Journals...Not Boring Anymore!

Let's face it. Either you are a journal keeper or you aren't. In my family, I am the journal keeper and my husband isn't really. As for the kids, they're split on the topic! However, whenever anyone wants to know something, they are grateful that I have made a note of it. For instance, today my youngest granddaughter rolled over and back for the first time. Somewhere down the line, someone will ask me about it. Another instance...my daughter has a little one close to potty training. My daughter asked me when she was potty trained. I told her to go look in the journal that I kept for her! My obsessiveness may seem bizarre, but I feel strongly that I need to record these things.

As many of you may have figured out, I am a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (Mormon). We are big journal keepers. Last month in the magazine that is produced for the youth (ages 12-18) there was a great article on journal keeping. What I loved is that it wasn't your everyday journal article! It had ideas on how to keep a journal that fits with what you love and your lifestyle. Here is the link!

Another idea for journaling... an online journal! I use ldsjournal.com (I have no connection and receive no compensation from ldsjournal.com). The account is free and anyone can use it. I find that I write more when I can type it because I type so much faster. I have journals for my three granddaughters and myself at ldsjournal.com. They give you the ability to print out your entries at any time and also the ability to create a book of your entries. How I would have loved to read a journal of any of my ancestors!

Fun Family History Christmas Presents

The older I get, the more I value Christmas presents that have a meaning. I have outgrown the '70's "gotta have" bell bottoms teenager stuff, the '80's newlywed casserole dish infestation, the '90's Pogs and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles craze for my kids, and the 2000's stuff, stuff, and more stuff! I am hearkening back to what really means the most to me... Family! Everything else can come and go, but families are there through thick and thin forever!

This is little Miss Oaklie. We decided to do a book of pictures of her throughout the year that we had taken. It captures her year very well and you can really see the personality shine through. She is a little pistol that can shoot you a look that just melts your heart! Typical grandmother feeling, I know!

Next person up was Raylie Kay. Isn't she adorable? We pulled from our storage bank of pictures of Raylie through the year. At this point, we were on a roll and decided to keep going!

After the granddaughters, we decided to try out a book about our daughter's wedding! After all, she was the reason we had granddaughters! I suppose we should have started here, but were coming from a different place at the time. Once we got going, we realized that we could make books of anything! It was fun to do this wedding book because we used pictures that we took with our own camera, not the official photographer's pictures.

CAM's wedding came next! By then, we were semi-pros at this book creation thing! Again, my husband was the mastermind behind the project!

Finally, last year was our 30th wedding anniversary and we took ourselves to Europe for thirty days. We came home with about 1400 pictures, but we were able to narrow them down enough to create a memento of the fun we had!

These books were created with Shutterfly, an online photo company. It is one of many companies out there that are into desktop publishing. Google desktop publishing and you'll be amazed at what you can do!

Hopefully, seeing these will give you some ideas. It may be a little late for this year, but a great time to get started for next year! The sky's the limit!

Collaboration in Family History

There is a lot of talk these days about collaborating in family history! That means that we actually could get a lot done if we would just talk to Aunt Mabel or Cousin Fred. We didn't grow up in a vacuum and neither did our ancestors. Our relatives have information that we might not have. We may also have information that our relatives don't have! So, how could collaboration work? Watch this cool video to see an example of real time collaboration. This can be done NOW! The future is here! There is also a wiki document here to get you started! Happy collaborating!

The Pinterest Phenomenon

Have you been sucked into the Pinterest phenomenon yet? What is Pinterest? It is a virtual pinboard and it is quite the social networking site at the moment. I have looked at it and I'll admit it is fun to see ideas that my mind can't even begin to put together. To say that I am creatively challenged is a huge understatement! However, I do enjoy seeing other people's ideas. On that note, I wondered if there was anything out there having to do with family history and genealogy. Well, that was a dumb question! I searched on both family history and genealogy and came up with tons of stuff! There were ideas for your own family history, pictures of celebs in high school (do we really care?), and lots of pointers to work on your own family! I was pleasantly surprised. Check it out yourself at Pinterest.com. In the top left hand corner, there is a search bar. Type in family history or genealogy and see what you get! Actually, I have typed in all sorts of family history and genealogy keywords and I am amazed! I think I will create a family history board! My kids might even be tempted to peak! They are both very visual and this might just be the ticket for them! Maybe one day they will see this and say "I know that girl!" That's my mom!

