Category: Records

The Miracle of Community Indexing

Editor’s Note: This article was written by Karen Meyer, Area Temple & Family History Consultant, North America Southwest. You open a heavy trunk, hidden by debris in a dusty attic. Lifting the lid, you see it is full of old pictures. You routinely turn them over in your hands. You notice that a few of the pictures have a name,...

More on Rule Four: There Are Always More Records

Editor’s Note: This blog article was originally published by James Tanner in the Genealogy’s Star blog site and is used with the author’s permission. Expanded Commentary on the Rules of Genealogy: Rule Four I published the first six Rules of Genealogy back on July 1, 2014. See “Six of the Basic Rules of Genealogy.” This short list included the most...

Is The Family History Guide for Experienced Researchers?

Although The Family History Guide is often thought of as a learning center for those new to family history, it’s also surprisingly good resource for those who are more experienced. These are people who know the basics of family history and have “been around the block” with research. Two areas where The Family History Guide shines are these: making research...

Your Work on the FamilySearch Family Tree Will Never Be “Done”

Editor’s Note: The following article was originally published by James Tanner on the “Rejoice and Be Exceeding Glad” blog site and is used by permission.  Your work on the FamilySearch Family Tree will never be “Done” Some processes and activities and our lives on earth all have a definite beginning point and an end. Genealogy changes with every new birth...

Why Accuracy is so Important in Genealogy and Family History

Many visitors to The Family History Guide are new to genealogy and family history. There are a lot of misconceptions about why record sources and citations are so important. Some people feel that if a relative passed on a story it should be good enough. What we sometimes don’t consider is that those stories may not be accurate. Most people...

Correcting Indexed Records on FamilySearch

Editor’s Note: This article was originally published by James Tanner on his Rejoice, and Be Exceeding Glad blog site and is used with the author’s permission. For some years now, many genealogists have been asking FamilySearch for the option to correct indexed records. From the very beginning of the FamilySearch website, it has been obvious that some of the indexing...

Understanding MyHeritage’s Smart Matching™ Technology

 Editor’s Note: This article was published in the Genealogy’s Star blog site by James Tanner and is used with the author’s permission. As I teach classes about MyHeritage.com, I find a lot of confusion about the differences between the website’s Smart Matching™technology and the Record Matches. Once users understand the differences, they begin to see the tremendous power in both technologies. Here...

Honoring the Fallen on Memorial Day

While the first commemorative Memorial Day events weren’t held in the United States until the late 19th century, the practice of honoring those who have fallen in battle dates back thousands of years. I enjoyed researching Memorial Day this week. Here is an article I found interesting about 8 things you may not know about Memorial Day. It began as Decoration Day in...

Watching, Waiting And Editing The Family Search Family Tree

Many people do not seem to understand why the FamilySearch Family Tree is a wiki-based program.  When Family Tree was new this was a big deterrent for a lot of people. They just didn’t like the idea that someone could come into “their” person’s information and make changes. A wiki-based program is created for that very purpose.  Google defines it this...

The Next 5 Steps to Improving Your Family History Experience

Editor’s Note: This article was originally published by James Tanner in his Genealogy’s Star site and is used with the author’s permission. If you are wondering about the first 5 steps, see “5 Steps to Improving Your Family History Experience.” Here are the first 5 steps: Focus on the places Learn about the places Identify the types of records that...