New Features in the New FamilySearch Website!

New Features as of December 2010

The December 2010 release has many improvements. Among these are the ability to watch individuals,
receive e-mail notifications when changes occur, and some temple-related changes.

Receive E-mail Notifications for Changes

You can now “watch” individuals in your family tree and receive an e-mail notification when information
about them changes.
For now, the notification identifies the following types of changes:
• Someone changes the individual’s summary.
• Someone starts a new discussion or adds a comment to an existing discussion.
• Someone combines an individual that you are watching with another record.
• Someone separates a record from an individual that you are watching.
The notification e-mail will eventually list more types of changes.

Select the Individuals in a Family Whose Ordinances You Want to Do

When you reserve the ordinances for a family, you can now deselect any family member whose ordinances
you do not want to do.

Reserve Ordinances for Someone Born in the Last 95 Years

If you try to reserve ordinances for someone who was born in the last 95 years, the system now asks whether
you are the closest living relative or have permission from the closest living relative to do the ordinances.
Note: The closest living relatives are, in this order:
• An undivorced spouse. (The spouse to whom the individual was married when he or she died.)
• An adult child.
• A parent.
• A brother or sister.
If you need to obtain permission to do ordinances, verbal approval is acceptable. Family members should
work together to determine when the ordinances will be done and who will do them.
Please honor the wishes of the closest living relative. Doing ordinances against those wishes can cause hard
feelings within families and towards the Church.

More Education!

I am always looking for new educational lessons on family history.  I have discovered another gem, thanks to the PAF Users Group.  Don Snow has taught many classes and has some really great lessons that have been posted online.  There are available at http://uvpafug.org/classes/dons/dons-classes.html.  The nice thing about having lessons online is that you can avail yourself to them at any time (3 a.m. in your jammies!) No excuses!  Thanks Brother Snow!

RootsTech: A New Technology Conference!

Are you a techie who also loves family history?  If so, there is a new conference just for you!  The first annual RootsTech Conference on Technology and Genealogy will be held February 10-12, 2011 in Salt Lake City, Utah.

RootsTech combines several conferences in one.  The BYU Conference on Computerized Family History, the BYU Family History Technology Workshop, and the FamilySearch Developers Conference.  RootsTech is sponsored by Microsoft, Dell, BYU, the New England Historic Genealogical Society, brightsolid, Ancestry.com, the Federation of Genealogical Societies, and the National Genealogical Society.

This is going to be a wonderful and eye-opening conference!  Early registration is $99 through January 7, 2011 then beginning January 8, 2011 the price jumps to $150!  Register at RootsTech.org.

Photoloom Program Training

One of the fun things about serving a service mission at the BYU FHL is that each missionary gets to create very short training videos. These videos are used each week to introduce other programs, research techniques, and all things genealogy related to each of the 150 service missionaries that serve at BYU. I was able to put together a very quick training on Photoloom, one of the new FamilySearch affiliates. It is ten minutes long and can't go into too much detail, but it serves as a great place to start. I hope that you will find it helpful. :)

Lindsay Powell Genealogy Class! This is a Don't Miss Class!!!

Is one of your goals for 2011 to get better at family history?  If you want to take a fabulous class that combines genealogy with the spiritual side of things, this is the class to take! Sign up quickly though, because the class fills up fast! This post is straight off of the BYU FHL blog.

$22.50 Check to "CES Adult Religion". 1st Class-take checks. 2011 WEDNESDAY classes only:

• JANUARY 5 - APRIL 2011 WEDNESDAYS-Noon-2:00 p.m. & 2:00-4:00 p.m. Classes
  Instructions to Sign Up http://www.byufh.blogspot.com/

1. Click on Comments -- bottom of this page
2. In "Leave Your Comment" box, type in your: NAME, WARD & STAKE, E-MAIL, PHONE # plus DAY & TIME you want to attend classes (Wed. 12-2 or 2-4 p.m.)
3. Under that Click Anonymous, then Click: "PUBLISH YOUR COMMENT" 3 or 4 times-or until the comment box is empty. Your info will appear at the bottom of the list.
4. Once you've received confirmation of your saved information, click the upper left backspace arrow twice to return to Home Page. (For assistance contact Cheryl Norman-- 801-756-3112 gcnorman@msn.com)

WHAT TO BRING TO CLASS:

1. $4.00 check to "Lindsay Powell" for manual
2. Scriptures
3. Notebook and pencil
4. Flashdrive (Thumbdrive) OPTIONAL

New Version of the Family History Catalog?

