google-site-verification: google82af41cbbb927c7d.html Grove Creek Family History

Mt. Timpanogos Temple, photo by Rick Satterfield, used with permission

Friday, September 12, 2014

What to Do With All of Those Family Videos?

By Saviour1981 (Own work) [CC-BY-SA-3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

Do you have old VHS videos of family that you would love to share? How about old pictures of ancestors that other family members would love to see? Have you ever thought about using YouTube to tell your story? Well, think about it now!

I spend a lot of time in the BYU Family History Library. One volunteer, Dini Hansma, has volunteered for over 40 years at the Family History Library. She is amazing AND she has a short YouTube video about a piece of her life. Watch it and see if it doesn't give you some ideas!

Creating your own YouTube channel for family history isn't really hard. Creating family videos that your family would love to watch requires a little more effort. If you would like some guidance and instruction on the basics of creating a family video, click here.

Wednesday, September 10, 2014

Star in One of Your Very Own "Who Do You Think You Are" Videos!


Do you secretly want to star in an episode of "Who Do You Think You Are?" Well, Thanks to FindMyPast.com, you can! Get all of the information here! This looks like so much fun!

RootsTech Registration

RootsTech 2014 Exhibit Hall
RootsTech 2015 registration is now open. There are early bird registration options and ALSO, discount options for family history missionaries and family history consultants. If you a registered consultant you should have received the discount code in the latest newsletter. If you are a family history missionary, check with your leader and they should have the discount code. If you still need help, please leave me a comment and I will get back to you.

Tuesday, September 9, 2014

Free Webinar US Research Series: United States Probate Records--September 11, 2014

Missouri Probate Record
Have you ever used probate records in your research? Want to but don't know how? You are invited to this free webinar on United States Probate Records from The Family History Library in Salt Lake City, Utah. It will be on September 11, 2014 from 6-7 pm Mountain Time. Take advantage of this opportunity. It is a great way to hone your skills!

Free International Webinar on Doing Danish Research -- September 11, 20, 25, 2014

Is Danish Research on your radar screen but you have no idea how and where to start? Take advantage of these free international webinars presented by The Family History Library in Salt Lake City, Utah. Click here for more information.

Friday, September 5, 2014

How to Add Some Historical Context to Your Family History?



Want to add some historical commentary to your family history? Here are a bunch of historical timelines that will help you understand the times and seasons in which your ancestors lived. These are particularly helpful if you slept during your high school history classes!




Thursday, September 4, 2014

Free International Webinars on Doing South African Research -- September 6, 2014



Are you interested in South African research? The Family History Library in Salt Lake City, Utah is presenting a webinar on September 6, 2014 that will help get you started. For more information on times, etc. click here.







Wednesday, September 3, 2014

RootsTech 2015 Anyone?


RootsTech 2015 registration is now open! This is the fifth year and boy, has it grown! I love this conference, despite the massive size! Get registered now! Early bird registration is $139 for a three-day pass. There are all sorts of different passes in different price ranges so check it out. Passes start at $19. I'm sure that you will find a registration price that will fit you particular needs and budget! There is also a Family Discovery Day for LDS Church members on Saturday, February 14th. It is free for 8 yrs. old and up.

Tuesday, August 5, 2014

Too Busy To Write Your Personal History?

Samuel Leavitt's Journal to Westpoint
Public Domain
Wouldn't you  love to know what your great-grandmother did as a teenager? What was important in her life? What did she do for fun? I have often wished that I could travel back in time and get these questions answered by talking to my great-grandmother! Wouldn't that be so cool?

Dennis Brimhall, President and CEO of FamilySearch has often said, "What would our great, great grandchildren wish we had spent our time preserving?"

Writing our personal history is something that we are ALWAYS GOING TO DO, but many times we don't get around to it. Randal Wright spoke last week at the BYU Family and Genealogy Conference about writing your personal history, three words at a time. It is a great concept! Read the full article here.