Rayanne circa. 1971!

Another favorite of mine is James Tanner's posts on FamilySearch.org/techtips. I enjoy his insightful remarks. He has even tackled the Pinterest world! Read his post about Pinterest here.

Doing the Family History Happy Dance!

Charlie Brown (of the comic strip "Peanuts") used to say that "Happiness is a warm puppy!" I beg to disagree! Happiness is finding out that a new source THAT YOU NEED has been digitized and is available at FamilySearch.org. A couple of weeks ago, I was looking for something altogether different when I saw a listing for Pennsylvania, County Marriages 1885-1950. That would fit my grandparents, a bunch of aunts, uncles and probably a partridge in a pear tree! I was excited!

I bravely typed in my grandfather's name, Peter William Brunski, and this is what I was rewarded with:

This is the scanned original of my grandparents marriage license docket, complete with parent's names and places of birth! For the parent's place of birth, it also gave me a clue as to where they were born. Because Lithuania has been independent for very short periods of it's history, the documents that I find either say Russia or Poland as a birthplace. This was helpful to me to see that they considered themselves born in Russia. Although my great grandfather was dead at this time, my great grandmother was still alive and could have provided this information (I'm assuming). Not perfect, but pretty close!

Another example:

This application for Marriage License is for my Uncle Pete and Aunt Theresa! I got lucky in that it is even typed! I didn't have Aunt Theresa's parents names or their birthplaces. I also didn't know where exactly they were married. This document provides lots of info for me! Happy, happy!

By the time I got done searching in this database, I had 22 marriage-related documents for my extended family. I have never hit big like this! What a wonderful day! Thanks FamilySearch.org and your great team of volunteers!

Where to Start When You Are Clueless?

Tasmania

Have you ever found yourself at a complete loss on how and where to start a search? Do you know how to find information on a person who died in a penal colony in Tasmania? Sounds bizarre, but that was what I faced with the very first patron I helped in the BYU Family History Library! So...what to do? Well, head over to the FamilySearch Wiki, of course! It is a great place to start and the pages are very informative! If you don't believe me, check it out yourself! By the way, two hours after my first patron walked in with his question, he walked out with info to further his search and get the information that he desired.

The BYU Family History website has many resources to choose from... whether you live across the street or on the other side of the world.

UVTAGG Group November Meeting

Press Release

UTAH VALLEY TECHNOLOGY AND GENEALOGY GROUP MEETING (UVTAGG)

The next regular, second-Saturday-of-the-month meeting of the Utah Valley Technology and Genealogy Group - UVTAGG (Formerly the Utah Valley PAF Users Group - UVPAFUG) will be on Saturday, 10 Nov 2012, from 9 am to noon in the LDS "Red Chapel", 4050 North Timpview Drive (650 East), Provo.  Information about the Group, main presentations, classes, and class notes are available on their website http://uvtagg.org and the press releases are at http://blog.uvtagg.org .

The main presentation this month will be by Jill Crandell on RESOURCES OF THE CENTER FOR FAMILY HISTORY AND GENEALOGY AT BYU.  This Center is NOT the Family History Center in the BYU Library.  It is located in the Joseph F. Smith Building on the BYU Campus and has the website  https://familyhistory.byu.edu/Pages/Home.aspx  .  It has many projects ranging from the Immigrant Ancestors Project to the Script Tutorials and from the British Marriage Index to research on the community of Nauvoo.  These resources and projects of the Center are done by faculty and students and are available online to the public at no cost.  This presentation will show you some of the resources and how they can help you with your personal research.  Jill N. Crandell, MA, AG®, is Director of the Center For Family History and Genealogy and is accredited in Midwest U.S. research.  She has taught research and technology classes at BYU for nine years and was a founding commissioner for ICAPGen, the International Commission for the Accreditation of Professional Genealogists.  She currently serves as treasurer of that organization.

After the main presentation the following classes are presently scheduled: 

(1)  ResearchTies: An Online Research Log, by Jill N. Crandell;  

(2)  FamilySearch Family Tree Update, by Merlin Kitchen; 

(3)  Creating Your Own Website with TNG (The Next Generation), by Darrin Lythgoe; 

(4)  Personalized Help, by Don Engstrom and Finn Hansen; 

(5)  Video of last month's main presentation: 50 Google Searches Every Genealogist Needs to Know, by Barry Ewell;  

(6)  MAC's and Genealogy: Effectively Using Reunion Flags and more, by Ron Snowden; 

(7)  Ancestral Quest, by Gaylon Findlay;  

(8)  Legacy, by Dean Bennett; and 

(9)  RootsMagic, by Bruce Buzbee.

