FamilySearch
The Power of Stories and Story@Home 2012
Do your families and friends love hearing your genealogy research stories? Or does bringing up the “G” word empty the room? Why is that? Genealogists are nice people…fun, too…really. But sometimes we genealogists get fixated on details like sources, dates and places and then before the story gets good, our audience gets bored! Here’s a tip: If our families are not interested in our family history – we simply are not telling our stories right.
The Link to the Classic FamilySearch Site is Gone!
We’ve heard from many of you telling us that the link to the Classic FamilySearch site no longer appears on the home page. This was not intentional and we apologize for the premature removal of this link. However, after careful consideration we’ve decided not to replace it. The reason for this is because in the very near future, we will remove the Classic FamilySearch site entirely. When that happens, the link to that site will no longer be needed. The shutdown of the Classic FamilySearch site will take place after we have completed the addition of some of our improved and new site features.
A Family of Indexers
A family of seven has been indexing in Guatemala City. Mom, Dad, five children, and Grandpa and Grandma live together and share one computer that has Internet access. They balance taking turns indexing with all the children being in school, Dad working, and Mom finishing her studies at the university. At times, the family goes to the local family history center to work on more machines with Internet access. In 2011, the Lanuza family indexed over 37,000 records.
The father, Wilfredo, said that a great miracle has occurred in their family as a result of indexing.
Being Dragged through the Mud . . . and Loving It!
FamilySearch indexing just hit a major milestone. Sometime in the last month or so, the number of searchable names on FamilySearch.org surpassed the 2.5 billion mark. And the majority of those names are there because you and others like you took the time to index them.
To put that number in perspective, let’s look back at what once was and also look forward to what may be.
Reach New Indexing Heights by Setting Goals
Enjoying a beautiful spring day, my husband and I set out on a hike. Planning ahead, my husband had calculated the length of our hike to be about 6 miles. I packed our day packs with the needed supplies so we could enjoy the day and stop for small breaks and a refreshing lunch.
It was a crystal clear day, not a cloud in sight, as we hiked along the mountain ridge where we could see down both sides of the mountain. Not being in the best of shape, I knew that 6 miles would be a good hike for me and would take a few hours to complete.
1940 Dream'n
Remember as a kid how Christmas never came soon enough? Waiting was torture, and talking about it did nothing to relieve the suffering. But you talked about it and thought about it and dreamed about it anyway because it was just so doggone exciting.
For genealogists, Christmas comes in April this year when the National Archives releases the images of the 1940 US Federal Census. And while pictures are nice, the real present won’t be unwrapped until the census is fully indexed and safely published online for everyone to freely access. Now that’s a gift worth waiting for!
Feature Changes in FamilySearch.org—27 January 2012
Updated Tree Search Form
A new Trees search screen has been added to the FamilySearch search page. You can access this search screen by clicking the Trees tab.
Using the FamilySearch Record Collections
We’ve received many comments from FamilySearch users telling us that they find the name of an ancestor in an index but cannot find a record for them. Or, if record images are available, they have to go through hundreds of records in order to find the one they want. Let me explain a couple of tips that will help make your search a more pleasant experience.
Using the FamilySearch Record Collections
We’ve received many comments from FamilySearch users telling us that they find the name of an ancestor in an index but cannot find a record for them. Or, if record images are available, they have to go through hundreds of records in order to find the one they want. Let me explain a couple of tips that will help make your search a more pleasant experience.