"If a man keeps no journal, the path crumbles away behind him as his feet leave it; and days gone by are little more than a blank...A man might almost as well not have lived at all as entirely forget that he has lived, and entirely forget what he did on those departed days..." (Frazier's Magazine, July-December 1859, p. 147)





Friday, July 18, 2014

DON'T FORGET WORLDWIDE INDEXING EVENT THIS WEEKEND (July 20-21, 2014)

Join the Worldwide Indexing Event

WorldwideIndexingEventBlog
On July 2, 2012, a total of 49,025 FamilySearch indexers and arbitrators joined together to set the all-time record for the most indexing participants in a single day. That lofty record is about to be broken—by you!
Join volunteers from around the world on July 20 and 21 for an international history-making event! The goal? For 50,000 indexers and arbitrators to submit at least one batch in a 24-hour period! Do more if you would like, but one batch is all that is required to be counted in the record!
This remarkable goal will require help from every current indexer and arbitrator out there, plus many new volunteers,*but it can be achieved if generous volunteers like you commit to participate. So mark your calendar and spread the word! Invite friends and family to join you. Organize an indexing party; create a fun family challenge or a society or church service project. Everyone is needed. Everyone can make a difference!
No matter where you live or what language you speak, you can participate and add to this historic worldwide achievement. You may choose to work on any project you prefer. However, we suggest that you work on the following projects in your native language:
  • US—Obituaries, 1980–2014
  • US—Passport Applications, 1795-1925
  • US, New Orleans—Passenger Lists, 1820-1902
  • UK, Manchester—Parish Registers, 1787-1999
The record-setting begins at 00:00 coordinated universal time (UTC) on July 21, which is 6:00 p.m. mountain daylight time (MDT or Utah time) on Sunday, July 20. It ends 24 hours later, at 23:59 UTC (or 5:59 p.m. MDT) on Monday, July 21. Through the selfless efforts of worldwide volunteers like you, millions of people have found their ancestors. At the end of this exciting 24-hour event, millions more records will be available and ancestors will be found!
One batch is all it takes. Don’t miss your chance on July 20 and 21 to be part of this history-making event! Plan now to get involved and add your name to the record-setting legacy!
*New indexers can visit https://familysearch.org/indexing/ to learn more about how to join the FamilySearch indexing effort.

Wednesday, July 16, 2014

Gaming for Genealogy? It Could Happen!

We family history enthusiasts are always lamenting about the fact that younger people seem to have very little interest in family history. It's boring, for old people who have nothing better to do, it's all been done, etc. Well, D. Joshua Taylor, president of the Federation of Genealogical Societies, thinks that gaming may become part of the bridge that will bring youth and others to family history. It's an interesting concept and one that I think just might work! Read the article here! So, what do you think?

Saturday, July 12, 2014

Pioneer Ancestry?


"Can we somehow find the courage and steadfastness of purpose that characterized pioneers of a former generation? Can you and I, in actual fact, be pioneers today?"

~President Thomas S. Monson

Do you have pioneer ancestry, or are you the pioneer of today? Here is a new piece of  FamilySearch that links pioneer history to the records of the Mormon Pioneer companies. The program looks at your tree and culls your pioneer ancestors, lists the company they were in, and also lists records from those particular handcart companies. Give it a look, as you may find that your ancestor was written about in the company records... or if you are really lucky, you ancestor may have written a diary themselves! One can only hope! This site is not totally finished, but it is a really great start! 

Friday, July 11, 2014

Indexing, Anyone?

