Family Search
By
Karen Coombs
Signing On
You need to be a registered
user to see IGI dates, provide feedback, submit your family records to the
Pedigree Resource File, preserve your records in the Granite Mountain Records
Vault, and e‑mail others through family history mailing lists. In order
to register you must have your confirmation date, your membership number and an
e-mail address. Then follow the steps outlined after clicking on Register Here.
Family Search is divided into
four sections–Home, Search, Share and Library. Each section is important to
your gather and research process.
Home
In this section you will
find:
FamilySearch Questions—Look here first if you have a question about how the
site works or general questions about using the site.
Product Support—This section will answer your questions about the PAF program, how to submit to Ancestral File or Pedigree Resource File, and how to use all the other products such as Vital Records Index, Census, and other products.
Order/Download—Here is where you download your free copy of PAF.
This section is divided into five sections:
Search for Ancestors–Enter the first and last name of the ancestor you are looking
for. It will search all resources or any one resource depending on what you
select.
Research Guidance–This section asks you to select a place where the
person you are trying to trace lived, then guides you step by step through the
process of finding possible records you can use to locate information about
your ancestor.
Research Helps–Here is where you find all the publication the Family
History Library has printed for you help. This included Research Outlines,
Forms, Word Lists, and Research Guides. You can read the publication on the
computer, order a copy or in some cases print it.
Web Sites–You can search a list of other web sites that
FamilySearch volunteers have categorized. You can search by subject or place.
This list is not being updated because of the amount of sites on the Internet.
Family History Catalog–This is a link to get into the catalog.
Share
Collaborate with others–These are message board. You post your message and
everyone who has subscribed will receive your message and can reply. There are
four main types–ancestor, surname, place or topic.
Share my Genealogy--allows you to permanently preserve your family
history in the Pedigree Resource File and share it with others around the
world. A copy of the genealogy files (GEDCOM) you submit will be preserved in
the Granite Mountain Records Vault, located near Salt Lake City. Your genealogy
may also be made available to others on compact disc or on the Internet. Please
remember to submit only quality information with adequate notes and sources.
Family History Library
Catalog
This is a list of the
holdings of the Family History Library. The entries give you a description of
the films, fiche, or books and tell you where they are located and if you can
order a copy into your local center.
You can search by title,
author, place name, subject, keyword, call number and film or fiche number.
Place search gives you a listing of all records held by the Family
History Library for a given location.
Surname search helps you find
family histories or biographies available at the library.
Title search helps you locate an item using the title only.
Keyword search helps you find an item when you don’t have the full
title or author’s name.
Call number, film or fiche
search helps you gain information
about a book or film that was recommended to you by one of the research guides
or to verify your documentation.
Author search helps you locate all items written by a particular
person.
Subject search will be helpful when looking for a specific type of
record, such as–Quakers, Mennonites or Methodists.