Find an ancestor in a census record

Hiya everyone!
Once you have logged in to FamilySearch.org, and have signed up for the four free genealogy websites, it should be fairly easy to locate each of y our 4-generation ancestors on a census record. Due to privacy laws, the following time periods of government census records are listed:

• US Federal Census 1790-1940 (every ten years)
• United Kingdon (England, Wales, Scotland, etc.)1841-1911 (every ten years)

1. Look at a specific ancestor on your pedigree chart that might have been enumerated in a government census record.

2. Use any of the five genealogy websites available for free to LDS Church members. (We are assuming you have already signed as directed in this previous blog post Free genealogy websites for LDS Church Members.

3. Comment below to report your findings.

DID YOU NOTICE?

• All members of the household are mentioned in some, while only "heads of household" are listed in say the 1790-1840 US census records?
• Now figure out if all members of the household are present in an earlier or later census record. Can you account for their presence or absence over the years?
• Now check to see if your FamilySearch Family Tree has all members of the household over the 30 years (3 enumerations). If not, you may have to do a bit more research, and then add the "missing" individuals to the family unit on FamilySearch Family Tree. And of course, there is temple work to be doing.

Be sure to comment below, and let me know what you find.

Who Inspires You?

Hiya everyone!
Last night grandpa and I showed you the first 2 minutes of this YouTube video from the 91 minute last Thursday's Keynote Session at RootsTech 2015 sponsored by FamilySearch. Also on this video are Keynote addresses by Dennis Brimhall, Mike Mallin, Tan Le.

IF YOU WANT TO KNOW MORE
Thursday Keynote Session - Dennis Brimhall, Mike Mallin, Tan Le (91 minutes)

Dennis Brimhall is the CEO of FamilySearch. He talked about the importance of family, and how partnerships with other genealogy entities makes it easier for us to find evidence of our ancestors. He describes a new FamilyDiscovery Center that is in the lower level of the Joseph Smith Memorial Building. It might be fun to take your family there sometime soon.

Mike Mallin is from MyHeritage.com, one of the sites that is free to LDS members when you sign up through FamilySearch here. He has a cool video shot totally unscripted with cameras on the streets of New York City, captures the excitement of people making a connection to an ancestor for the first time. Mike's segment starts at  45 (min) 45 (sec) into the video.



Tan Le's presentation was particularly touching, and it starts at 1 (hour) 31 (min) and 57 (sec) into the recording. Tan Le is a Viet Nam refugee, known as a "boat person." I can tell you that all 8,000+ people in the conference hall were totally silent as we listened to her story.

WHO INSPIRES YOU?

HOW CAN YOU TELL THAT STORY?

Choose your level of participation

Great meeting with some 20 youth and leaders from the ward last night.

Both grandpa and I reviewed the participation chart, inspired by a speaker at the MyHeritage.com dinner at RootsTech last week. The idea here is to encourage participation at the top two levels. In fact, although I consider myself a serious genealogist, I sometimes complete FamilySearchIndexing assignments. I'm working to do better at story telling, because I know it is important for me to share share what I've already learned about my ancestors.

CCTrek 6^th Ward Family History Prep - Choose your level of participation

So to describe the matrix:

SERIOUS GENEALOGISTS

• Cite their sources
• Resolve conflicting evidence
• Prefer more than 1 document
• May need to infer relationships

 INDEXERS

• Provide access to handwritten documents that would otherwise be difficult to search.

 STORY TELLERS

• Spotlight specific ancestor stories for other members of the family. It's particularly interesting to put an ancestor in historical context.

VIEWERS

• Merely look at what others have compiled, but they aren't yet motivated to take action to preserve existing records and seek out others that mention their ancestors.

EVERYONE ELSE

• These folks may have only a passing interest in family history, but don't participate on any level. These folks figure "someone else is doing this in our family."

IT'S ALL GOOD
There is a time a place for everything. This is the time to decide where in this pyramid do you belong as you prepare for Trek 2015. You have been asked by the Stake to submit names for temple work, and you may choose that. In May we are planning to share ancestor stories. Will you do that by recording an interview with your Dad or grandparent?

Let us know what your goals are, and we will help you get there!
Grandma

Free LDS Accounts at AmericanAncestors.org

The following was just received from our friends at FamilySearch.org. 