Join the Worldwide Indexing Event

WorldwideIndexingEventBlog
On July 2, 2012, a total of 49,025 FamilySearch indexers and arbitrators joined together to set the all-time record for the most indexing participants in a single day. That lofty record is about to be broken—by you!
Join volunteers from around the world on July 20 and 21 for an international history-making event! The goal? For 50,000 indexers and arbitrators to submit at least one batch in a 24-hour period! Do more if you would like, but one batch is all that is required to be counted in the record!
This remarkable goal will require help from every current indexer and arbitrator out there, plus many new volunteers,*but it can be achieved if generous volunteers like you commit to participate. So mark your calendar and spread the word! Invite friends and family to join you. Organize an indexing party; create a fun family challenge or a society or church service project. Everyone is needed. Everyone can make a difference!
No matter where you live or what language you speak, you can participate and add to this historic worldwide achievement. You may choose to work on any project you prefer. However, we suggest that you work on the following projects in your native language:
  • US—Obituaries, 1980–2014
  • US—Passport Applications, 1795-1925
  • US, New Orleans—Passenger Lists, 1820-1902
  • UK, Manchester—Parish Registers, 1787-1999
The record-setting begins at 00:00 coordinated universal time (UTC) on July 21, which is 6:00 p.m. mountain daylight time (MDT or Utah time) on Sunday, July 20. It ends 24 hours later, at 23:59 UTC (or 5:59 p.m. MDT) on Monday, July 21. Through the selfless efforts of worldwide volunteers like you, millions of people have found their ancestors. At the end of this exciting 24-hour event, millions more records will be available and ancestors will be found!
One batch is all it takes. Don’t miss your chance on July 20 and 21 to be part of this history-making event! Plan now to get involved and add your name to the record-setting legacy!
*New indexers can visit https://familysearch.org/indexing/ to learn more about how to join the FamilySearch indexing effort.

Monday, June 16, 2014

Do I Still Need a Desktop Genealogy Program (whine, whine)?

Wikipedia Commons Public Domain
This question comes up over and over again in my service as a family history consultant and as an LDS Church Family History missionary. My explanations have fallen on deaf ears most of the time. As consultants and missionaries, we try to provide the very best of our knowledge to our patrons. We want to help them be successful. However, many people don't really want to be successful because it takes effort. GENEALOGY TAKES EFFORT! Effort means giving it more than five minutes in a rush to other things or tick it off of your to-do list!

The reasons for using a desktop genealogy program (in addition to the FamilySearch Family Tree) are many. Since I have never been able to give a satisfactory explanation, I am pointing you to my friend Renee Zamora. Her article here explains, in depth, much better than I ever could. Yeah, you may have to work at little, but the effort is worth it!

Wednesday, June 11, 2014

FamilySearch Records Growing by Leaps and Bounds!


FamilySearch has added 122 million images and records to their website in the last three months. This is so exciting. I love finding family history information at 3:00 am in my jammies! Click here to read the latest!

If you are interested in joining the armies of indexers accomplishing this work, please click here for more information. I tell you, try it...you'll like it!

Monday, June 2, 2014

Do You Have Eastern European Ancestors?

If so, this conference is for you. I attended last year and what I learned has propelled me forward this year in my research. Each area of the world has it's quirks and Eastern Europe is no exception. The #1 thing that I learned is that you have to know your HISTORY or you get nowhere in finding your ancestors. If you want to jump start your Eastern European research but don't know where to start...START HERE! Register for this conference and come pick the brains of the experts!

Wednesday, May 21, 2014

Natural Disasters Happen!

Photo: Jemma Johnston-Creative Commons License
I found this great article in the Deseret News while I was catching up on all of the mail that piled up during my trip. I have worried about the safety of my family history, but this article reminded me of what could really happen! After all, I live on a fault line and I know that the "big one" is in the future! Might be a good time to renew YOUR FAMILY plans!

Thursday, March 20, 2014

Family Tree Rhapsody

A little light-hearted take on family history. I love to admire someone else's creativity, because I don't have a creative bone in my body. Anyway, I do love family history and apparently, this family does too!
 

Wednesday, March 19, 2014

RootsTech 2014 Videos Online

If you weren't able to attend RootsTech 2014, here are main presentations that you can enjoy in the comfort of your own home!

Innovator Summit Keynote Speaker (Business and Developer track)
Thursday Speakers
Friday Speakers
Saturday Speakers

Monday, March 3, 2014

Grove Creek/Timpanogos Stakes Family History Fair

Here is the schedule for the Grove Creek/Timpanogos Stakes Family History Fair to be held on March 22, 2014 in the Pleasant Grove Grove Creek Stake Center. We welcome all who would like to attend. We have a great schedule, will be providing a light lunch to class attendees and have a YOUTH TRACK scheduled as well. If you are local, please pass the word along!

Please pre-register here






Copyright 2013 by Rayanne Brunski Melick,
All Rights Reserved.