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Volunteers Needed at FamilySearch

FamilySearch is in the news again with a new project that promises to be one of the most exciting yet for genealogy beginners.

 

 

 

 

The new project focus is to index U.S. Immigration and Naturalization records as well as passenger lists, border crossing records and passports. The ultimate objective to indexing these records is to make them freely available for family tree enthusiasts looking for their immigrant ancestors.

The variety of information family history hunters can hope to discover from these records includes:

• Ancestor’s Names
• Names of Family or Friends they traveled with
• Place of birth
• Date of immigration
• Date and location of naturalization
• Port of origin
• Port of entry
• Name of ship

To reach this goal FamilySearch is once again inviting the genealogy community to join in and help with the indexing. You do not have to be a professional genealogist, in fact, all you need to do if you would like to become a volunteer on this project is register, sign in and download the indexing software.

To find out more details visit https://www.familysearch.org/us-immigration-naturalization/?icid=fsHomeUSImmNatTxt

Newest FREE Family Tree Resources

If you have been waiting for new genealogy resources to become available online, your wait may be over. The month of July 2012 saw some great additions to genealogy resources by FamilySearch.

The new additions span the globe from the USA to Asia…some dating from the 1400s.

 

 

Keep reading for a complete list of the July’s new records:

Record For	Record Type	Date Added
United States
Alabama, Madison County	Chancery and Circuit Court Records, 1847-1950	10 Jul 2012
California, San Mateo	County Records, 1856-1991	17 Jul 2012
Indiana	Marriages, 1811-1959	7 Jul 2012
Maine	State Archive Collections, 1790-1966	10 Jul 2012
Missouri, Jackson	County Voter Registration Records, 1928-1956	17 Jul 2012
Nevada	County Birth and Death Records, 1871-1992	10 Jul 2012
New York, Orange County	Probate records	10 Jul 2012
Oregon	Douglas County Records, 1852-1952	10 Jul 2012
Texas	Deaths, 1977-1986	19 Jul 2012
United States	Census, 1940	6 Jul 2012
United States	Social Security Death Index	2 Jul 2012
United States	Civil War Widows and Other Dependents Pension Files	7 Jul 2012
United States	National Homes for Disabled Volunteer Soldiers, 1866-1938	10 Jul 2012
Utah	County Marriages, 1887-1937	6 Jul 2012
Utah	Marriages 1887-1966	16 Jul 2012
Canada
Canada	Census, 1916	3 Jul 2012
Nova Scotia	Vital Records, 1763-1957	3 Jul 2012
Ontario	Marriages, 1869-1927	6 Jul 2012
Quebec	Notarial Records, 1800-1900	17 Jul 2012
Saskatchewan	Probate Estate Files 1887-1931	6 Jul 2012
Great Britain
Scotland	Census, 1881	2 Jul 2012
Scotland	Census, 1891	2 Jul 2012
Western Europe
Italy, L’Aquila, Camarda, Parrocchia di San Giovanni Battista	Catholic Church Records, 1606-1941	3 Jul 2012
Italy, Palermo, Diocesi di Monreale	Catholic Church Records, 1531-1998	3 Jul 2012
Italy, Trento, Diocesi di Trento, Catholic	Catholic Church Records, 1548-1937	21 Jul 2012
Italy, Vicenza, Casoni, Parocchia di San Rocco,	Catholic Church Records, 1597-1937	3 Jul 2012
Spain, Province of Sevilla	Municipal Records, 1903-1918	10 Jul 2012
Spain, Province of Tarragona	Records of Widows and Orphans of Spanish Officials, 1860-1960	10 Jul 2012
Eastern Europe
Czech Republic	Censuses, 1843-1921	10 Jul 2012
Czech Republic	Land Records, 1450-1889	10 Jul 2012
Poland	Roman Catholic Church Books,	16 Jul 2012
Slovakia	Church and Synagogue Books, 1592-1910	19 Jul 2012
South America
Chile, Santiago	Collection of Genealogies, 1500-1980	11 Jul 2012
Chile, Santiago	Cementerio General, 1821-2011	11 Jul 2012
Peru, Lima	Civil Registration, 1874-1996	11 Jul 2012
Peru, La Libertad	Civil Registration, 1903-1997	2 Jul 2012
Dominican Republic	Civil Registration, 1801-2010	11 Jul 2012
Ecuador	Catholic Church Records, 1565-1996	2 Jul 2012
Guatemala	Civil Registration, 1877-2008	3 Jul 2012
Portugal, Braga	Catholic Church Records 1530-1911	11 Jul 2012
Portugal, Castelo Branco	Catholic Church Records	20 Jul 2012
Portugal, Diocese of Lamego	Catholic Church Records, 1529-1916	11 Jul 2012
Portugal, Diocese of Vila Real	Catholic Church Records, 1575-1975	11 Jul 2012
Asia
Korea	Collection of Genealogies, 1500-2009	10 Jul 2012
South Africa
South Africa	Free State Dutch Reformed Church Records, 1848-1956	19 Jul 2012
South Africa	Orange Free State, Estate Files, 1951-2004	11 Jul 2012
South Africa, Western Cape	Various Records	10 Jul 2012