FamilySearch Provides LDS Members Free Accounts to AmericanAncestors.org

SALT LAKE CITY and BOSTON (February 17, 2015)—FamilySearch, the family history brand of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, today announced that Church members can now receive free personal subscriptions to AmericanAncestors.org, the premier research website of the New England Historic Genealogical Society. Personal access to this service is provided at no cost for Latter-day Saints as part of an agreement between FamilySearch and AmericanAncestors.org, and includes all the tools, features, and resources of the site. To sign up for a free subscription, Latter-day Saint patrons need to visit familysearch.org/partneraccess. 

Founded in 1845, the New England Historic Genealogical Society is America’s oldest and most respected resource for family history research and the largest genealogical society in America today. Although the institution’s name says “New England,” the organization is national in scope and provides expertise and research materials through AmericanAncestors.org in nearly all aspects of family history, from seventeenth-century colonial New England, New York, Pennsylvania and Virginia, through twenty-first century immigration research.

Used in tandem with the latest FamilySearch tools, AmericanAncestors.org can open new doors of discovery and enhance members’ ability to identify more ancestors and make more family connections.

“Our founders recognized 170 years ago that family history would become important to all Americans,” said Brenton Simons, President and CEO of New England Historic Genealogical Society and AmericanAncestors.org. “For that reason, AmericanAncestors.org is a hub and treasure trove for family historians. We really do have something for everyone.”

Dennis Brimhall, FamilySearch CEO, said the collaboration will provide indispensable assistance to Latter-day Saint families by providing a breadth of information unavailable elsewhere.

“By partnering with AmericanAncestors.org, we’re making a remarkable scope of new data available to our members,” said Brimhall. “We expect there will be many new family discoveries as our members become familiar with these rich, vast New England records.  We are honored to be associated with America’s oldest genealogical society.”

 

Latter-day Saints can sign up for a free subscription at familysearch.org/partneraccess. 

#RootsTech Expo Hall

The RootsTech 2015 Expo Hall features hundreds of technology and family history exhibitors for you to explore all in one fun, informative place! Stop by the Expo Hall to:

• Scan a family photo or book
• Record your story
• Get one-on-one help

Demo Theater

Curious about the newest in family history products and services? Take a seat, and stop by the Demo Theater to listen to demonstrations by RootsTech sponsors and exhibitors.

Cyber cafe

The Cyber Cafe is the place to recharge and refresh during the three-day conference. The cafe offers wireless Internet access, recharging stations for electronic devices, and refreshing beverages. If you’re looking for a break, visit the Cyber Cafe.

Family Discovery Zone

Stop by the RootsTech Experiential Booth for a fun, engaging, and interactive experience participating in hands-on activities like recording live calls to family members across the globe.

Media Hub

The RootsTech Media Hub is a dedicated space for our official RootsTech Ambassadors and National and Local media to meet and interview special guests, including RootsTech keynotes and industry leaders. Media credentials are required for access.

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Expo Hall Hours (subject to change)

Thursday, February 12, 2015, 10:00 a.m.–6:00 p.m.
Friday, February 13, 2015, 10:00 a.m.–7:00 p.m.
Saturday, February 14, 2015, 10:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m.

Expo Hall Map

Click here to see where the Expo Hall will be at the Salt Palace. A detailed map of the Expo Hall and a list of exhibitors will be available in January.

RootsTech 2015: Family Discovery Day for LDS

The RootsTech Family Discovery Day, Saturday 14 February 2015 is sold out for in-person attendees. However, members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints who wish to attend virtually may catch most devotionals and inspirational classes live-streamed at www.LDS.org.

11am - Blessings to the Living through Family History Special Leadership and Consultant Session with Elder L. Whitney Clayton, Elder Allan F. Packer and Elder Kent F. Richards.
 
1pm - Opening Family General Session Families and Sharing the Temple Challenge with Al Fox Carraway, Noelle Pikus Pace and Elder Neil L. Andersen.

2:15pm Class Sessions Gathering, Healing and Sealing Families Elder Bradley D Foster, Linda K. Burton, Bonnie L. Oscarson, Tad R. Callister, and other Church Leaders.

4:15pm Closing Family General Session Our Father's Plan is About Families Elder Quentin L. Cook.

