What is newFamilySearch

What is newFamilySearch? new.familysearch.org is a temporary web site used to host the Church's new online Temple Ready program which is part of the new Family Tree program. Once this program is ready, it will be added to the FamilySearch web site and will no longer be called newFamilySearch but "Family Tree" and the online "TempleReady". newFamilySearch is now in use or announced for use in about 2/3rds of the Temples in theChurch. Family Tree is a new database which contains all the official family history Temple databases of the Church. They took the IGI, all the Temple Records, Church Membership records for the dead, the Ancestral File, the Four Generation program submissions, the Pedigree Resource file submissions, and many of the extracted databases which were extracted for Temple work and they have merged them all into one large database. This new database will be called the FamilySearch Family Tree program. Family Tree will allow us to clean up mistakes and add source information to the official Temple records of the Church. Family Tree creates folders for each individual and combines all the submissions for the same individual into these folders. No information is lost or merged even if it contains errors. The person who submittied the data will be allowed to correct errors. These individuals are then linked into a one world pedigree. Members of the Church assist in the combining of duplicate records into the folders and linking the individuals into pedigrees. Most of the names already in newFamilySearch have already had Temple ordinances preformed for them. Soon non-members will be able to add names to this World Wide Family Pedigree, members linking into these names will be able to preform the Temple work for these names. Members can add names to the Family Tree program in newFamilySearch that need Temple ordinance work and the names can be cleared for the Temple from your home in the Family Tree program. After all combining is done, if a name shows needed ordinances, you can click on the name to reserve it so no one else can do the Temple work. When you are ready to take the name to the Temple you choose the option to print a Ordinance Request Form. At this point the name is cleared in the online Temple Ready program and if no records showing the ordinaces are completed are found an Ordinance Request form is printed with a bar code on it. You will take this form to the Temple File desk and they will scan the bar code and print your ordinance cards. newFamilySearch is not available in any Utah or Idaho Temples yet, but should be by the end of 2008 or the first part of 2009. All other US Temples are either using newFamilySearch or have been announced for a start date. Utah is being saved for last to allow the Church to be ready for the large load adding the Utah Temples will put on the new system. newFamilySeach is a replacement for Temple Ready at the Family History Centers. Once a Temple district starts using newFamilySearch the Family History Centers in that Temple district will stop using the old Temple Ready system. Family History Centers are being given more research resources, so you will now go to the Family History Centers to do research instead of needing to spend all your time downloading and updating personal files to find out what Temple work has already been done and clearing names for the Temple. The Family History Centers now have free access to many subscription Family History web sites. Also the new Record Search program introduced by FamilySearch will have links to original documents from the Family History Centers for free. At home many of these original documents will be viewable at partner sites for a fee, even though the indexes will be free at FamilySearch. The FamilySearch Record Search pilot site is available now at www.familysearch.org, look in the search menu for Record Search pilot.