Demo: Tips and Tricks for Attaching Records on FamilySearch

This paragraph introduces the Roots Tech Connect demo focused on tips and tricks for attaching hints to family tree records. The speaker, Robert Kear, is a senior product manager at Family Search. He aims to provide ideas and tips for identifying hints in the system and attaching them to ancestors to document their lives. The demo is intended for those with beginner to intermediate skills, and he recommends a presentation by John Huff for those unfamiliar with hints. Kear shares his personal experience of using the system to find records for his ancestors and emphasizes the addictive and fun nature of attaching hints.

In this paragraph, Kear discusses strategies for maximizing the visibility of hints within the family tree. He suggests focusing on recent records from the 1800s to the 1700s due to their abundance and ease of readability. He demonstrates how to navigate the tree by selecting an ancestor, using the person card, and switching to a descendancy view. Kear also explains how to expand the view to show more generations and how to customize the display by turning off portraits and other non-essential features to focus on data. The goal is to optimize the view for identifying and attaching the most hints possible.

Kear dives into the specifics of working with census records as hints. He highlights the value of census records for finding additional family members and emphasizes the importance of verifying the accuracy of the records being attached. Kear demonstrates how to use the person page to familiarize oneself with an ancestor's family context, such as parents and siblings, and how to assess the probability that a record pertains to the correct family. He then shows the process of attaching the record to the family tree, including using the source linker tool and directly attaching records without going through the record card.

This paragraph focuses on the process of adding new family members from census records into the family tree. Kear explains how to use the 'add' function to incorporate individuals not already in the tree, such as a newly discovered child from a census record. He details the system's ability to match existing family members in the tree with those found in the record, and how to create new person profiles for those not already present. Kear also discusses the importance of adding all relevant details from the record to the family members' profiles, including residence and standardizing place names for accuracy and ease of search.

Kear shifts the focus to attaching marriage records and introduces the 'change person' tool. He explains the typical structure of marriage records, with the bride and groom in the center, and their parents listed above and below. Kear demonstrates how to attach the bride and groom to their respective profiles in the family tree and then how to add and attach the parents of the bride and groom. He also shows how to use the change person tool to reposition individuals within the source linker, allowing for the attachment of previously unlisted parents or other relatives. Kear emphasizes the importance of ensuring that names and relationships are accurate when adding new information to the tree.

In this paragraph, Kear tackles the complexity of attaching a 1930 census record with a diverse household structure. He explains how to use the source linker tool to attach all members of a household, including parents, children, and in-laws. Kear demonstrates how to reposition individuals in the source linker to match their relationships in the family tree, such as moving a son-in-law into the correct position. He also shows how to manually align family members by dragging and dropping them into the correct spot within the source linker. Kear's approach to handling complex records ensures that all individuals are accurately represented and connected within the family tree.

Kear concludes the demo with tips for dealing with complex records like obituaries from Genealogy Bank. He highlights the challenges of identifying and attaching individuals in these records and introduces tools for aligning records with the family tree. Kear demonstrates how to use the 'change person' tool to force-align individuals in the record with their profiles in the family tree, even if they are not immediately recognizable. He also provides a strategy for identifying married daughters in obituaries by cross-referencing the tree. Kear's tips aim to enhance the user's ability to navigate and attach complex records, ensuring that all family members are accurately documented and connected.

In the final paragraph, Kear wraps up the Roots Tech Connect demo by expressing his hope that the shared tips and tricks will aid in handling various record types and improve the process of attaching events. He wishes the audience success in their genealogical endeavors and encourages them to enjoy the rest of the Roots Tech Connect event. Kear's closing remarks are a testament to his commitment to helping others enhance their family history research and documentation.