Edgewood New Mexico FamilySearch Center/Tips

Merge Function
When using the Merge function to combine duplicate records, it may seem obvious which record to select as the more complete record. But be sure to double check the temple ordinances of each duplicate person’s files. If you do not, some completed temple ordinances could be lost. —Melva Jenkins

FAN
When researching a person, also search for friends, associates, and neighbors (FAN) that you will find on several types of records. Check census records for family and neighbors before and after the family you are searching for. Other types of records will have other people your ancestor worked with, went to church with, belonged to the same organizations, attended the same schools, were in the same military units, mentioned in the same newspaper articles, etc. —William Barrett

A story related to the above FAN tip is Tips for Finding Hard to Find Families on the U.S. Census. William Barrett adds, "There was probably a different census taker in 1870 and in 1880 who spelled the name differently. Human errors and inconsistencies are common in the records we use for family history research."

Organizing Loose Notes
Do your family history notes look like this? Do you dread working on family history because you are sorting through piles of little notes? I used to do this, too, until I hit on a solution. You know those cheap 99 cent composition notebooks you can get at Walmart? Buy a few and transcribe all your notes in them. Leave the first page or two blank for a table of contents. I organize my notebooks by my husband’s and my own families. If most of your notes are on letter-sized paper, 3-hole punch them and put them in a 3-ring binder. Then next time you are on the phone with Grandpa and he begins telling you a story, pull out your notebook and jot it down. As you use these notes to create more organized, permanent records—like a family history book or an online memory in FamilySearch—cross off the note as being used and note where you used it. —Susan Heath