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Project 3: Descendants


Goal 3: Puzzilla



Goal 3: Use Puzzilla.org to identify one or more lines to do Descendancy research on. Vault


Puzzilla.org offers some unique views that help you view descendants of your ancestors.


Choices


A Learn about Puzzilla and how it works.


Puzzilla is a website that displays ancestors or descendants in a flower-tendril pattern, with information nodes for each person.

  1. Watch these videos for an introduction to Puzzilla.

    FS—Puzilla Demo—2:00
    RT: Utilize Descendancy Research to Discover Unknown Family Members—11:13 - 2023



  2. To explore Puzzilla features in more depth, watch these videos.

    FS—Puzzilla Training—13:23
    FHF—Use Puzzilla.org to Find Genealogy Research Opportunities on FamilySearch.org—8:04 - 2020


  3. Watch this demonstration in using Puzzilla to explore collateral lines for research.

    Finding Herman, The Research Process: Collateral Lines In FamilySearch—9:31

  4. Explore the How to Puzzilla page for additional resources.


Exercise



B Log in to Puzzilla.org and browse your family tree in Puzzilla.


  1. Go to www.puzzilla.org
  2. In the upper-right corner, click the Sign-in button and sign in to FamilySearch.
  3. Click OK or Accept so your FamilySearch information can be viewed by Puzzilla, and Puzzilla can contact you.
  4. In Puzzilla, move the cursor over the tree nodes (blue and pink squares) to see ancestor information in name boxes. (To keep a name box open, click the person's dot on the screen.) In the COntrol Panel (left side of the screen), summary information appears for the ancestor, including an ancestor path.
  5. To zoom the view, double-click the screen or use the mouse wheel.
  6. In the name box, click Ancestors to move this person to the primary position and plot additional ancestors.
  7. Change the number of Generations in the drop-down list to the left. (This may take a while to refresh.)
  8. To hide an ancestor's branch of the tree, select the person's dot and then click the Hide/Show Tree button (left side). The hidden branch is replaced with an "x." To restore the brance, click the button again.

Other Options
  1. Click Change ID and supply the FamilySearch ID (available in the info windows) for the person you are interested in. Then choose View Ancestors or View Descendants for that person.
  2. Click Targets to identify ancestors without recorded parents in FamilySearch, shown as red boxes on the screen. You can narrow the selection by entereing a location or date range below Targets.
  3. Click a node and select View in Family Tree in the name box. This opens a new browser window in FamilySearch, with the Person Page showing for that ancestor.
  4. In the Control Panel, click Refresh All Data to resync the data on your screen with FamilySearch.

Exercises



C Select an ancestor and go to Descendants view.


  1. Browse to an ancestor born over 100 years ago and click the colored node to keep the name box open.
  2. In the name box, click Descendants to move that person to the primary spot.
  3. Open that person's name box and click Descendants. A new browser window opens, and the FamilySearch descendants of that person appear in the Puzzilla ring.
  4. Persons in your tree who died before the age of 16 are indicated in yellow; those who were born less than 110 years ago (and thus may have privacy restrictions on data) are show in gray.
Exercises