All meetings of UVTAGG are open to the public whether members of the Group or not. The Group has the goal of helping individuals use technology to further their family history and there are usually about 100 attending the monthly meetings on the second Saturdays. The officers are Gerhard Ruf, President; Laurie Castillo, 1st VP; Don Snow, 2nd VP; Liz Kennington, Newsletter Editor; Renee Zamora, Secretary; Kay Baker, Gerry Eliason, Don Engstrom, and Rayanne Melick working with finances and membership; and Bruce Merrill and Marie Andersen working with the DVD Library. Several of these will be there to answer questions, help with membership, distribute the current issue of the monthly newsletter TAGGology, and check out DVDs of past presentations and classes to members of the group. 

Many members don't live close enough to participate in the monthly meetings, but belong so they can receive the monthly newsletter and purchase DVD's of the presentations and classes.  And many members give gift memberships to friends for presents.  Information about the Group, presentations, classes, and class notes can be found at the websites mentioned above. 

Roots Tech Already?

The Ancestry.com team speaks at RootsTech 2012

 Yep, it's time to register for the 3rd Annual RootsTech Conference! Now, you may be thinking, "I don't live anywhere near Salt Lake City so I won't be able to participate." Well, you may not be able to physically participate, but bookmark RootsTech.org because they live streamed the keynote speakers and a few other classes last year. Trust me, you won't want to miss it! Go here to learn all about the next RootsTech Conference!

March 21-23, 2013   
Salt Lake City

Family History and Technology Conference

Go here if you want to watch the RootsTech 2012 videos!

Which Family History Software is Best?

How do I keep them all connected and straight in my mind?
 Photo is possession of Rayanne B. Melick

The question is "Which family history software is best for you?" I always tell people that the best family history software for them is the one that is easiest for THEM to use and understand. Never mind what your brother, uncle, sister, mom, cousin, etc. think! You need to spend a little time working it out for yourself! If you want a comparison chart, click this link.

October is Family History Month!

Our precious family bible from the 1830's

Did you know that October is Family History Month? Well, it is! So what are you going to do about that? Click on this link for some great ideas on how to celebrate Family History Month. These ideas come from About.com Genealogy!

If you don't want to do that, come up with some of your own great ideas! Here are some of mine:

1. Create a collage of school pictures for your kids. It reminds them that they were small once!

2. Write a story about your life? Any of your kids starting to date and drive? Write about your   experiences and share it with them.

3. Take a picture of your house. Add memories from this particular house.

4. Pull out a picture of a relative and write what you know about them. Share with those you love.

5. Organize that box of stuff from high school!

6. Call someone special and tell them that you love them.

7. Write about a special honor you received. I will write about the time that I won the "Best Soup" award at a church activity!

My "1st Place Soup" Award

8. Trace your children's hands and feet.

9. Sit down in a family group, pass out sheets of paper with the current month and year at the top, grab a stopwatch and tell everyone that they have one minute to write down everything that they can remember about this month. You could also do this for a year at a time. Share with each other the funnies of the month! DO NOT TELL YOUR GROUP THAT THEY ARE DOING FAMILY HISTORY! The word tends to scare people!

10. Write a letter to someone from your past. Express your appreciation to them for what they contributed in your life.

These are just a few ideas. I'm sure that you can come up with a hundred more on your own!

Family Tree on FamilySearch

In the very near future Family Tree on Family Search will roll out! Are you ready? Here are some reasons that we should be excited!

Did You Know?

The 1940 U.S. Census was indexed in record time! Read this article to learn more about the reasons it went so fast!

Just a Little Slice in Time!

Time flies! Here's a Christmas present that we created for grandparents when the kids were 5 and 7 yrs. old.  We had just moved and the kids were excited to share the mountains with their grandparents! The grandparents talked about these pillowcases for years afterwards. Maybe this will give you an idea for a Christmas present this year!

Never Forget!

God Bless the USA

Who Are You and Who Am I?