Did you know that FamilySearch recently announced a new version of the Family History Catalog? Go here https://beta.familysearch.org/#form=catalog to see what it looks like! FamilySearch is bringing more and more to the table, making genealogy easier than ever. The old version (http://www.familysearch.org/eng/Library/FHLC/frameset_fhlc.asp) is still online because the FamilySearch website is still in the beta version. Do you want to know the differences between the two? I figured that you would, so I am sending you to the best resource I know to talk about the differences! Go to ancestryinsider.blogspot.com for the dates November 15th and 16th and you can find out for yourself!

Did You Miss A Celebration of Family History?

A Celebration of Family History is now available for purchase at the LDS Distribution Center. It is also available to view from BYU TV. It is the program that was featured in April 2010 in conjunction with the National Genealogical Conference held in Salt Lake City, Utah. This program features family history stories, talks, and incredible music by the Mormon Tabernacle Choir.You won't be sorry! By the way, it makes a great gift for the family history guru in your family!

New Features Added this week to the FamilySearch Beta Site

This week there were some new features and enhancements added to the FamilySearch Beta Site. Enhancements are included for the Library Catalog and the Historical Record Search. A new feature is the Give Back Section. For more information about these updates, go here! https://blog.beta.familysearch.org/node/995
By the way, the FamilySearch blog is a great place to visit to stay updated on the inner workings of FamilySearch! The FamilySearch blog is listed under Our Blog List on the right side of the page or just click https://blog.beta.familysearch.org/!

BYU FHC Classes on November 14, 2010

Family History Trip

I am on an awesome family history research trip in the east with limited Internet connections until November 9th! Catch you then!

Photoloom Training

We are doing an hour-long training on the FamilySearch certified program Photoloom. Please come and learn how this program can add visual excitement to your family history!  See you at the Grove Creek FHC at 9:00 am tomorrow OR 8:00 pm Sunday evening!

Need Specific Country Help?

At the Riverton FamilySearch library, there are some consultants that specialize in certain countries.  Don't forget to seek out their help!  If you need help with another country, call the library and check with them as they are adding experts all the time!

• Scandinavian expert Linda Baker is available at the Library on Thursdays from 9:00 a.m. - 11:30 a.m.
• Danish experts Orla and Karen Pedersen are available at the Library on Wednesdays from 2:00 - 9:00 p.m. and Thursdays from 9:00 a.m. - 3:30 p.m.
• German expert Ray Joos is available at the library on Tuesdays and Wednesdays from 5:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m.
• Danish, Norwegian and Russian expert Larry Parkinson is available Tuesdays from 5:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m
• Don't forget that we have our very own German experts in our library on Tuesday mornings from 9:00 am until 12:00 pm.  Kurt and Sheela Matthia can help you out!

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Major Updates!

Four Major Updates to Family Search Beta

The following announcement  was written by FamilySearch:

At the end of last week we released another substantial update to the FamilySearch Beta website. In addition to the four major updates outlined below, we’ve made a large number of improvements under the hood that aren’t really visible to users of the site but make a big difference in the overall performance and function of the site. Here’s the quick list of updates.

• Redesigned Home Page
• Brand New – Getting Started Section
• Redesigned Learning Resources including online Research Courses
• Just Released - FamilySearch Center Section

Redesigned Home Page. We redesigned the home page to highlight more of the site features like the Getting Started Section, Learning Resources and FamilySearch Centers. We also added a basic browse by location feature under the search form. We plan to make the browse by location tool much more interactive over time and would love to get your suggestions of how to improve it. Click the Feedback link on the site to leave us a suggestion. 

Brand New – Getting Started Section. We have big plans for the Getting Started section of the site. What we released last week is just the beginning. Right now you can look at profiles of some famous ancestors that have been researched by our experts in the Family History Library. You can also choose from a number of designer pedigree charts and fill out your own family tree. Another valuable addition to the Getting Started section isn’t quite ready yet, but you can still see a placeholder for it on the page. A new four-part video series in the Getting Started section will teach people how to begin researching their family history.

