Las Vegas Nevada FamilySearch Center/Training

Computer Skills and Help

 * Computer Skills
 * Learning Mouse Skills
 * Learn Typing Skills
 * Computer Basics

1. Sign up for FamilySearch Family Tree FREE:

 * Go to FamilySearch.org and create an account.
 * Sign into Family Tree to start you family tree.
 * See the training (menu) #6 for Family Tree Training

2. Write down what you know.

 * Family Tree Chart
 * Start with yourself. Use the Family Tree Chart above to enter information about you, your parents, grandparents, etc. If you do not know exact dates and places, estimate them. Fill out by memory first, the from records you have at home and contact family members to help fill in the missing information. NOTE: always use a pencil so corrections are easy to make.


 * For each couple in the Family Tree Chart, fill out a Family Group Chart that will show each of the children in that family.
 * Circle any missing or incomplete information, and decide what/whom you want to find first.

NOTE-Family Tree is very unique with only one person per deceased ancestor in the tree. Unlike all other database trees where everyone has their own tree with hundreds of the same John Michael Smith born in 1815 scattered throughout those trees, Family Tree only has ONE.

WHY is this important? Collaboration for the best sources and information and whatever stories, pictures or memories one person adds, all who are connected to John Michael Smith get to enjoy those memories and don't have to search into hundreds of individual trees to find and add that information into their personal tree. This SAVES hours of duplicating work when we all collaborate to enjoy the fruits of everyone’s labors.

3. Contact your immediate family first:

 * In the step above, note the information that is missing and decide on the family member that might have that information.
 * Record any useful information and stories they provide.
 * Ask about copies of birth, marriage, and death certificates as well as journals, letters, photos, and other records that might be available.
 * Find out if they know other people you should contact.
 * Use this new gathered information to fill in the missing information on your Family Tree Chart and Family Group Charts. This will give you a guide as to where to go next.
 * In Return-offer to share with what you find and put together.

4. Search other sources.

 * A guide of places to find family history information can be found Here
 * Gather your records starting with the records you already have, and organize them in one place.
 * Explore online sources starting with FamilySearch.org/search for free access to family history records such as census, birth, death, marriage, military records, etc.
 * See the Tips for Using FamilySearch.org/search below to best learn how to use FamilySearch.org Search.
 * Get personal help by visiting our local FamilySearch family history center for free personal help and many other valuable services.
 * Center staff may also direct you to online resources as well as other local community resources.

5. Visit the FamilySearch Library to:

 * Access Premium Websites to search for records
 * Free access to Ancestry.com, Fold3.com, Find My Past, and more.
 * Personal help to direct you in your research process.
 * Free, hands on, training classes

6. Take the newly found information:

 * Add to your pedigree on Family Tree - To ADD and individual review the article Adding Family Members to Family Tree
 * NOTE-Family Tree is very unique with only one person per deceased ancestor in the tree. Unlike all other database trees where everyone has their own tree with thousands of the same John Michael Smith born in 1815 are scattered throughout those tree, Family Tree only has ONE.  WHY is this important?  Collaboration for the best sources and information and whatever stories, pictures or memories one person adds, all who are connected to John Michael Smith get to enjoy those memories and don't have to search into hundreds of individual tree to find.  SAVES hours of duplicating work when we all collaborate.

7. Pick another ancestor/needed info
Repeat the steps 2 through 6.

Family Tree Instructions

 * We have hands on training classes at the Las Vegas FamilySearch Library. Check the Classes and Handouts page at: Training Schedule
 * Family Tree Training This is the 6 week training used at the Las Vegas FamilySearch Library including videos
 * Family history Basic Tutorials by Judy Sharp: videos, PDF handouts and FH Nuggets below!!

Tips for Using FamilySearch.org/search
This is a collection of HISTORICAL Records that spans billions of names across hundreds of collections—including birth, marriage, death, probate, land, military, IGI extracted, and more. This online database stores all the historical documents and is available for searching. You can instantly search through hundreds of millions of records for information about your ancestors at FamilySearch.org/search ■FamilySearch.org/search protects privacy. No information about living people is publicly available. ■For women, use maiden names to find birth and marriage records, but married names for census and death information. ■Add five years to life spans ■Try different spellings of a name (Miller, Milr). ■Try different forms of a name (Elizabeth, Liz, Liza). ■Immigrants often changed their names. ■If you can’t find information about a person, look for information about family members.

Getting Started training videos are found at FamilySearch Videos Watch the Getting Started 1, then 3, 4 listed at right.