5:30pm RootsTech Closing Event Studio C, David Archuleta

RootsTech: 12-14 Feb 2015

Celebrating Families Across Generations is the theme of the 2015 RootsTech conference being held in Salt Lake City, Utah in the east side of the Salt Palace. Choose to participate in over 200 classes, browse 300 vendors in a huge expo hall. RootsTech 2015 is expecting:

10,000 in-person attendees
125,000 online live-stream viewers

The live streamed sessions were repackaged, and sent out to over 1,000 post-RootsTech family history events throughout the world later in the year. These taped sessions will be translated into 10 languages.

RootsTech is sponsored by FamilySearch, and as such is able to utilize the broadcast technology of the LDS Church as 

The home page of RootsTech will will change on Thursday, and that is where you will see the live video streaming.

Watch LIVE streaming sessions of RootsTech 2015

This coming week 12-14 Feb 2015, we have an awesome opportunity to learn about family history research and the tech tools that make it easier to document our heritage.

From the FamilySearch blog:

"Every year, FamilySearch sponsors RootsTech, the world’s largest conference on family history. This four day event is a tremendous resource for family tree makers, with over 200 sessions led by expert genealogists. If you’re not able to make it to Salt Lake City, you can watch select sessions online both live and after the conference on RootsTech.org. You can also learn more by connecting with the family history experts on Twitter."

Thursday, Friday and Saturday sessions of RootsTech will be live-streamed at www.RootsTech.org on the home page, which will then feature the video viewer.


The list of LIVE streaming events is currently being revised based on the early indications of nearly 10,000 attendees who are convening on the Salt Palace in downtown Salt Lake City, Utah.

This much we do know will be live streamed: 

30 Pieces of Tech I Can’t Live Without
What tips and tricks do expert genealogists have up their sleeves? Learn the technology, online subscriptions, and gadgets Genealogy Roadshow’s host D. Joshua Taylor (@djoshuataylor) uses to research ancestors and solve family mysteries. Watch live: Thursday, Feb. 12 at 11:00am MST

Building a Genealogy Research Toolbox
As founder of GeneaBloggers, one of the largest online communities of family history bloggers, Thomas MacEntee (@hidefgen) is no stranger to supporting family historians. Learn the online resources he recommends for genealogical research, and how to organize them into an easy-to-access virtual toolbox. Watch live: Friday Feb. 13 at 1:00pm MST

The Write Stuff: Leaving a Recorded Legacy; Personal Histories, Journals, Diaries, and Letters
Family historians, get ready to save your memories. Genealogy researcher Valerie Elkins @elkinsvalerie reveals apps and software that will make it easier to preserve your family stories, whether you prefer to type in your memories or use a pen. Watch live: Friday Feb. 13 at 4:00pm MST

 

The Global Family Reunion: How You Can Join the Biggest Family Ever
Do you have a smile like Julia Roberts? Can you wiggle your ears like Jeff Goldblum? Learn how discovering his famous relatives got A.J. Jacobs (@ajjacobs) excited about genealogy, and how to use websites like FamilySearch and A.J. Jacob’s Global Family Reunion to learn how you’re related to people all over the world. Watch Live: Saturday Feb. 14 at 8:30am MST

 

Finding the Living among the Dead: Using the Internet to Find Your Living Cousins
Could a hidden relative be a phone call or email away? Amy Archibald will help you learn how to use clues in family trees and obituaries to find your living relatives. She’ll also share online tools and resources that will help you connect. Attend at RootsTech: Thursday Feb. 12 at 4:30pm MST
Watch on RootsTech.org: Saturday, Feb. 14 at 10:30 am MST

Specifics on logging in to certain genealogy websites

All members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, as well as LDS youth ages 13-17, can now create their own personal accounts with Ancestry.com, FindMyPast, and MyHeritage.

Specific instructions, and the clickable link to join each service are located in the FamilySearch blog here: https://familysearch.org/blog/en/create-free-account-familysearch-partners/

Free genealogy websites for LDS Church Members

This past fall, FamilySearch.org announced a series of partnerships with three major genealogy websites providing high-quality scanned images of church, archive and courthouse records throughout the world.

• Ancestry.com (Initially US, now worldwide)
• FindMyPast.com (Principally the British Isles)
• MyHeritage.com (US & worldwide, 40 languages, concentrating now on growing Scandinavian and Germanic record groups.)
• AmericanAncestors.org (New England)

Normally each website requires annual membership fees in the hundreds of dollars We are now provided unprecedented access to these vast digital images of documents that may mention our ancestors.

