the importance of privacy for living individuals. Childs offers insights into the genealogical research process, including analyzing existing information, evaluating evidence, and utilizing maps and timelines to spot inconsistencies. She highlights the use of instant records, home sources, and specific record collections to find evidence for ancestors. The presentation concludes with the importance of verifying and documenting ancestors' life events, the significance of celebrating these efforts, and the value of practicing grace when engaging with others in the genealogical community.
Takeaways
- 💻 Alice Childs, an accredited genealogist, emphasizes using FamilySearch for a collaborative and unified global family tree.
- 👋 Emphasizes the importance of standardizing details like dates and places on FamilySearch to enhance record matching accuracy.
- 👇 Discusses the frustrations and solutions in managing a public family tree where others may alter or add incorrect information.
- 📚 Introduces resources like the Family History Guide for learning to navigate FamilySearch effectively.
- 🔑 Offers practical tips for editing, adding, and standardizing information within the FamilySearch platform to maintain an accurate family tree.
- 🔨 Highlights the significance of merging duplicates carefully on FamilySearch to avoid misinformation.
- 👥 Demonstrates methods to correct mistakes on FamilySearch, including unmerging or detaching incorrect information.
- 🔮 Discusses the utilization of the family tree's source tab for verifying and attaching records, and managing sources correctly.
- 👤 Explains how to use home sources, reach out to others, and employ specific record collections for thorough genealogical research.
- 💡 Encourages adopting a meticulous and respectful approach to genealogy, fostering collaboration and accuracy in shared family trees.
Q & A
What is the primary goal of the Family Search Family Tree?
-The primary goal of the Family Search Family Tree is to create the world's largest online family tree that is a global and unified family tree for all mankind.
Why is it important to collaborate on the Family Search Family Tree with other users?
-Collaborating with other users on the Family Search Family Tree is important because it allows for the sharing of information that might not be available to an individual researcher alone, leading to a more accurate and comprehensive family history.
What is the recommended approach to navigate and evaluate the Family Search Family Tree for accuracy?
-The recommended approach includes logging into FamilySearch.org, using the fan chart view for efficient navigation, editing details when necessary, standardizing dates and places, adding family members, and reviewing attached sources for accuracy.
How can one add a new family member to an ancestor's profile on Family Search?
-To add a new family member, you can go to any ancestor's profile page and click on the option to add spouses, children, parents, or siblings, then type in the information about the new family member. Family Search will check if the person is already on the tree and provide options to add or select the person accordingly.
What is the process for detaching a historical document from an ancestor's profile on Family Search if it doesn't belong?
-To detach a document, click on the drop-down arrow by the source, evaluate the source, and if it's determined not to belong to the ancestor, click the 'detach' button. A box will appear where you can confirm the detachment and state your reason for doing so.
How can one merge duplicate entries of a person on the Family Search Family Tree?
-Family Search shows possible duplicates on an ancestor profile page. Click on the duplicate, and you will be given the opportunity to review the merge by comparing the information side by side. If they are a match, click 'review merge' to proceed with the merging process.
What should one do if they realize that two individuals were incorrectly merged on the Family Search Family Tree?
-To unmerge individuals, go to the 'latest changes' section on the ancestor profile page, find the merge that took place, click on the deleted person, and select the option to restore the person, effectively unmerging the two profiles.
What is the 'FAMILY' acronym and how does it help in the genealogy research process?
-The 'FAMILY' acronym stands for Find, Analyze, Map, Look, and Celebrate. It is a step-by-step guide to help genealogists through the research process, from identifying who to research, analyzing existing information, using maps and timelines, looking for additional records, and celebrating the findings.
How can one ensure the accuracy of their conclusions when analyzing genealogical records?
-To ensure accuracy, one should assess the physical condition of the record, consider when and how the source was created, identify who provided the information, and evaluate if the facts in the source directly or indirectly answer the research question.
What are 'instant records' and how can they be used to quickly gather information about an ancestor?
-Instant records refer to easily accessible records on Family Search, such as record hints and broad database searches. They allow for a quick analysis of potential matches and can be used to verify an ancestor's life events without extensive research.
Why is it important to attach sources to an ancestor's profile on Family Search?
-Attaching sources to an ancestor's profile ensures that future researchers have access to documented evidence supporting the information on the profile. It prevents the loss of data and makes it easier to correct any future errors or changes.