Another video from FamilySearch. Their videos make so much sense and get me excited about finding out who I really am! So...what's your story?

What is FamilySearch?

FamilySearch does not own Ancestry.com and Ancestry.com does not own FamilySearch! So, what is FamilySearch? Here is a brief video that explains what FamilySearch is. Hope this helps the confusion that still abounds!

Granite Vault, Pt. 2

More info on how the records get from the granite vault to you!

An Idea to Involve Kids in Family History

How do you involve little kids in family history? Age old question, I know. Here is one thing that we did that was so fun! We wrote and illustrated a Book of Melick Stories. As you can see in the pictures, the illustrations are done by young kids (ages 5 and 7) at the time. We had a blast!

1. We thought of funny/cute/silly/ stories.
2. The kids did their best drawings to illustrate the stories.
3. We printed them and sent them to family members.

Easy as that! We didn't do it in one fell swoop! I think that we took about a month to put it together. Remember the attention spans of your kids. It won't be fun if you hurry the process. Best of all, our family members got to know our family a little better because we didn't live by any of them. Try something like this! My kids (now ages 23 and 26) still gush about how fun this activity was! Don't forget to make an archival copy for your family and kids!

Since we are LDS, we patterned after the Book of Mormon. You could do anything that fits your family!

This was our family reasoning!

The following pages are some examples! They are bits and pieces pulled randomly. It will get your started and you can expand from there!

In Case You Were Wondering...

A great introduction to FamilySearch and the granite vault. Enjoy!

Utah County Readers

Here are the Family History classes at BYU for this coming Sunday, August 26, 2012. If you have the opportunity to attend any of them, they will be well worth your time!

Something New to Index!

Immigrants at Ellis Island

Since the 1940 U.S. Census is now indexed and the hoopla has died down a little, it's time to focus on a new goal. Enter the next big thing...Naturalization and Immigration Records. Since the United States is a melting pot from many nations, most of us probably have immigrant ancestors! I'm excited to work on this project. Maybe I will find those elusive Lithuanians that I have been looking for! Maybe I won't, but at least I know that I will be helping someone else find their family. If you want to get involved or at least learn more about the project, click here. Maybe you will end up indexing the very people that you are trying to find! Happy Indexing!

Slovakian Records Added to FamilySearch

The Slovakian online record collection at FamilySearch is now over 5 million! If you have ancestors from that area or other former eastern bloc countries (like I do!) don't just think that you can't do family history. Many, many records are coming from those areas. So, no more excuses! Since records are being indexed so fast for so many different areas, be sure and check each week to see what has been added. You may be surprised at what you find! By the way, if you would like to help index these great records, go here for more information.

The 1940 Census Indexing is Complete!

Look...it's my dad!

This is so cool to see my dad in the context of a son with his parents! What a treasure the 1940 Census is! If you haven't yet found your ancestors on the 1940 Census, give it a shot at FamilySearch.org or Ancestry.com. The 1940 Census opened up a whole new world for lots of us. It's like we can touch our ancestors! For more information on the 1940 Census, check out this article published in the Daily Herald a few days ago.

Indexing Update on the 1940 Census

Did you know that the 1940 U.S. Census on FamilySearch.org is 92.47% indexed? Below is the list of the states that are not 100% done yet.

Maryland 83%                    South Carolina 58%
Massachusetts 63%            North Carolina 78%
Wisconsin 95%                   Georgia 85%
Michigan 61%                    New Jersey 41%
Tennessee 74%                  Connecticut 92?
Ohio 90%


If you would like to help with the indexing (there are many, many records to index besides the 1940 Census), click here for more information!

Dennis Brimhall (Managing Director of Family History Department) Speaking in Orem, Utah

Dennis Brimhall (Managing Director, Family History Department) will be speaking Tuesday, July 10th (tomorrow) at 7:00 pm at the Family History Training Center in Orem, Utah. The topic is "The Doctrines of Family History Work." If you are interested, the address is 1075 South Geneva Road, Orem. This building is a double stake center. The meeting will be in the east chapel. Enter through the northeast corner of the building. All are invited for this fabulous evening of instruction!
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BYU's Annual Family History and Genealogy Conference

It's that time again! Plan on attending the Family History and Genealogy Conference at BYU, July 31-Aug 3, 2012. For more information, click here!

What's Happening with the IGI?

