Module 1 - Getting Started

Module 1 index: Introduction to

FamilySearch

●FamilySearch.org Account 4

●Family Tree Toolbar 10

●Family Tree Views 13

●Icon Key 25

●Adding a Person 26

●Summary Card 31

●Person Page 34

●Research Help 48

●Other Features 49

●Memory Page 51

●Living Persons 52

Tell Me About FamilySearch...

FamilySearch is available to everyone— free of charge.

FamilySearch provides a place to build your own family tree

and to connect into the world’s family tree.

FamilySearch provides access to billions of records and an

opportunity to help build the database of digital records.

FamilySearch provides assistance through volunteer staff

at 1-866-406-1830 (24 hours a day, 7 days a week) and

at your local Family History Center.

Accessing FamilySearch...

… and Sign up for your

Free Account

Go to

Familysearch.org…

Signing Up for a

FamilySearch Account...

Type your First

and Last Names

Choose a

Username

Choose a

Password

Signing Up for a

FamilySearch Account

You will need an

email address or

mobile phone

number to activate

the account.

Signing Into FamilySearch...

Go to familysearch.org

to Sign In

Signing Into FamilySearch...

fInput your

Username and

Password

Accessing Family Tree…

Family Tree can always

be accessed from the

FamilySearch toolbar at

the top of the home page

Toolbars...

You can

click this

icon at any

time to

return to

the home

page

You can go to any section of FamilySearch

by clicking any of these links

Toolbars...

These toolbars are for Family Tree functions

Toolbars...

Select a view

Print your

pedigree

Landscape View...

With you and

your spouse

in the center

Displays a bowtie pedigree

Children

on the

left

Ancestors

on the

right

Portrait View...

Select

Portrait

Then check

Portraits

Click “Show”

Fan Chart View...

Select Fan

Chart

Descendancy View...Select

Descendancy

Select the

number of

generations to

display

Click Show

Displays a

person and

their

descendants

Uncheck

Portraits to see

more

descendants

Inverting Colors...

Then click Tree on

the Summary Card

Click a person’s

nameClick to invert colors

Viewing a Person in the

Center of the Pedigree...

Then click Tree on

the Summary Card

Click a person’s

name

Viewing a Person in the

Center of the Pedigree...

A different couple is

now in the center

Viewing a Person in the Center

Works the Same in Other Views...

Click the

person’s name

Then click the

Tree icon

Using Dropdown in Tree...

Click the arrow next

to the Tree icon to

display a list

You are always at

the top of the

list—click your

name to return

Using Dropdown in Tree...

The last 50 persons who

have been in the center

are also displayed--click

any name to put them

back in the center

Using Arrows in Landscape View...

Click an

arrow next

to a spouse

to see other

spouses

Click

any of

these

arrows to

expand the

pedigree

Click a Children arrow to

display a couple’s children

Moving the Pedigree...

Place the

mouse cursor

in the open

(gray) space

Then hold down

the left mouse

button and drag… …to view persons not

shown on the screen

You will find these icons displayed on each view of

Family Tree except for the fan chart

Reading the Icon Key...

Temple icons indicate possible incomplete

ordinances--they come in multiple colors

Bright blue Record Hint icons suggest there

are indexed records that pertain to that person

Purple Research Suggestion icons suggest

what additional research might be needed

Red Data Problem icons suggest major

errors--i.e. child born before parents, etc.

Adding a Person...

Select Add Husband, Add Wife,

or Add Child

Adding living

relatives is

optional

unless you

need to

connect to

the deceased

Adding a Person...

Enter a first

and last name

Gender is

automatically

selected for

spouses Select Living

or Deceased

Select a standardized date

from the drop down list

Add a birth or

death date

Adding a Person...

Start typing a birthplace name (go from small

to large, i.e. city, county, state, country)

Click

Next

Standardized dates and places help

the Family Tree program to work

more efficiently to find sources.

Then select a

standardized

place from the

drop down list

Adding a Person...

For deceased persons, FamilySearch tries to find a match

If there is no

Match, select

Create New Review the

possible

matches--if a

match is

found, select

Add Person

Living persons are private, no match will be found

Displaying a Person’s Information...

Click a

person’s

name

And a summary

card appears

Understanding the Summary Card...

Photo and

Name

Understanding the Summary Card...

Birth and

Death

Information

Understanding the Summary Card...

The number

of Sources,

Memories,

and

Discussions

Displaying the Person Page...

Click

Person

Click the

name

OR

To see more details about a person

Understanding the Person Page...

There are tabs at the

top—Details &

Memories

The sections of the Details page

can be accessed by clicking a link

OR

by scrolling down the page

Details Display...

Life Sketch...

You may add a brief life sketch

(up to 10,000 characters)--

This can be edited by

anyone

Vital Information...

Displays Name, Gender,

Birth, Christening,

Death, and Burial

Click Open Details

to see additional

information

Editing and Sourcing

Vital Information...

May show sources

for the information

Shows who contributed

the information

Adding Other Information...

May contain Alternate

Names or additional

information

Adding Family Members...Spouses and children

are on the left

Parents and siblings

are on the right

Displaying Family Members...

The person whose page you

are on is bolded in black

Viewing a Different

Family Member...

Click any family

member’s name To view their

summary card

Click Tree or Person to see their tree or person page

Adding a Family Member...

Add a Spouse or a Parent

Add a Child or a Sibling

Seeing Previously Viewed Persons...

Click the Arrow next to Person

on the Family Tree Tool Bar

Your name shows up at the

top; the last 50 viewed

persons are below

Click any name to view

their person page

Sources...

Attach evidence to verify

information about an

ancestor

Discussions and Notes...

Discuss discrepancies and

questions with others

Add notes to the person

Research Help...

Record Hints automatically

searches billions of indexed

records to find records about

your ancestor — >95% accurate

Research Suggestions

are also given

Other Features...

Search for additional

indexed records

about your ancestor

Print any of

these items for

the person

See a history of changes

made to the record

Tools...

Review and merge

possible duplicate records

Report offensive items or

inappropriate behavior

Delete Person—use if you add

someone by mistake; can’t be

used for those added by others

Memories...

May contain Photos, Documents,

Stories, or Audio files

Click Memories

Living Persons...

●Living persons are marked as Private Persons

●Only you can see the private details in your pedigree.

Others can not see the information you add or change in

these records.

●Your relatives will have a different record for each living

family member and perhaps for each deceased member.

●Anyone may potentially see memory attached to a private

record, especially if they are also attached to a deceased

person.

New York Times Article

The Stories That Bind Us

By Bruce Feiler

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/03/17/fashion/

the-family-stories-that-bind-us-this-

life.html?_r=0

Ancestors or Animals?https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6sfOggdClV8

https://www.lds.org/media-library/video/2011-08-01-an-ancestor-is?lang=eng