Drilling Down into FamilySearch.org

 * Finding Records for a Place-Catalog
 * Finding Unindexed Records
 * Drilling Dow to Make Discoveries by location
 * If Online Access is Blocked
 * Finding Unindexed Records-different method
 * Finding Digitized Collections on FS

Research, Handouts and Forms

 * Including pedigree charts, family group records, British, Canada and US Census forms, research log and LOTS more. Click HERE
 * LVFSL Handouts Click HERE Some examples:
 * Getting Started
 * US CENSUS Headings 1790-1860, 1870-1930, 1940
 * Computer Tips
 * Pedigree & Family Group forms
 * Research Tips
 * Lots More
 * War Service Reference Guide
 * Research Forms from the Wiki
 * [[Media:Conducting Internet Searches for Family History.pdf|Conducting Internet Searches for Family History]]
 * Birth Years of Veterans-US
 * ABCs of Nicknames

Temple and Family History Consultant & Leader Training
Downloads for Consultant Training. Many of the PDFs include active links taking you to the website when viewing on the computer:


 * Watch first bit.ly/promisedblessingsfh Which blessings do you want?  Can you give 30 minutes a week to receive those blessings?
 * familysearch.org/calling
 * Forms and Support Documents for direction and keeping you organized
 * NEW Focus: DISCOVER, GATHER, CONNECT
 * Sign up for the FamilySearch Partner Sites: familysearch.org/parnteraccess
 * Learning about FamilySearch Consultant Planner Judy Sharp Oct 2019-Newest
 * Consultant Resources under Help menu at FS, OR at Helper Planner
 * Family History Leadership Training
 * SEE Family Tree Instruction above for help learning about FamilySearch

Writing Your Family Story

 * Getting Started
 * 52 Weeks to write your story

Find-A-Grave

 * Findagrave Getting Started
 * Findagrave Tutorials Parts 2-7
 * Linking Families Together17Mins 34Sec

Ancestry.com

 * Basics of starting a search How to Search for Historical Records on Ancestry.com
 * New Facts Page Quick Guide
 * Learning Center Home
 * Getting Started
 * Next Steps
 * FREE Research Guides These Research guides are best to save as PDF so the links within the document can be clicked to go to the linked website
 * FREE State Research Guides
 * Ancestry.com YouTube Channel
 * 5-Minute Finds Series
 * Ancestry Desktop Education Series
 * Search Ancestry Like a Dectective
 * Tips to Finding Uindexed Probate Records in Ancestry

findmypast

 * Quick Tips to Get Started
 * findmypast YouTube Channel

MyHeritage.com

 * Help
 * Video Training

AmericanAncestors.org

 * BYU Introduction
 * Using AmericanAncestors.org
 * Searching Databases on AmericanAncestors.org December 2017
 * Video Training
 * Database list

Geneanet

 * Video Training
 * Export GEDCOM
 * Help

Fold3

 * Tour using Fold3 with 4 videos and written instructions


 * Fold3 Youtube Channel
 * Discover the Military Records of Your Family's War Veteran

Finding Women in Researching
Three Ways to Unravel the Mystery of Women in Your Research

Best Records for Finding Female Ancestors

Newspaper Research-FREE

 * Lessons How To Use Newspapers also includes links by states
 * Youtube Video on using Free Sites See the Suggested sites below from the video
 * http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/
 * http://guides.library.upenn.edu/content.php?pid=413152
 * Newspaper Links
 * Marion Robbins Online Historical Newspapers Website
 * Wikipedia-List of Online Newspaper Archives
 * US Newspaper Directory 1690-Present

Arkiv Digital for Swedish Research

 * Sweden: An Introduction to ArkivDigital
 * Wiki Using Arkiv Dital for Swedish Genealogical Research
 * Birth and Christening Records for Swedish Genealogy PDF

Parish Locator ParLoc3-

 * Freeware found at HERE
 * Links UK research HERE
 * ParLoc4-beta

Hungarian Village Finder, Atlas & Gazetteer

 * Hungarianvillagefinder.com Use for free at our Library OR order CD from this page
 * Index
 * Getting Started, Examples
 * 4 Steps
 * On the Wiki

Jewish Research

 * JewishGen
 * Ancestry.com-Jewish Family History Collection
 * United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
 * Israel Genealogy Research Association
 * Yad Vashem - The World Holocaust Remembrance Center
 * JRI-Poland
 * Gesher Galicia
 * FamilySearch Wiki-Jewish Genealogy Research

African American Research

 * WIKI research link
 * African American Online Records
 * AfriGeneas
 * Cyndi's List-African American
 * Resources for African American Genealogy Research
 * African American Genealogy Tips

Native American Research

 * Starting Native American Research
 * Free US Indian Census Rolls 1885-1940
 * Locating Ancestor on the Final Rolls of the Five Civilized Tribes
 * Cherokee Genealogy
 * American Indian Online Genealogy Records
 * Researching Native American Ancestry on Ancestry
 * Indians of North America
 * Indian Tribes of the US
 * Enrollment Cards of the Five Civilized Tribes 1898-1914
 * Campbell's Abstract of Creek Indian Census Cards

Old Handwriting

 * Script Tutorial from BYU
 * German Handwriting

Indexing Help Resources

 * Basic Indexing Guidelines and Resources:
 * Guided Tour: Click HERE
 * Web Based Indexing overview
 * FAQs
 * List of current Indexing projects:

RootsMagic

 * Training videos found at: Roots Magic
 * Mini Videos on Youtube: RootsMagicTV.com
 * Rootsmagic Tree Share with Ancestry
 * RootsMagic Tree Share PDF

Animap
Training