Potpourri

 

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

Have you heard the good news?  Our beloved Prophet, President Russel M. Nelson, has announced that the Temples in Utah are going to Phase 3.  I have heard from our Provo Temple that we may be open to Phase 3 by the end of June.  Are you ready with your names to take to the temple? 

The dictionary states the definition of Potpourri is a mixture, medley or collection of things.  That is our blog post this week ~ a collection of miscellaneous tips and suggestions to help with your family history. 

Let’s start with our FamilySearch account.  Log into your account and choose a page of one of your ancestors.  At the top of their page on the right side you will see three links:  View Tree, Follow and View My Relationship.

Click on View Tree.  This will give you the tree for this family member putting them in the first position and showing their spouse, parents, grandparents, etc.  It could also show their children.  This helps when you are trying to fill in family members or want to go quickly to their relative’s page.

Click on Follow.  This will change the star to a solid colored one. If other contributors make changes to this person’s page, you will be notified by FamilySearch.  They usually send an email once a week.  Then you can check on the changes that others are making to your family member’s page.

Wonder how you are related to a person who appears in your family tree?  Click on View My Relationship.  The next page will show your name at the bottom on the left side.  You will be able to follow up the “chain” to see how you are related.  At the top left corner under the family member’s name you will see your relationship in words (Ex:  My husband’s grandmother). 

Now go down the right side of the family member’s page to Print.  This is an excellent way to get a visual of who is on  the family tree, what ordinances have been completed and what information is missing, depending on which format you choose.  Your choices include:

·         Pedigree (prints in landscape format)

·         Portrait Pedigree (prints in portrait format)

·         Fan Chart

·         Family (Family group sheet in portrait format)

·         Family with Sources (this one will add the sources that are included in our family member’s page)

When you have printed a working copy, highlight the missing info for an easy reference on the research that needs to be done.  Now you can go to work!  😉

When researching your family members, try FindAGrave.com.   This is a great resource for leads to family members (parents, spouses, children, and siblings). 

A couple of tips from lots of experience with this site:

·         When searching, use the first initial and that last name of the person you are looking for.

·         List the location of the burial (it could be a city, county or just the state).  If you know the cemetery for certain, you can list it as well.  When you enter the county you will need to add the name and the word county after it (Ex:  Heber City, Wasatch County, Utah – not just Heber City, Wasatch, Utah)

·         If you are not certain where they might be buried, try guessing a state where they may have lived or a close family member may have lived or be buried.  It can take some work but it can be rewarding. 

·         If you choose to list dates, it will limit the results of your search and may not give you the results you are looking for.  I have found that many times the dates I have are not the same as the ones on the memorial. I usually leave them out when searching and use them only to confirm my person when the search results appear.  

·         Putting in the minimum amount of information may give you a LOT of results that you have to sort through, and can be tedious but often results in more success in the long run.

·         Remember that not everyone is buried with a formal name.  Many are buried with initials, a nickname or a married name you may not recognize.  Don’t be discouraged.  Look for relatives and you may get a link to the person you are researching.

·         When you find the person you are researching, if you have additional information to add to the page, do not hesitate to click on the Suggestions button.  If you are registered on Find A Grave (it is free), you can add missing information such as correct names, dates and places, the plot number, the Memorial ID for the spouse and the year they were married, etc. 

Remember, however, that not all information on Find A Grave is accurate.  In addition, women are usually listed with their married name and may or may not have their maiden name listed as well.  Look at the bottom of the memorial page to see who created it.  There usually is a link so that you may contact them.  Many times it is a family member and you can email them for help. 

Frustrated?  Don’t despair.  Check out the article in the March 2020 Ensign (page 61), “Don’t give up on me” by Elder Larry S. Kacher of the Seventy.  Very inspiring.

We are here to help you as well.  Give us a call!  Have fun filling in your family tree!  See you in the Temple soon!  Brother and Sister May