By setting up an "LDS Account" at each site, LDS Church members benefit from free access to almost all of each website's record collections. Latter-day Saints can sign up for a free subscription at familysearch.org/partneraccess.

Genealogy software

Maintaining a genealogy database on your home computer (with backups to the cloud, like Dropbox) is a way to work through kinship determinations before submitting names through temple work. The following genealogy management software programs are suitable

Please note that PAF (Personal Ancestral File) is no longer distributed or supported by the LDS Church. Finding a suitable program for temple submissions requires choosing one from this list and any that may be added to the list of FamilySearch Certified Programs. Be sure to look for the term "LDS Features" as the list of web, Windows, Mac OSX and Mobile apps has other programs of interest that cannot handle temple submissions.  See: https://familysearch.org/products/

Windows

• Ancestral Quest (including Basic)  https://familysearch.org/products/ancestral-quest-basics
• Legacy Family Tree https://familysearch.org/products/legacy
• RootsMagic (including Essentials) https://familysearch.org/products/rootsmagic-essentials

Mac

• None will provide provide for temple submissions

A quicker way?

Ordinarily, we begin with logging in to www.FamilySearch.org. However, a friend and fellow genealogy blogger, James Tanner, who works at the Family History Center in the Brigham Young University Library, discovered something new last night. He writes: 

"In some cases, when I am helping patrons at the Brigham Young University  Family History Library  (BYU) to get started with their family history, I am finding that the fastest and most impressive way for them to get started is by entering some basic family data into MyHeritage.com. Usually, by the time the patron has entered some basic information about parents and grandparents, MyHeritage.com has started suggesting Record Matches. This particular process went into overdrive starting last evening when Record Matches forFamilySearch.org's Family Tree started appearing." Source: James Tanner, "FamilySearch Family Tree shows up in MyHeritage Record Matches," Genealogy's Star Blog 

(http://genealogysstar.blogspot.com: accessed 5 Feb 2015.)

  

MyHeritage.com is one of three subscription websites that provide free access to LDS Church members. Since you can accomplish 2 searches in one place, I recommend using MyHeritage.

Feb 2015 goals

Stake goal: February 2015  Create your own familysearch.org account.  Complete your four generations on your family tree.

How we as your trek grandparents plan to assist in accomplishing this goal:

• Each youth will register at cc2015trek.com before coming to the Grandparent's home, see attached image.
• Each youth will be given a pedigree chart on the Sunday prior to the Tuesday trip to the Grandparent's home. We will need 4 generations starting with the youth as person #1 on the chart. We are looking for names, birth and death dates and locations. Pedigree charts will be copied and retained by Grandma & Grandpa so they can do some additional research on the names. Here is the link to a good pedigree chart to print out and distribute http://www.byub.org/ancestors/charts/pdf/pedigree.pdf
• February 10th or 24th - Family history session at Grandma & Grandpa's home, complete with homemade cookies
• Come to 11517 S Jordan Bend Road early in the month
• Follow-up can occur later in the month if necessary.
• In advance we need from YM/YW Leaders: Digital listing of all youth by class, and whether or not they have a genealogy program on their home computers. We plan to keep an Excel Worksheet to tabulate progress.
• Ward Family History Consultant and High Priest Group Leader to coordinate with Temple Baptistry. (Schedule now for late April baptisms, due to General Conference and the research time needed to find names.)
• Follow up research links will be given to youth at our February meeting, including:
• Family Tree Mobile App https://familysearch.org/campaign/mobile/tree?cid=hp-1538 
• FamilySearch Wiki https://familysearch.org/learn/wiki/en/Main_Page
• FamilySearch -Research Process https://familysearch.org/learn/wiki/en/Research_Process
• FamilySearch - Beginners https://familysearch.org/learn/wiki/en/Category:Beginners
• FamilySearch - How to Guess Where to Start https://familysearch.org/learn/wiki/en/Family_Group_Record_Analysis:_How_to_Guess_Where_to_Start
• FamilySearch - US Records Selection Table https://familysearch.org/learn/wiki/en/United_States_Record_Selection_Table
• FamilySearch - Immigration - Crossing the Pond, Part 1: Collect Records (19 min video)

WELCOME!

This is the right place for exchange of info about the family history portion of Trek2015. Your ancestors didn't have to have made the trek west in 1847 to be pioneers in their own right. Let's explore your family history to see where your ancestors once lived, what their lives were like, and how you can assist in completing their temple work.

Grandma Pat