FamilySearch Internet is at www

FamilySearch Internet is at www.familysearch.org. See also tips and tricks for using FamilySearch. A chart on that page shows the layout of the site. The site is divided into four major sections (see major subheadings below or chart).

Home

This section has four sub-sections, namely Welcome, News, Frequently Asked Questions, and Order/Download Products. The Welcome section is the one that comes up when you first type in the address. The News section includes information about usage of the web site and it's contents as well as a list of what's new with the web site. The Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) section is where you should look for answers to questions--they are divided into topics according to the layout of the site. The Order/Download section is where you can download your free copy of PAF or order various church produced CD-ROMs at cost.

Search

This section has five subsections, which appear in bold in the following paragraphs.

Search for Ancestors. This screen requires you to input the first and last name of a person you would like to find. There are additional boxes into which you can enter father's name (first and/or last), mother's name (first and/or last), spouse's name (first and/or last), event type (birth/marriage/death), and place. Fill out as little information as needed to make your search effective (for John SMITH, you will need to enter more information than if you were searching for Philastus HURLBUT). After filling in the boxes you choose to complete, click on search and FamilySearch Internet searches the following records:

Ancestral File® (1980-1998 submitted genealogies)
International Genealogical Index ® (temple work for the dead)
Vital Records Indexes (various countries)—extracted records not in the IGI
Pedigree Resource File (1999-2000 submitted genealogies)
Web sites (Information anywhere on the Internet)

Your search results are presented in a summary, showing where the information is found together with a brief description of what the information is. There is a Sources Searched box, which tells you which databases (Ancestral File, IGI, etc.) had that name in it (and how many). You can click on any of the sources in that box to restrict your view of results to just that source. This will display more hits from that source if the phrase over 25 is shown.

Research Guidance. The most ambitious project ever undertaken to help people trace their family history, Research Guidance has complete sections on "How Do I Begin," "Determining the Country Where Your Ancestor Lived," "Organizing My Files," and many more. The key to using Research Guidance is to have a specific ancestor and goal in mind before trying to use it.
Research Guidance asks you to select a place where the person you are trying to trace lived (state or country), then guides you step by step through the process of finding the desired information on that person. You tell the time period he or she lived, and RG tells you what records exist for that time period in that place and outlines how you can go about finding what you are looking for. Each section ties to the Family History Library Catalog (to tell you what records are available at the Family History Library System), a step by step guide, related web sites, and other research helps. Give it a try!

Research Helps. This section of FamilySearch has all of the publications of the Family History Library, including Research Outlines, Research Guides, Forms, Word Lists, and more. Research Outlines are in-depth discussions of the types of records in an area (state, province, or country). Research Guides are usually four page (in print) guides that explain how to use a specific record, such as the Periodical Source Index or the 1881 British Census on CD-ROM. Forms are blank reports you can print to record your research. Word lists are lists of words in one language with its translation in another language. There's a lot more in the Research Helps section of FamilySearch. If you've read this far, please complete your learning experience by checking out the actual site at www.familysearch.org/Eng/Search/RG/frameset_rhelps.asp.

Web Sites. You can either search or browse FamilySearch's list of other web sites that might help you with your genealogy (currently about 40,000 web pages). The Search allows you to search for a name or place and to specify a feature, such as "includes sources" or "has photos."

Browse web sites is the equivalent of shelf browsing in a library. The beginning screen lists sixteen general groups of items, namely:

Each of these sixteen groups contains several sub-categories. Most categories represent Family History Library Catalog subject headings. Once you select a category, you see a list of places. For example, if you select Tennessee after choosing Census, and you'll see a list of web sites of Tennessee census records (how to, descriptions, indexes, abstracts, and transcriptions). If there are too many, you can search just those pages in that category for a word, place, or surname.

Family History Library Catalog. This is another way to get to the FHLC. It is not included in the "all resources" search.

Share

This section has three subsections, which appear in bold in the following paragraphs. This section requires you to register so that you can be identified to FamilySearch. None of your personal information, not even your email address, will be shared with anyone else. This allows you to participate in discussion groups without disclosing your email address or other personal details.

Collaborate with Others. Collaboration lists allow you to share information through email with others who are interested in the same ancestor, surname, place, or topic (the same topics used in Browse Web Sites). You can join or create a group (collaboration list) where you can send email messages to each other. You can search for a list of interest to you. If you don't find a list for the topic you want, you can create a new list.

Share my Genealogy. This option has terms and conditions (read prior to participation). This option allows you to send an electronic copy (GEDCOM) of your genealogy to the LDS Church. The LDS Church agrees to preserve a secure copy of your genealogy in the Granite Mountain Records Vault for as long as computer storage media permit. This process includes granting permission to reproduce your data (unaltered) in Pedigree Resource File, a new resource that FamilySearch Internet will search. Your notes and sources remain in your file without alteration, modification, or merging. Granting permission to put your data on FamilySearch Internet merely makes your data more accessible to potential relatives. You can check on the status of your submission(s) at any time.

Add a Web Site. This new service relies on you, the user, and others like you to tell us about useful web sites not on our list. If you know of a web page that could help someone with their genealogy that's not currently shown on FamilySearch Internet, select add-a-site. Enter the URL or address of the site, then indicate whether it is your own site or someone else's. This information will be sent to our evaluators, who will look at the referred page, categorize it, and add it to the list of web sites. Add-a-site requires registration, but also allows you to see a list of all the pages that you have recommended to FamilySearch Internet in the past.

Library

This is a new section, allowing you to get information about the Family History Library, Family History Centers around the world, check the Family History Library Catalog, or find ways to learn more about genealogy methods and records through educational tools (online or in classes or workshops). The Family History Library Catalog lists all the holdings and records in the Family History Library and is one of the major research tools for tracing your family. This internet version is the most current version available outside of Salt Lake City, Utah.

Other

There are also options to log on with your username and password (necessary for SHARE tab), give feedback to FamilySearch.org (suggestions, problems, or ?), Check the Help section, Check the glossary (hundreds of terms defined), or learn more about the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.