Help Evaluate new Family Search

FamilySearch is looking for people to help evaluate new functions to be added to the new FamilySearch web site. See: http://216.83.152.190/temple/static/signup.htm

Here is the letter inviting people to participate:

Dear LDS Church Members and Friends,

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is developing a new version of the FamilySearch.org website. This new website will help members identify ancestors, link them to families, and provide temple ordinances for them.

Can you volunteer an hour of time to help evaluate this new website? Do you know someone else who might be interested? We need feedback to make the final website as easy and enjoyable to use as possible. We are especially interested in feedback from individuals who are new to family history work.

Anyone over age 18 interested in participating in this evaluation should go to:
http://labs.familysearch.org/temple/static/signup.htm
Thank you for your interest and enthusiasm. We greatly value your time and opinion.

Sincerely,

FamilySearch Evaluation Team

Family and Church History Department

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

Family History Books on Google Books

Google has been scanning books from several Libraries. Their collection includes many Genealogy books. To use Google Books, go to www.google.com then click on more, then Books.

In the Google Book search page enter what you want to search for. Example: Vital Records.

As you can see from this example there are 11,800 books on Vital Records. You can do advanced searches to refine your search.

Most of these books are for the towns of Massachusetts. In the search area it will tell you if you can see the entire book or just previews. After you open a book you can search the text of the books and see previews of search results or go to pages with hits. Give it a try.

Branching Out on Your Family Tree

What type of Family Tree will be your offering unto the Lord?

Will your family tree be borrowed from someone else? Will you have contributed to its branches? Will it include only direct ancestors or will it include aunts, uncles and cousins? Will it be well documented and have reliable sources? Do you want your children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren included in your forever family? What about your great-great-grandparents would thy want their children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren included in this family?

D&C 128:24 ... Let us, therefore, as a church and a people, and as Latter-day Saints, offer unto the Lord an offering in righteousness; and let us present in his holy temple, when it is finished, a book containing the records of our dead, which shall be worthy of all acceptation.

The subject of an article in the April 2007 Ensign is “Branching Out on Your Family Tree”. This article by George D. Durrant discusses adding to your family history, more than just your direct line, include the children and grandchildren of your ancestors. Now people who say their work is done, because grandma did it all, have no more excuses. The fruit is ripe and ready to pick. Read his article.

Roots Television On Demand Family History

Roots Television is an online TV service that offers programs on demand for many Family History subjects. They even have some training programs to teach you how to do better Family History research. Check it out: http://www.rootstelevision.com/

Life Browser at FamilySearch Labs

FamilySearch Labs has added another project for people to look at and offer comments. The Life Browser is the name given to the new project, see it at: http://www.familysearchlabs.org/


This project shows different multimedia items which are linked to an individual. In the sample it included Photos, Census records, Maps, Historic Photos, and other resource materials.

Not everything is functioning yet, but it looks real good. It does have the ablility to zoom in and drag the document around in the view screen..