The July 5, 2012 entry on The Ancestry Insider blog offers up insight into the International Genealogical Index records that are so important to genealogists. There has been quite a bit of hoopla concerning how FamilySearch.org has indexed these records in their new system. If you want the straight up talk about it, listen to this webinar. If you want the shorthand version from The Ancestry Insider, click on the link. Either way, it should help clear up IGI confusion (at least for now)!

Adult Family History Challenges

The web is an interesting place! With a little sleuthing about a topic, it is amazing what you can find. I am grateful for those creative souls that can add beauty to a concept! Case in point...I have been posting ideas for all family members to use to get involved in family history. FamilySearch has all of these ideas (that I have been posting) in their Wiki, but it is just a list! I am so grateful that someone used their creative talents to create this. Thanks to the family history consultants who took an idea and ran with it. I hope that in the future I can become more creative. I'm kind of a left brain, accountant type! The world needs all types!

Are Your Teens Already Bored With Summer?

With the advent of technology, family history has branched in many different directions! Since our kids were born digital, give them the opportunity to help you out! This link will give you ideas for your teens to work on family history this summer. Who knows? They may even become family history addicts! Wouldn't that be awesome?

P.S. If the above list wasn't enough, try here. Scroll down to the LDS Young Men and LDS Young Women Activities! Also, google family history activities and you will be well rewarded!

Are You An Arbitrator for the 1940 Census?

Arbitration is very important in getting the quality of the indexing right on the 1940 Census. Please don't take offense, but these "10 Commandments" from FamilySearch will help you be the best arbitrator that you can! Thanks for all of your hard work! It benefits us all!

Is This Really the Reason We Don't Have Family Reunions?

Family reunions... Catch the not-so-subtle body language when you mention them! Click here to see one of the reasons that we don't organize or attend family reunions. If this is the case with your family, what can you do to change it? Just food for thought!

New Offerings from FamilySearch

Millions of Historic Records Added for Belgium, China, Philippines, and the U.S.

More Completed State Indexes Now Searchable Online for the 1940 US Census
FamilySearch published new, free records online for Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Chile, China, Czech Republic, England, Georgia, Indonesia, Italy, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Russia, Scotland, Spain, Sweden, and the United States. The 1940 US Census Community Project continues to progress quickly. Online volunteers have now indexed 80 million names out of the historic 1940 census. Follow the progress online or search the 20 completed states at FamilySearch.org/1940census.  BillionGraves also contributed about a million indexed records. Search these diverse collections and 2.8 billion other records for free at FamilySearch.org.
Searchable historic records on FamilySearch.org are made available by thousands of online volunteers from around the world who transcribe (index) information from digital copies of handwritten records to make them easily searchable online. More online volunteers are needed (particularly those who can read foreign languages) to keep pace with the amount of digital images being published online at FamilySearch.org. Learn more about how to personally help provide free access to the world’s historic genealogical records online as a volunteer indexer at FamilySearch.org.

