I (Annette) am our wards' family history consultant and am loving my calling! Our ward is not really into family history. I get many repeat questions so I finally put this together. I am sharing it so it is available to anyone else. I have it on a Google doc, so if you would like access to the continually updated version (I still have more to add) I will share it with you. If you have something to add to it let me know.
Cheat Sheet for Helping You to Start Your Family History
by Annette Martin
How to access your free Ancestry.com, findmypast, and MyHeritage accounts:
What is the differences between the family history site:
- LDS church site
- where to request temple ordinances
- anyone can change your tree since it is one world wide tree
- can perform research
- NOT LDS site, partnered with the church
- you have your own personal tree
- people can look at your tree but not touch
- can perform research (greatest amount of info)
- NOT LDS site, partnered with the church
- you have your own personal tree
- people can look at your tree but not touch
- can perform research
- NOT LDS site, partnered with the church
- you have your own personal tree
- people can look at your tree but not touch
- can perform research (specialize in foreign research)
What to do with PAF files:
Ancestry.com accepts and will easily upload PAF files. It will convert it to a GEDCOM file which can then be uploaded to many other family history sites.
Where is the closest Family History Center and what are their hours:
When I am available to help you with your family history:
- After church in the family history room. I will need prior notice.
- Weekdays during the day, at your home or mine. I will have my kids
- Weekdays in the evening, if at your home I get to leave my kids with Charles.
How to Index:
Explore the program and look at its features.
For more help here are some tutorial movies:
Ways to start into family history without doing research for unfound people:
- sign up for FamilySearch.org, Ancestry.com, findmypast, and MyHeritage
- learn how to use the websites (I have only really learned FamilySearch.org and Ancestry.com)
- upload any trees that you have access to (PAF files can be uploaded to Ancestry.com)
- familiarize yourself with any trees that was given to you
- look at a fan tree (available on FamilySearch.com) and see what family lines are the shortest
- if you have a tree uploaded look at the research suggestions/hints
- see what you can find about yourself on the websites (you may find yourself in censuses, yearbooks, city directories, marriage index)
- collect information and photos around your home
- collect information and photos from relatives (if they don’t want to give it away ask for a scanned copy)
- on Ancestry.com find other people who are looking up your same relatives
- on FamilySearch.org put a Watch on ancestors you want to spacifically follow
- interview relatives
- write your own brief history
- ask others to write a brief history of themselves
- scan your family history documents/photos and upload to ancestry
- share what information you collect with your family
- learn all you can about a specific ancestor in your line
- look through your FamilySearch.org tree to make sure everyone has their temple work done
- correct any mistakes in FamilySearch.org
- see if your tree on FamilySearch.org goes farther back than you think
- if you find new names on FamilySearch.org, try to contact those people who added them and see if you can learn more from them
- create a way of organizing your documents, both paper and digitally (I use drive.google for my digital files)
- create a way to organize your goals and what you are currently working on either on paper or digitally
- keep a digital document of online sources you have searched and any notes about those sources
- index names
How to start on researching family members:
1. Write down who you are going to research
2. Learn about the location of where the ancestors lived
3. Look to see what records are available and under what municipality they are located
4. Look for the records
What to do if your parents won’t give you family history information:
When parents won’t give you information about themselves or their parents it can be very frustrating. If you have their name and location of where they were born, you can begin searching for their birth certificate. You may have to contact the authority over which the birth certificate is held since many will not be digitized for a period of time. If you are their child you have authority to access their birth certificate which will then give you info on their parents.
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