Use the Not-So-New FamilySearch Owner Trees (formerly CET Trees) to Avoid the Family Tree Changes

 

FamilySearch.org

From its inception in 2013, the FamilySearch.org Family Tree has been controversial for allowing almost universal editing. As a background to the general use of the FamilySearch Family Tree, there is an almost constant background of complaints, criticism, and actual hostility due to the fact that historically accurate entries are seemingly in a state of constant change. The fact is that the FamilySearch Family Tree is wiki-based and has always been wiki-based. It is not a closed archive. It is a dynamic public forum for genealogically based information. Over the years, there has been an underlying, informally based group of people who have been trying to preserve some semblance of order in the FamilySearch Family Tree by conferring with FamilySearch regularly about different ways to approach the changes. All these efforts are apparently unknown to those who are constantly wringing their hands over changes. 

 By the way, I have had a CET or Owner Tree for about two years now. 

For the past three or more years, FamilySearch has been quietly implementing owner trees based on the FamilySearch.org website. Those people who cannot seem to exist in an environment of change have always been free to use alternate family trees such as Ancestry.com and MyHeritage.com and many, many others, including desktop programs. Now,  FamilySearch has introduced "Owner Trees" that allow you or anyone else to create a tree that is completely owned and not subject to any changes except as invited by the owner. There are already a huge number of these Owner Trees on the FamilySearch.org website. 

These trees are accessible under the main FamilySearch Family Tree menu. 

Here is the Manage Trees menu.

As you can see from this screenshot, there are other specialized family trees on the FamilySearch.org website. As you can further see from this managed trees screenshot, you can have all three of the different kinds of trees simultaneously. The owner trees are completely isolated from changes from the users of the main FamilySearch Family Tree. You can also see any of the backup family trees that you may have loaded to the Pedigree Resource Records in the past. These are the trees you uploaded to Genealogies. 

There is also a way to match your User Tree to the main FamilySearch Family Tree. 

Many (almost all) features of the main FamilySearch Family Tree are available on the User Trees. Once you have a User Tree, it is important to focus on which tree you are working on. Yes, there is extra time involved if you wish to keep your part of the main FamilySearch Family Tree in sync with your own User Tree. 

All the User Trees are searchable from the Search All Family Trees on FamilySearch app now on the FamilySearch.org/Labs website. 

It may take some time for you to get used to the idea of switching back and forth between the family trees. As more features are added to the user trees, you may decide to work entirely on your user tree. 

 There is currently no way to download a GEDCOM file from the FamilySearch Family Tree. You must either start the new user tree from scratch or move items in from the FamilySearch Family Tree. You add them to your user tree. You can also upload a GEDCOM file from Ancestry or MyHeritage or some other website or desktop program. 

You may wish to share this blog post with those around you whom you find complaining about the changes on the FamilySearch Family Tree.