This article was published on the Family History Guide Blog, “Handling Record Problems.” “It says so in that record!” … but is it really so? Sometimes the information we find in a record might not be a sure thing. Goal 7 of Project 4: Discover in the Family History Guide sheds some welcome light on potential… Read More Is It Really So?
Note: On June 1, 2025, this article appeared previously on the Family History Guide Blog. It’s a familiar theme: when we see something in print, we often view it as authoritative, especially if it comes from a source we are familiar with. But not all genealogical records are of equal value, and some may even… Read More The Value of Original Records
Note: On April 27, 2025, this article was previously published on The Family History Guide Blog by Bob Taylor. You could say it’s the end of an era and the beginning of a new one – volunteer indexing of FamilySearch records came to a close on April 21, which means that record batches can no… Read More New at FamilySearch: “Get Involved” Replaces User Indexing
If you have relatives from England and Wales, the 1939 National Register is a great resource for finding additional information about your family. The Register was compiled in 1939 to collect data which was used to make Identity cards and ration books during World War II. Since England did not compile a census in 1941 and… Read More A Great Resource – England’s 1939 Register
One of the new sources added to FamilySearch this year is NUMIDENT which stands for “Numerical Identification Files.” The U.S. Social Security Administration created NUMIDENT files to record the earnings of US workers and to determine what benefits each person was authorized to have. The index only contains information for deceased individuals and was gathered from… Read More Try a New Source – NUMIDENT!
In the book, “The Holy Temple,” by Boyd K. Packer, as first published in 1980, Elder Packer addresses the skepticism he encountered by others regarding the need to provide temple ordinances for the entire human family. To the claim, “That is impossible,” Elder Packer responded, “Perhaps, but we shall do all that we can do.”… Read More THE POWER OF REVELATION IN FAMILY HISTORY
I have been a Temple and Family History Consultant since 2015 and have been doing my own family history research for over 15 years. But recently I stumbled on a well-kept (though I don’t believe an intentionally-kept) secret! While helping a friend to begin his family research I had the challenge of diving into the… Read More My Secret Sauce: FamilySearch Community Groups
In the past decade we often hear our church leaders quote D&C 88:73 – “Behold I will hasten my work in its time.” To hasten means to be quick to do something, to act or move quickly, or to cause something to happen sooner than it otherwise would. I don’t know any work that is… Read More THE “HASTENING” OF TEMPLE AND FAMILY HISTORY
My early experiences with family history were overwhelming and daunting. Once, when I was at the Salt Lake Family History Library, I looked through a book with a line of my ancestors and noticed a vital date for my father was wrong. When no one was looking, I may have made a small correction! I… Read More Stories of Gathering my Family History
Relationships change over time. Just consider the difference in your relationship with your parents when you were a child, teenager, young adult, married with kids, and when your parents are in their later years. Our strongest feelings about a relationship tend to be the nature of the relationship at the moment and we often forget… Read More RELATIONSHIP BUILDING