Collection	Indexed Records	Digital Images	Comments
Austria, Seigniorial Records, 1537-1888	0	349,963	Added browsable images to existing collection.
Austria, Vienna, Jewish Registers of Births, Marriages, and Deaths, 1784-1911	0	206,316	New browsable image collection.
Belgium, Antwerp, Police Immigration, 1840-1930	0	1,339,442	New browsable image collection.
BillionGraves Index	980,915	980,915	Affiliate provided new indexed records and browsable images. Â
Canada, Lower Canada Census, 1825	74,323	1,202	Added indexed records and browsable images to existing collection.
Canada, New Brunswick Provincial Returns of Marriages and Late Registrations, 1920-1950	0	119,291	New browsable image collection.
Canada, New Brunswick Provincial Returns of Marriages, 1887-1919	0	141,775	New browsable image collection.
Canada, Nova Scotia, Halifax County, Deed Indexes, 1749-1958	0	23,008	New browsable image collection.
Canada, Saskatchewan Provincial Records, 1879-1987	0	75,276	Added browsable images to existing collection.
Chile, Santiago, Cementerio General, 1821-2011	0	84,542	Added browsable images to existing collection.
China, Collection of Genealogies, 1500-1900	0	1,588,606	Added browsable images to existing collection.
Czech Republic, Censuses, 1843-1921	0	52,767	Added browsable images to existing collection.
Czech Republic, Land Records, 1450-1889	0	123,966	Added browsable images to existing collection.
England, Lancashire, Cheshire, Yorkshire, Parish Registers, 1603-1910	0	983	Added browsable images to existing collection.
England, Northumberland, Miscellaneous Records, 1705-2005	0	65,881	Added browsable images to existing collection.
Georgia, Headright and Bounty Land Records, 1783-1909	0	36,799	Added browsable images to existing collection.
Indonesia, Jawa Tengah, Purwodadi Citizenship Records, 1960-2012	0	46,170	Added browsable images to existing collection.
Indonesia, Jawa Tengah, Wonosobo, Naturalization Records, 1927-2011	0	37,311	New browsable image collection.
Italy, Bologna, Bologna, Civil Registration (Tribunale), 1866-1941	0	49,009	Added browsable images to existing collection.
Italy, Genova, Chiavari, Civil Registration (Tribunale), 1866-1941	0	27,223	Added browsable images to existing collection.
Italy, Messina, Patti, Civil Registration (Tribunale), 1823-1941	0	26,259	Added browsable images to existing collection.
Italy, Napoli, Serrara Fontana, Civil Registration (Comune), 1809-1929	4,242	0	Added indexed records to existing collection.
Italy, Pescara, Civil Registration (State Archive), 1866-1942	0	104,831	New browsable image collection.
Italy, Salerno, Padula, Civil Registration (Comune), 1809-1940	0	4,375	Added browsable images to existing collection.
Italy, Teramo, Teramo, Civil Registration (Tribunale), 1866-1940	0	5,813	Added browsable images to existing collection.
Italy, Treviso, Treviso, Civil Registration (Tribunale), 1871-1941	0	134,878	Added browsable images to existing collection.
Italy, Waldensian Evangelical Church Records, 1679-1969	21,878	0	Added indexed records to existing collection.
Peru, Catholic Church Records, 1603-1992	0	24,703	Added browsable images to existing collection.
Philippines, Civil Registration (Local), 1888-1981	0	6,356,654	Added browsable images to existing collection.
Philippines, Civil Registration (National), 1945-1981	0	101,177	Added browsable images to existing collection.
Poland, Roman Catholic Church Books, 1600-1950	0	31,074	Added browsable images to existing collection.
Portugal, Braga, Catholic Church Records, 1530-1911	0	21,549	Added browsable images to existing collection.
Portugal, Porto, Catholic Church Records, 1535-1949	0	47,334	Added browsable images to existing collection.
Russia Tver Poll Tax Census (Revision lists), 1744-1874	0	873,732	New browsable image collection.
Scotland Census, 1841	2,629,006	0	New indexed collection
Spain, Province of Barcelona, Municipal Records, 1583-1902	0	112,580	New browsable image collection.
Spain, Province of Sevilla, Municipal Records, 1903-1918	0	158,340	New browsable image collection.
Spain, Province of Tarragona, Municipal Records, 1430-1916	0	56,475	New browsable image collection.
Spain, Records of Widows and Orphans of Spanish Officials, 1860-1960	0	5,146	Added browsable images to existing collection.
Spain, Valencia, Miscellaneous Records, 1251-1950	0	265,333	Added browsable images to existing collection.
Sweden, Uppsala Church Records, 1308-1901; index 1613-1860	16,217	0	Added indexed records to existing collection.
U.S.,  Illinois, Probate Records, 1819-1970	0	69,935	Added browsable images to existing collection.
U.S.,  Maine, State Archive Collections, 1790-1966	0	47,107	Added browsable images to existing collection.
U.S.,  Montana, County Births and Deaths, 1840-2004	0	89,204	Added browsable images to existing collection.
U.S.,  New York, Orange County Probate Records, 1787-1938	0	74,400	Added browsable images to existing collection.
U.S.,  New York, Queens County Probate Records, 1899-1924	0	29,852	Added browsable images to existing collection.
U.S.,  Ohio, Crawford County Obituaries, 1860-2004	0	101,198	New browsable image collection.
U.S.,  Ohio, Jefferson County Court Records, 1797-1940	0	38,814	Added browsable images to existing collection.
U.S.,  Ohio, Probate Records, 1790-1967	0	3,796,974	New browsable image collection.
U.S.,  Ohio, Stark County Court Records, 1809-1917	0	118,518	Added browsable images to existing collection.
U.S.,  Texas, County Tax Rolls, 1846-1910	1,200,141	0	Added indexed records to existing collection.
U.S., California, Great Registers, 1866-1910	2,325,643	0	Added indexed records to existing collection.
U.S., District of Columbia, Birth Returns, 1874-1897	0	90,550	New browsable image collection.
U.S., Texas, Deaths, 1977-1986	0	69,454	Added browsable images to existing collection.
U.S., California, San Mateo County Records, 1856-1967	0	43,465	Added browsable images to existing collection.
U.S., Idaho, Cassia County Records, 1879-1989	0	46,360	Added browsable images to existing collection.
U.S., Iowa, Fayette County Probate Records, 1851-1927	0	86,849	New browsable image collection.
U.S., Missouri, Jackson County Voter Registration Records, 1928-1956	0	16,434	Added browsable images to existing collection.
U.S., Montana, Yellowstone County Records, 1881-2012	0	37,718	New browsable image collection.
U.S., North Carolina, Estate Files, 1663-1968	86	689,079	Added browsable images to existing collection.
U.S., Texas, Daughters of the Republic of Texas, Membership Applications, 1892-2010	0	25,788	Added browsable images to existing collection.
U.S., Texas, Deaths, 1977-1986	0	32,220	Added browsable images to existing collection.
U.S., Utah, State Archives Records, 1848-2001	0	159,181	Added browsable images to existing collection.
U.S., Washington, County Marriages, 1855-2008	0	26,908	Added browsable images to existing collection.
U.S., Washington, County Probate Records, 1853-1929	0	20,031	Added browsable images to existing collection.
United States Census, 1930 (New Jersey Part B)	46,148	0	Added indexed records to existing collection.
United States Census, 1940 (Alaska, Arizona, Florida, Hawaii, Idaho, Louisiana, Montana, Mississippi, Nevada, Utah, Vermont, Wyoming)	9,853,018	0	Added indexed records to existing collection.
United States, Civil War Widows and Other Dependents Pension Files	404,753	404,753	 Affiliate provided indexed records and browsable images to existing collection

