Family History

 New.Familysearch.org, Roots Magic, Family Records, and Personal Research

We shouldn’t do research using new.familysearch.org; this database is for storing information and keeping track of temple ordinances. As we do our research we should use our own family history that is available at home or with family members and other websites such as familysearch.org, ancestry.com, and findagrave.com to name just a few. As we research we need to keep track of what we have in a personal database program such as Roots Magic. From there we are able to compare what we have found to what is in new.familysearch.org being careful to recognize that some information may be wrong or duplicated due to multiple people inputting data. If we have new information then we can add that to new.familysearch.org or correct information that may be wrong (making sure you have sources to verify your information). If we have found temple ordinances that need to be done or ancestors that aren’t in the database, we can submit them to new.familysearch.org and then reserve those names to take to the temple.

Gathering

So, I realized in my last post that I didn't explain the whole "box" thing. As I've been reading about family history I read "Your Family History: Getting Started" By President Boyd K. Packer. In this talk he says to those who are just getting started and not sure where to begin:

"Get a cardboard box. Any kind of a box will do. Put it someplace where it is in the way, perhaps on the couch or on the counter in the kitchen—anywhere where it cannot go unnoticed. Then, over a period of a few weeks, collect and put into the box every record of your life, such as your birth certificate, your certificate of blessing, your certificate of baptism, your certificate of ordination, and your certificate of graduation. Collect diplomas, all of the photographs, honors, or awards, a diary if you have kept one, everything that you can find pertaining to your life; anything that is written, or registered, or recorded that testifies that you are alive and what you have done."

This information will become valuable to your descendants and to yourself. As we were gathering this information, my husband started reading his mission journal, some of the things he read he had no memory of and it was interesting to hear. My children have enjoyed looking through our trophies and other awards we received growing up. It's been a fun project for us all.

Gathering Information

Gathering

Gathering my personal family history was really easy. I knew where everything was and I had already gotten GEDCOMs from my mom and imported them into RootsMagic earlier. I did however email my husband's grandma to see if she had GEDCOMs for his side of the family and I emailed my uncle to see if he has digital copies of the family history books he, my mom, and grandma put together, I only have hard copies. I'm still waiting to hear back on those. Even though I knew where all my family history was it took time gathering it so I enlisted my husband and kids to help. Once everything was gathered I had to block my living room door so my two year old couldn't go in and tear it apart, it didn't all fit into a box. I found old pictures from when I was a kid, newspapers, certificates, awards and trophies, family history books, my old journals, my kids' information, husbands mission stuff and old pics of him in elementary... the list goes on but I'm ready to go through it and get organized! Here is a picture of what I have:

 The tote has all my and my husband's pictures from elementary through high school. You can also see the family history books and other odds and ends. Much to big for a box.

Getting Started

Starting your family history in just 6 steps:
   After a lot of reading and research these are the steps that I've found are most useful when we want to get started on our family history

Getting Started on Your Family History

Many of us have felt overwhelmed or inadequate when it comes to starting Family History. We know it’s important, we know its part of the Plan of Salvation, but one question always comes to mind and for many, stops them from actively doing the work.  “Where do I start?” Some of us are new converts and will start the work without anything being done before; others have been in the church since they were born and much of their family history has already been done by someone else. No matter where you are or how much work has or has not been done, we can all follow a few simple steps to get started.

1.      Pray: “And I was led by the Spirit, not knowing beforehand the things which I should do.” (1 Ne 4:6) As He did with Nephi, the Lord will guide us in this work. We may not “know the things which [we] should do” but the Spirit will guide us if we ask.

2.      Start with Yourself: Unless guided otherwise, gather and organize what you have at home. Look through them and see what is there. Some things you may look at are:

a.      Birth records

b.      Marriage certificates

c.        Journals

d.      Old newspapers and obituaries

e.      Diaries

f.        Photographs

g.      Personal and family histories/stories

3.      Document What You Find: Write down dates, places, and names. This will give you a starting point, a foundation for your research. You may want to use some kind of Family History software such as RootsMagic. These programs help organize what you have found and what you need to work on. If you don’t have access to a computer write it down but keep it legible so you and others can read it later.

4.      Branch Out: Once you have your own documents organized and the information kept somewhere start looking in other areas

a.      Visit with relatives, find out what information they have

b.      Visit a family history library, talk to the workers and volunteers (take the information you already have)

c.       Research online, there are many online resources that can help you in your search.

5.      Repeat Steps 1, 3, and 4: Always start with prayer so that the Spirit will be with you. When you find something make sure to document what you find and where you found it. Branch out again, when you’ve found all you can from one source go to another.

6.      Don’t Quit: If it becomes frustrating or you hit a wall, don’t quit, pick someone else to look for, continue to pray and have faith that those on the other side are helping.