Outlines
😀 Introduction and Importance of Documenting Family History
Alice Childs introduces herself as an accredited genealogist and author of the 'Genealogy Now' blog. She emphasizes the importance of documenting family history accurately to ensure that future generations can access and appreciate their ancestors' stories. Alice discusses the collaborative nature of the Family Search Family Tree, aiming to create a unified global tree for all mankind, and the benefits of working with others to build a more complete family history.
📝 Navigating FamilySearch and Editing Family Tree
Alice provides a guide on how to navigate the Family Search Family Tree, including how to log in, use the landscape and fan chart views, and access an ancestor's profile page. She explains the process of editing details on a profile page, the importance of standardization for dates and places, and how to add or merge family members. Alice also addresses how to attach and detach sources, handle duplicates, and unmerge individuals if necessary.
🧗 Organized Approach to Climbing the Family Tree
Alice outlines a structured approach to researching family history, using the word 'FAMILY' to remember the steps: Find someone to research, Analyze known information, use a Map and Timeline for additional insights, Look at instant records, and Examine additional records as needed. She also discusses strategies for choosing which line of the family to research and the importance of verifying each generation's details before moving on.
🔍 Analyzing and Verifying Ancestral Information
Alice discusses the process of analyzing existing information on an ancestor's profile page for completeness and accuracy. She emphasizes the importance of sources to back up life events and relationships and how to examine each source, including original images when available. Alice also touches on the privacy considerations when dealing with living individuals and their records on FamilySearch.
🕵️♀️ Evidence Analysis and Resolving Conflicts
Alice explains the concept of evidence analysis, which involves assessing the physical condition of a record, determining when and how it was created, identifying the source of the information, and evaluating whether the facts in the source answer the research question. She uses examples of a death certificate and a baptism record to illustrate how to resolve conflicts in information and the importance of consulting additional records to reach accurate conclusions.
🌐 Utilizing Online Tools for Genealogical Research
Alice highlights the use of online tools such as the FamilySearch Research Wiki and Record Finder to aid in genealogical research. She explains how to use these tools to determine what types of records are available and where to find them. Alice also discusses the process of attaching records to an ancestor's profile on FamilySearch and the importance of documenting each life event with multiple independent sources.
📊 Preventing Unwanted Changes and Encouraging Collaboration
Alice talks about strategies to prevent others from making incorrect changes to the family tree, such as creating alert notes and using personal genealogy software for backup. She stresses the importance of practicing grace when engaging with others about changes made to the tree and encourages celebrating the hard work of documenting ancestors' life events. Alice concludes with an invitation for feedback and questions, emphasizing her willingness to help with further inquiries.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Genealogist
💡Family Search Family Tree
💡Standardization
💡Profile Page
💡Record Hints
💡Evidence Analysis
💡Privacy
💡Instant Records
💡Research Wiki
💡Source Linker
💡Alert Note
Highlights
Alice Childs introduces herself as an accredited genealogist specializing in Mid-Atlantic research.
The FamilySearch Family Tree aims to create the world's largest online family tree as a unified resource.
Childs emphasizes collaborative benefits in genealogy, where sharing information can improve accuracy.
Introduction to navigation and usage of the Family History Guide to master FamilySearch.
The significance of editing and standardizing details on the FamilySearch profiles to ensure accurate historical data.
Discussion on adding new family members to the Family Tree and the process of merging duplicates carefully.
Childs introduces tools for editing profiles and handling conflicts, including detaching incorrect records.
The step-by-step genealogy research process coined with the acronym 'FAMILY' to structure and organize research.
Utilizing the map and timeline features on FamilySearch to spot inconsistencies and understand ancestor events geographically.
The importance of consulting home sources and engaging with other FamilySearch users to validate and expand tree data.
Exploring specific record collections and using the FamilySearch Research Wiki to locate relevant records.
How to use Record Seek to attach sources from external websites to the FamilySearch tree.
Creating a personal backup plan with genealogy software to preserve research against changes on FamilySearch.
Promoting a collaborative and respectful environment among genealogists on FamilySearch.
Childs encourages taking a moment to celebrate the milestones and success in genealogy research.
Transcripts
Browse More Related Video
Around the World in 60 Minutes: What's New in FamilySearch Collections
Demo: Tips and Tricks for Attaching Records on FamilySearch
AncestryDNA Cousin Matches: Next Steps
Help! There’s No Class on Researching My Ancestral Homeland
How I Found An Enslaved Ancestor in My Family Tree
My Most Used Ancestry.com Tricks (SOME YOU MAY NOT KNOW ABOUT)
5.0 / 5 (0 votes)
Thanks for rating: