I have not posted blogs on our last several classes, as they have been rather casual. We had finished the regular classes and spent the last few weeks just talking and discussing various items of interest to class members.
We took a few classes and looked at census, birth, death, and marriage records to see what kinds of information might be contained on them. It is important to glean every possible piece of information from any document, because those little pieces might be just what you need to make a link to something you did not know.
Most of our discussions were "off the cuff". Hopefully those in the class have had all their questions answered and are having great success on their own.
The class will start again on February 5th. Hope to see you then!
Wednesday, February 1, 2017
Tuesday, November 29, 2016
November 20, 2016 - Reserving Temple Ordinances
Today we worked on the temple ordinances. For the previous class, I posted a detailed explanation of the temple ordinances. In the interest of time, I will just refer you to the previous post.
May 1, 2016 - Reserving Temple Ordinances
May 1, 2016 - Reserving Temple Ordinances
November 13, 2016 - Records
Since I was sick today, Maynard Hammond took the class. I appreciate his willingness to just jump in and share what he is doing. Here is the summary of what he did:
I showed them a family that I
was working on. It was put together by a researcher that hadn't given a
single source. We then went in and found multiple census records on
FamilySearch and a marriage certificate on Findmypast. They all agreed
with the family except for the wife. The marriage certificate showed
the marriage about a year before the first child was born. The census
data showed he hadn't remarried well after children were born. We
talked about how they might go about changing and fixing the record.
Then I showed them the easiest way.
I also showed them Recordseek.com and we added the marriage record from Findmypast. We also added the census records.
There
was so much to do in the little class time we had, but I feel all who
were there learned how records can be fixed and documented.
When I went home I added
several more sources and continued to try and unravel the many Samuel
Law's that were married to a Betty in the area. I'm still working on
getting the puzzles unraveled and have proven and documented several but
still have a few more to unravel. I'd like to get all the records
available assigned correctly. I'd also like to find the correct husband
for the wife we replaced and verify she wasn't a marriage late in
life. Somehow, the researcher thought she was part of the family, but I
haven't found records that support it.
Tuesday, November 8, 2016
November 6, 2016 - Sources
Today we continued working on FamilySearch person page, focusing on the section for sources.
A source is any piece of information that helps to verify and/or explain an event in the life of an individual. The value of a source depends on when, where, and by whom the document or information was recorded. Each source needs to be evaluated as to its value and inevitability. Even a primary source (recorded at the time of the event by someone who witnessed the event) can contain errors. Therefore, a good genealogist looks for multiple sources to support each point of fact.
It is also important to find as many sources as possible to be able to tell a more complete story of the life of the ancestor. An interesting story is far more than just birth, marriage, and death.
FamilySearch allows us to attach a link to a source that is found on FS and also to sources which are found on other sites, such as Ancestry.com, My Heritage, or Find My Past. You can also create a link to any other site that contains a source.
Attached Sources:
1 - The source section is below the family section, which shows every source that has already been attached.
2 - Using the same person from last week (Henry Lester 9NNP-HRR), we reviewed the existing sources. We also reviewed the same person on Ancestry and in RootsMagic.
3 - When we looked at his death certificate, we learned that his name was Harrision H. Lester. FS had Henry and both Ancestry and RM said Harry. We decided that the correct name must be Harrison Henry Lester. We made that change in the name section.
4 - We also discovered that I had several more sources attached to RM and to Ancestry than were attached to FS. So, once we were sure that FS was as correct as we could get it, we moved over to Ancestry.
Linking FamilySearch to Ancestry: (This option is only available on the LDS memberships.)
1 - We wanted to copy the sources from Ancestry to FS. To do so, we needed to get them connected.
2 - At the top right side of the Profile page in Ancestry is the Family Search Tree symbol. Click it.
3 - Sign in to FS.
4 - Click the tree symbol again and choose to connect. This will show you the same person on FS. We clicked on the correct person.
5 - Click on the tree symbol once more and choose compare. This will open a window with FS information on the left and Ancestry on the right.
6 - You can now move information back and forth between the two trees. We also chose to add all the sources that were on Ancestry to the FS tree.
7 - Click save at the bottom of the page and all the information will be saved.
8 - When we went back to FS and refreshed the page, all the sources from Ancestry were now attached to the FS tree.
To change the order that the sources appear, use click and drag with the mouse. I personally like to put all the sources in a particular order as it helps me to see quickly what is there. It also helps me to see if there are duplicates.
It is of value to add the same source (like a census record) from multiple sites. Although the original source is the same, there can be differences in the indexing.
FORMS:
We also discussed the importance of keeping records of what you are doing as you research. I handed out four copies of common forms that are used:
Research Log - keep a record of all research you do, where you searched, what you did or did not find, etc.
To Do List - Keep a list of things that you notice that you need to do. This is especially important when you are working on one thing and find related things that need to be done. It is easy to find yourself jumping from thing to thing with nothing ever being completed.
Timeline - It helps to list all events from sources you have found in a chronological order. This will allow you to see what is missing, what doesn't fit together, etc.
Individual Source List - This allows you to keep track of what potential sources you have already found.
I said I would try to add links to this blog, but I haven't figured that out. You can search for blank forms on the internet.
Google: Free Genealogy Forms
FamilySearch.org - Wiki - forms
FamilyTreeMagazine.com/freeforms
Cyndislist.com
These may or may not show up:
https://familysearch.org/wiki/en/Genealogy_Research_Forms
http://www.familytreemagazine.com/freeforms
http://www.cyndislist.com/cyndislistsearch/?q=blank%20forms
See you next week. We will working on the Temple section.
A source is any piece of information that helps to verify and/or explain an event in the life of an individual. The value of a source depends on when, where, and by whom the document or information was recorded. Each source needs to be evaluated as to its value and inevitability. Even a primary source (recorded at the time of the event by someone who witnessed the event) can contain errors. Therefore, a good genealogist looks for multiple sources to support each point of fact.
It is also important to find as many sources as possible to be able to tell a more complete story of the life of the ancestor. An interesting story is far more than just birth, marriage, and death.
FamilySearch allows us to attach a link to a source that is found on FS and also to sources which are found on other sites, such as Ancestry.com, My Heritage, or Find My Past. You can also create a link to any other site that contains a source.
Attached Sources:
1 - The source section is below the family section, which shows every source that has already been attached.
2 - Using the same person from last week (Henry Lester 9NNP-HRR), we reviewed the existing sources. We also reviewed the same person on Ancestry and in RootsMagic.
3 - When we looked at his death certificate, we learned that his name was Harrision H. Lester. FS had Henry and both Ancestry and RM said Harry. We decided that the correct name must be Harrison Henry Lester. We made that change in the name section.
4 - We also discovered that I had several more sources attached to RM and to Ancestry than were attached to FS. So, once we were sure that FS was as correct as we could get it, we moved over to Ancestry.
Linking FamilySearch to Ancestry: (This option is only available on the LDS memberships.)
1 - We wanted to copy the sources from Ancestry to FS. To do so, we needed to get them connected.
2 - At the top right side of the Profile page in Ancestry is the Family Search Tree symbol. Click it.
3 - Sign in to FS.
4 - Click the tree symbol again and choose to connect. This will show you the same person on FS. We clicked on the correct person.
5 - Click on the tree symbol once more and choose compare. This will open a window with FS information on the left and Ancestry on the right.
6 - You can now move information back and forth between the two trees. We also chose to add all the sources that were on Ancestry to the FS tree.
7 - Click save at the bottom of the page and all the information will be saved.
8 - When we went back to FS and refreshed the page, all the sources from Ancestry were now attached to the FS tree.
To change the order that the sources appear, use click and drag with the mouse. I personally like to put all the sources in a particular order as it helps me to see quickly what is there. It also helps me to see if there are duplicates.
It is of value to add the same source (like a census record) from multiple sites. Although the original source is the same, there can be differences in the indexing.
FORMS:
We also discussed the importance of keeping records of what you are doing as you research. I handed out four copies of common forms that are used:
Research Log - keep a record of all research you do, where you searched, what you did or did not find, etc.
To Do List - Keep a list of things that you notice that you need to do. This is especially important when you are working on one thing and find related things that need to be done. It is easy to find yourself jumping from thing to thing with nothing ever being completed.
Timeline - It helps to list all events from sources you have found in a chronological order. This will allow you to see what is missing, what doesn't fit together, etc.
Individual Source List - This allows you to keep track of what potential sources you have already found.
I said I would try to add links to this blog, but I haven't figured that out. You can search for blank forms on the internet.
Google: Free Genealogy Forms
FamilySearch.org - Wiki - forms
FamilyTreeMagazine.com/freeforms
Cyndislist.com
These may or may not show up:
https://familysearch.org/wiki/en/Genealogy_Research_Forms
http://www.familytreemagazine.com/freeforms
http://www.cyndislist.com/cyndislistsearch/?q=blank%20forms
See you next week. We will working on the Temple section.
Thursday, November 3, 2016
October 30, 2016 - Working on the Person Page
This week we went into more detail on using the Person Page on FamilySearch.org. In order to be able to experience using the page, we found a person on my tree that we could work on. I chose Henry Lester 9NNP-HRR.
Here are some of the things we did:
1 - Watch - By clicking the watch button, I will receive notice if anyone else makes any changes.
2 - Duplicate - There was no duplicate, so we started to work on this page.
3 - Dates and Places - Needed to standardize both dates and places.
Clicked on the date/place for birth. (Then repeated for death.)
Edit.
Adjusted the date and place so the standardized list appeared.
Chose the correct entry from the list.
Reason - "Standardized date and place." This lets the next person know that I did not add or change the information, just put it into standardized form.
4 - Went to the Family Section and looked over what was there. We noticed that he has a sister that was born the same year as the oldest brother. This is something we will need to check.
5 - Went to the Source Section to see what sources have already been added.
6 - 1880 census shows the parents with Henry and two brothers, but no sister.
7 - Birth record for Martha shows she was born in England. Since this family was all born in the US, it appears that she should not be in the family. Her parents' names are similar, but the birth place tells us that these are not correct.
8 - Unlinked Martha by going back to the Family Section.
Click the pencil next to her name.
Remove or Replace.
On the pop up page, we clicked that we had reviewed the relationship.
Reason. In this case, we made sure the statement was specific so that the next person would understand clearly what we had done and why.
We will continue working on Henry Lester next lesson.
Here are some of the things we did:
1 - Watch - By clicking the watch button, I will receive notice if anyone else makes any changes.
2 - Duplicate - There was no duplicate, so we started to work on this page.
3 - Dates and Places - Needed to standardize both dates and places.
Clicked on the date/place for birth. (Then repeated for death.)
Edit.
Adjusted the date and place so the standardized list appeared.
Chose the correct entry from the list.
Reason - "Standardized date and place." This lets the next person know that I did not add or change the information, just put it into standardized form.
4 - Went to the Family Section and looked over what was there. We noticed that he has a sister that was born the same year as the oldest brother. This is something we will need to check.
5 - Went to the Source Section to see what sources have already been added.
6 - 1880 census shows the parents with Henry and two brothers, but no sister.
7 - Birth record for Martha shows she was born in England. Since this family was all born in the US, it appears that she should not be in the family. Her parents' names are similar, but the birth place tells us that these are not correct.
8 - Unlinked Martha by going back to the Family Section.
Click the pencil next to her name.
Remove or Replace.
On the pop up page, we clicked that we had reviewed the relationship.
Reason. In this case, we made sure the statement was specific so that the next person would understand clearly what we had done and why.
We will continue working on Henry Lester next lesson.
Tuesday, October 25, 2016
October 23, 2016 - FamilySearch Person Page
Today we reviewed the different parts of the Person Page on FamilySearch.
From the pedigree view, click on the name of the person who want to work on. From the pop-up page, click on "Person" to go to the detail page. Most of the work we will do will be from this page. Today, we just looked at the various sections so we could get a good overview.
Some of what we talked about:
Some parts of the page:
1 - Vital Information - Birth and Death date and place.
2 - Other Information - Alternate names, time line of events, personal information. Click on the "Add" button to see some of the things that can be added to this section.
