The object of this series is to work through all the basic features of the FamilySearch.org Family Tree and explain all the skills necessary to add information with sources, clean-up and standardize existing entries, and learn about all the Family Tree's features.
The free FamilySearch.org website has four major components, The main component is a wiki-based, collaborative, family tree where every user can add and change existing information. The accuracy and consistency of the Family Tree depend entirely upon the historic sources that support entries and the care taken by its users. The second component is a vast collection of genealogically valuable digitized documents, records, and books from around the world. The third component is a valuable set of support features including maps, connections to other genealogy websites, timelines, and other tools that enhance genealogical research efforts. The fourth component is an indexing program that trains and supports volunteer efforts to index the existing digitized records.
Some of the basic functions of the FamilySearch.org website are available without registration, but you will soon see a notice requiring registration when you attempt to use some of the features.
The first steps in using this valuable website are to register and select the settings you wish to use. You may come back to the settings menu and make changes at any time, but a certain amount of information is necessary to actively use the website. To begin either sign in or create an account.
If you are a member of
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, you will need your membership number. You can obtain your membership number from the Tools app or from a member of your Bishopric or your Ward Clerk. The number also appears on your Temple Recommend.
You will need to add either a mobile phone number or an email address, or both in order to have your login and/or password restored should these be forgotten. FamilySearch will not use your information for any purpose outside of your use of the website. When you enter your login and password, be sure and write them down and keep them in a secure place so you can refer to them if you forget.
You can change or edit your user name or password at any time. Follow the instruction in the Setting menu if you lose either your username or password.
When you enter your name, you will need to enter all of the following information:
- Your Full Name
- Your Username
- Your Contact Name
- Your Display Name
Your Full Name can be either public or private. Your User Name is always private. Your Contact Name is always public. Your Contact Name is is linked to your contributions to the FamilySearch Family Tree and enable people to send you messages. Your Display Name is the name displayed on your FamilySearch home page.
Privacy issues in the United States and elsewhere are complicated and largely misunderstood by many people. Just remember that the FamilySearch Family Tree is a public document and you may or may not want to operate in this highly public place without thinking about your own online security. On the other hand, genealogy is basically involved in personal relationships and you may wish to encourage potential relatives to contact you. You also need to recognize the fact that dead people do not have claims to privacy. Your ancestral information is neither private nor owned by you.
All of you name settings can be edited by returning to the settings menu and clicking on the "Edit" links.
You can enter personal information as you register which can also be changed by you at any time. Personal information includes the following:
- Sex
- Birthdate
- Phone Number
- Mailing Address
- Location (country)
You can make any or all of this personal information public or private.
Again, you can also edit any or all of this information at any time by clicking on the "Edit" link.
Your password is not included in any of the information visible to you or anyone else but there are ways to recover your password.
Remember, you will need your login and password to view most of the FamilySearch.org website. Please take the time to record both in a safe place that you can easily find. There are a number of websites online that store encoded passwords. You might was to investigate using one of these services. I use my own encoded method of storing logins and passwords.
If you forget or lose your password or login, you can recover one or both using either your mobile phone number or you email address. Of course, you need to have access to either your mobile phone or email account when you are trying to recover your password. While working at the Family History Libraries over the years, we have spent many hours helping people recover their passwords. Hence, the suggestion to record passwords in way that they can be retrieved while you are in a library or Family History Center.
If you keep all of your contact information private, your relatives will not be able to easily contact you although the FamilySearch.org website has an internal messaging system that will send you a message on the website from any other user who wishes to contact you.
You can set the startup person for your portion of the FamilySearch Family Tree. This feature is useful if you are working on a specific family line and want to have the website show your target ancestor when you open the website.
Users who are not members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints or who do not register as a member will not see references to the Church's temples or temple ordinances. If a Church member wishes to use information from the Family Tree for those who may not want to see the temple information, they can uncheck the option to Show Temple Information.
Children from 8 years of age to 13 years of age will need parental permission to have an account on the FamilySearch,org website.
Anyone 13 years old or older can register for a FamilySearch account without parental permission. Children ages 8–12 years old can register for a FamilySearch account with parental permission. This account can be created on either churchofjesuschrist.org or FamilySearch.org. Children who already have an account for a website or mobile app of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints can sign in to FamilySearch.org using the username and password of that account. For more information about helping a young person sign in to the FamilySearch.org website, see the Help Center document "How do I create a free account for a child?" by clicking on the question mark icon.
https://www.familysearch.org/help/helpcenter/article/how-do-i-create-a-free-account-for-a-child
You can click on the Notifications tab and turn on or off receiving notifications from FamilySearch. Nothing you do on the program will be used by the Church to try to contact you directly unless you authorize contact.
If you turn off receiving text messages through FamilySearch, you essentially cut-off all contact with your family through the program. Because the FamilySearch Family Tree is a cooperative website, you are essentially opting out of the main use of the website. If you edit or change information in the Family Tree you may have your edits or changes reversed and you will not receive any communication from other users explaining why your information is being removed or changed.
The remaining switches on the Notifications menu tell FamilySearch whether or not to send you information in the form of emails about developments with the website. I you hate email and don't read your email, you may wish to turn all these off. However, if you want to know what is happening with the website including updates and changes, you may wish to subscribe to all the categories of announcements.
Here is a list of the various notifications available.
- FamilySearch Information - Receive emails that contain tips, inspiration, news, and Rootstech Information.
- Discoveries about My Ancestors - Receive personalized emails about your ancestors.
- Messages from Other Users - Receive email when another user messages you through FamilySearch.
- Receive and Offer Help - Allow me to receive an invitation from a helper, or send an invitation to help others.
Also, if you are a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, you can receive notifications about Shared Temple Ordinances and allow others to share temple opportunities with you. You can also specify the message language.
Your Helper Number can be used by someone helping you with your family history so that the helper can see your part of the Family Tree. This is a random number and you can change it at any time by clicking the Edit link.
If you check the box next to Relationship Viewing, you are allowing other users to see their relationships to you, your contact name, your portrait in the Family Tree, if available, and any shared ancestors. Both you and the other user must have Relationship Viewing enabled to see how you are related.
In subsequent posts, I will be covering as many of the features of the FamilySearch.org website as I can and hopefully, the website will not change too much before I finish so that I don't have to start all over again. I am also planning on updating the existing videos on the
Brigham Young University Family History Library YouTube Channel.
By the way, if you do find changes or mistakes in my explanations, please let me know.
Stay tuned.
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