 

Before you tackle all of these new family history records and break your genealogy brick wall, remember to download your Research tracking forms and Family Tree Charts. Available with your 30-Day FREE TRIAL MEMBERSHIP to Genealogy Beginner

 

FamilySearch.org Announces Huge Website Changes

A post February 22, 2012 on the FamilySearch.org website announces big changes to its website. The changes are reported to include some significant new search features for its over 2.5 billion freely accessible records. The transformation comes in an effort to give users a more streamlined genealogy research experience by including all products, services and content on the same site.

 

 

Family Tree Search Improvements

In a nutshell, the benefits to users come down to greater convenience and improved accuracy of searches.

There will be:

Additional indexes, with records, and documents published in greater frequency

Better searches that scan more content, giving further accuracy to results

A streamlined single user name and password for Family Search services and products

 

New Features for Genealogists

In addition to these improvements there are some exciting new changes involving the search function. You will now be able to conduct single page searches of the databases and historic records. Search with new ways to customize your search fields. Use a “World Map” to locate local family history centers and detailed guides to help you navigate through all of the changes, including a wonderful video explaining how to use the new features.

Saying Goodbye to the  Old Family History Site

Family Search wants you to know that the old website will be closed in the following months in order for them to concentrate all efforts on current and future improvements. The whole of their records have already been moved to the new site along with the new collections and improved features.

For links to FamilySearch.org’s new guides along with the site use instructional video, join us in the Genealogy News and Events Forum.

Image Credit: Flizia via Photobucket

Death Records | Obituary Searches | The LDS Family History Library

The Family History Library, located at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (often referred to as the LDS) houses the largest collection of genealogical information in the world. Originally founded in 1894 by the Genealogical Society of Utah, the library is committed to recording on microfilm all public record data such as births, deaths, marriages, deeds and wills.

 

 

The web site
You can visit the web site of the Family History Library to get information about the library’s location and its history. You will find that this website has one of the richest sets of online sources available, and can be very helpful in preparing for your search.

http://www.familysearch.org/

Preparing for your visit
By clicking the “library” tab at the top of their web page, you can locate directions to the library, information about hotel accommodations, and a layout of the library records.

The library is located at 35 North West Temple Street, Salt Lake City, Utah, United States. It will probably require a bit of planning to travel there, so set a date for yourself (even if it’s a year or more away) and start saving your pennies.

Note the library’s hours. With the exception of Sundays and seven other days each year, the library is open from 7:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Mondays and from 7:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday.

The library is 142,000 square feet and covers 5 floors. You’ll want to plan ahead.

LDS orientation
Upon entering the library, stop by the orientation center. You will want to attend the orientation session to become familiar with this sizable library. Four of the five floors are open to the public. Make sure you get a guidebook, which can help you use almost every system in the library.

You might want to check out the schedule of the various classes that are available throughout the day. Look for any classes focused on death records and how to manage obituary searches. These classes are free and given by volunteers and staff members to aid in your use of the databases and resource information. Plan your day around the classes. Like the orientation, these classes are extremely valuable.

Doing death record research and obituary searches
Take advantage of the more than 70 computer research terminals available at the library. Use a stand-up computer for quick searches. (Use is limited to about 15 minutes; utilize a sit-down computer for up to one hour.) If they’re all full, you’ll find more computers one block away in the Joseph Smith Memorial Building. The computers there also have access to the library indexes and are recommended for beginners.

You can check out up to five films or five books at a time. Don’t forget that these are available for use in the library only. Don’t let yourself get stuck for too long. Your visit is too costly and valuable to waste being lost. Don’t forget there are assistants there to help patrons learn how to search, but not to find the information for you.

Print out information from a computer costs about a nickel per page, and photocopies are about the same price. You can also get microfiche printouts for about 20 cents a page. If you want, you can also download data onto your own disks or purchase disks from the library. (Be prepared to wait in line to make copies.)

You’ll want to plan to spend at least half a day getting oriented and another two days on research. Keep in mind that research can be quite exhausting. Plan ahead by creating a schedule for yourself. The LDS Family History Library is the single best source of death records under one roof. Their resources for obituary searches are bar none.

 

 

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