3 - Family Members - Shows the person as the parent (on left) and also as a child (on right).
4 - Sources - List of all sources that have been attached to person. Includes sources from FamilySearch, Ancestry, and other places. I choose to put the list in a certain order. An item can be moved by left clicking with the mouse and then moving to desired spot on the list.
5 - Discussion and Notes - Add as desired. These can help you remember things, as well as be a resource for others working on the same person.
6 - Research Help - Includes hints for sources, problems, suggestions, etc. This is a very useful section and is usually the place to start when working on an individual.
7 - Search Records - This is where we search to see what records are available. By clicking on the site name, we can search the records for this person on that site.
8 - Print - Print pedigree charts or family group sheets.
9 - Latest Changes - Allows you to see all the changes that have been made to this individual.
10 - Tools - Check for duplicates, report abuse of any kind, delete a person if there are no links to other individuals.
We will be going back and working on some of these in detail over the next couple of weeks.
The first 3 things I always do:
1 - Watch. I click the watch button if I want to know if anyone else does work on this page. I get a weekly email with all changes. I can then go in and look to see if I agree with the changes. I can also see where other researchers have found new information that I want to copy to my files.
2 - Duplicates (near bottom of right hand column on the Person page). We will do this in a future lesson.
3 - Standardize dates and places. All dates and places need to be pulled from the list in order to get maximum benefit from the search engines. We will also do this in a future lesson.
From the pedigree view, click on the name of the person who want to work on. From the pop-up page, click on "Person" to go to the detail page. Most of the work we will do will be from this page. Today, we just looked at the various sections so we could get a good overview.
Some of what we talked about:
Some parts of the page:
1 - Vital Information - Birth and Death date and place.
2 - Other Information - Alternate names, time line of events, personal information. Click on the "Add" button to see some of the things that can be added to this section.
3 - Family Members - Shows the person as the parent (on left) and also as a child (on right).
4 - Sources - List of all sources that have been attached to person. Includes sources from FamilySearch, Ancestry, and other places. I choose to put the list in a certain order. An item can be moved by left clicking with the mouse and then moving to desired spot on the list.
5 - Discussion and Notes - Add as desired. These can help you remember things, as well as be a resource for others working on the same person.
6 - Research Help - Includes hints for sources, problems, suggestions, etc. This is a very useful section and is usually the place to start when working on an individual.
7 - Search Records - This is where we search to see what records are available. By clicking on the site name, we can search the records for this person on that site.
8 - Print - Print pedigree charts or family group sheets.
9 - Latest Changes - Allows you to see all the changes that have been made to this individual.
10 - Tools - Check for duplicates, report abuse of any kind, delete a person if there are no links to other individuals.
We will be going back and working on some of these in detail over the next couple of weeks.
The first 3 things I always do:
1 - Watch. I click the watch button if I want to know if anyone else does work on this page. I get a weekly email with all changes. I can then go in and look to see if I agree with the changes. I can also see where other researchers have found new information that I want to copy to my files.
2 - Duplicates (near bottom of right hand column on the Person page). We will do this in a future lesson.
3 - Standardize dates and places. All dates and places need to be pulled from the list in order to get maximum benefit from the search engines. We will also do this in a future lesson.
Wednesday, October 19, 2016
October 16, 2016 - Lesson 4 - Learning More on Family Search
Thanks to Maynard Hammond for teaching the class while I was out of town. I think this was my last time to miss until Thanksgiving!
Here is what was covered in the lesson:
Here is what was covered in the lesson:
1 - Discussion based on a question that was asked: Keep those born in the last 110 years alive unless
you know they are deceased.
2 - How to add a spouse and child. Can be added from the tree view or from the person's record. Discussed importance of using sources.
3 - Updated a record, adding wife and children. Used John Beeston MVCX-5PD as the example.
4 - Talked briefly about searching and
multiple supporting sources. Went over some documents.
5 - Handout about a short video: "How to find your
Ancestors in Your Family Tree." Here is the link to the video: https://familysearch.org/learningcenter/lesson/how-to-find-your-ancestors-in-your-family-tree/1188
I hope this covers what was discussed. Let me know if I need to edit anything. See you Sunday!
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