Redesigned Learning Resources Section. The learning resources section has been redesigned to try and make it easier to access the tremendous content created by FamilySearch and a community of volunteers. You can quickly search over 40,000 articles containing a wealth of knowledge about how to do research or where to find records all around the world. You can also add your own knowledge by updating an article or creating a new article. We’ve also added over 100 online courses dealing with a range of topics from Beginning English Research to Reading Russian Records. Watch these courses online to learn to research or improve your genealogy skills.

Just Released – FamilySearch Center Section. The newly released FamilySearch Centers section replaces and expands upon the former Family History Library section of the site. You can learn about services available for free in over 4,000 FamilySearch Centers around the world. Looking for the closest FamilySearch Center? Just put your postal code into the FamilySearch Center and we’ll mark it on a map for you. 

We hope you enjoy these new features and continue to provide us with your feedback on what we can do to make the FamilySearch Beta a more valuable tool. Remember, just click the Feedback link on the site to tell us what’s on your mind. 

Church History Library vs. Family History Library

Do you know the difference?  Do you know that BOTH are important to your family history?  The Church History Library focuses on the history of the church as a whole, whereas the Family History Library focuses on multigenerational families and individuals.  The reason that you would want to use the Church History Library is that you can learn about the history of the time period of your ancestors. This additional information puts "meat" on the bones of your family history dates. Did you know that the Church History Library has the most complete listing of Mormon pioneer emigrants and companies who traveled to Utah from 1847-1868?  See for yourself at www.mormontrail.lds.org.  You will be surprised at what you can find!  Of course, the Church History Library has much more than this one database!  Check it out!  Below is an example of what I found for my ancestor, Amelia Evans.

Mormon Pioneer Overland Travel, 1847–1868 Evans, Amelia Birth Date: 8 Apr. 1838 Death Date: 8 Oct. 1886 Gender: Female Age: 18 Company: James G. Willie Company (1856) Sources: "Immigration to Utah," Deseret News [Weekly], 15 Oct. 1856, 254.   Read Trail Excerpt     Source Locations Journal History, 9 Nov. 1856, p. 19     Source Locations Patriarchal Blessing Index     Source Locations Rogerson, Josiah, "Captain J. G. Willie's Or, the Fourth Handcart Company of 1856 [No. 1]," Salt Lake Herald, 15 Dec. 1907.   Read Trail Excerpt     Source Locations Smith, Don, e-mail communication, 29 Apr. 2003.     Source Locations

"Celebration of Family History" Videos

The nine videos celebrating Family History that were shown at the National Genealogical Society's annual conference held in April (this year in Salt Lake City!) are now available online. They are unlisted in YouTube's index so you have to know this link to find them. Please share this link with family and friends. They are very moving and inspiring! The link is http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MfXVvWb0qOQ.  The Clan McCloud is my personal favorite!

Are You a Mac User?

MacFamilyTree, version 6, has now been certified to work with new FamilySearch. If you haven't heard of this program, check it out at http://www.syniumsoftware.com/macfamilytree6/topfeatures.html. For those of us who prefer Macs, this is a step out of the schizophrenic world that we live in going between the two major platforms in the computing world! Yeah!

Riverton FamilySearch Library

If this library doesn't doesn't look familiar to you, listen up! This is the new library that was created when the FHC in the south Salt Lake area were consolidated. If you missed my post about it, go back a couple of months for a viral tour of this library. This library also holds classes of all sorts! Go to this list and you will find the perfect class for your needs!
https://wiki.familysearch.org/en/Riverton_FamilySearch_Library

Afraid of Making Mistakes?

Are you afraid of making mistakes in new FamilySearch because you don't feel that you know what you are doing? Then training.familysearch.org is for you.  There are practice exercises that you can work through so that the basics of the new FamilySearch program are reinforced in your brain! The nice thing is that you aren't working in the actual database so you CAN'T mess anything up!

BYU Family History Classes on October 10, 2010

BYU has fabulous classes that they offer on the second and fourth Sundays of the month. Here is the latest schedule! We have so much right in our own backyard! Let's use it!

Did You Know?

Did you know that there are 81 lessons available online at familysearch.org? Who says you have to go places and spend money to strengthen your genealogy skills? These classes are FREE and there for the taking! Grab hold and take off!