FamilySearch International is the largest genealogy organization in the world. FamilySearch is a nonprofit, volunteer-driven organization sponsored by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Millions of people use FamilySearch records, resources, and services to learn more about their family history. To help in this great pursuit, FamilySearch and its predecessors have been actively gathering, preserving, and sharing genealogical records worldwide for over 100 years. Patrons may access FamilySearch services and resources free online at FamilySearch.org or through over 4,600 family history centers in 132 countries, including the main Family History Library in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Additional Family History Ideas for Children, Ages 3-11

Melick Family Bingo

There are lots of ideas out there to help get children, ages 3-11 involved in family history. Here are a few more ideas that I found. Click here and scroll down to Appendix A and Appendix B. Great Sunday afternoon, Monday evening, or anytime activities to involve children! The above bingo card could use pictures for those who can't yet read. There are free bingo card generators all over the internet. I used this site to generate the above bingo card. There are other game generators on the site too!

What is FamilySearch?

Every Friday I am able to serve as a church service missionary at the BYU Family History Library. At times, we have patrons come in who are curious about family history. Many patrons are not members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. This gives us an opportunity to share why family history is so important and why the church go to great lengths to gather records. Sometimes, I share this video with patrons. It explains FamilySearch, the genealogy and family history arm of the church. I thought that it would be good to share here. I hope that it will answer some of your questions!

Family History Activities for Children, Ages 3-11

When someone says the words "genealogy" or "family history," is this what you think of?

Interesting for grownups, but not too inspiring for children!

There are family history activities that can be done with children. In the next few days, I will point you to some ideas. These ideas will give you ideas of your own that you can try with your children and then pass on to others. That is the beauty of sharing! These ideas are from FamilySearch. They should get you started. Remember that anything will work with this age group as long as it is short and fun! Click here to check them out!

This teddy bear chart would look cute on a little one's wall. That's a start in family history!

This is available as a free download from http://www.kidsturncentral.com/clipart/genbears/teddygentree1let.gif

Kid's love to remember things about themselves! How about a scrapbook of their school pictures? Wouldn't these pictures make a cute collection?

Rayanne, Kindergarten

Rayanne, 1st Grade

Rayanne, 2nd Grade

Rayanne, 3rd Grade

What better fun to have with your kids during the summer?