FamilySearch's Worldwide Family Tree

After working for a time with FamilySearch I've come to realize that many many people have a very narrow view of what FamilySearch is all about. Here then is their Vision Statement:

Our Vision

"When we learn about our ancestors, we better understand who we are—creating a family bond, linking the present to the past, and building a bridge to the future. See What's Your Story. A dedicated team of employees and volunteers work tirelessly to preserve and share the largest collection of genealogical and historical records in the world to carry out our vision. See https://familysearch.org/search/.

We strive to create and link the best and most valuable research resources to help people discover who they are by exploring where they come from. For over 100 years, FamilySearch and its predecessors have been actively gathering, preserving, and sharing genealogical records worldwide.

FamilySearch is the largest genealogy organization in the world. Millions of people use FamilySearch records, resources, and services each year to learn more about their family history. FamilySearch provides:

• A service to all at no cost.
• Over 4 billion names from all over the world.
• More than 4,700 family history centers worldwide.
• 24/7 free expert phone support, live chat, and email support."

Here's the kicker...

The Family Tree offers a new approach to researching and organizing, and it is creating a Worldwide Family Tree, because we all are the builders! Everyone who has created their own free account and works on their own family history adds to the Worldwide Family Tree. Even though we each do our best to contribute accurate data (at least I hope so!), mistakes and problems do exist.

To alleviate some of those problems, FamilySearch has totally free 24/7 expert phone support, live chat and email support, so no matter what you are doing you can reach someone who will start the process of correcting, or instructing, the issues. Try to get that from Apple!

There are basically 3 categories of Genealogy Researchers:

1. Specialists in one field or another, such as Native American Research, will begin by analysing the information provided and create strategy outlining the research they are planning to do. They may start online, and spend hours in the Salt Lake City Family History Library, but most of their research is done on-foot! :) This means going to courthouses, newspaper archives, even visiting elderly neighbors of your more recent ancestors to get a feel of what each person's focus was in life. These experts in research are worth their weight in Gold, and will create an accurate, story filled history of your family. Much like the Ancestry.com TV program; Who Do You Think You Are?
2. Hobby Genealogists, to which most of us belong after we have worked at our family history for a few years, work primarily online and by ordering copies of Birth, Christening, Marriage and Death Certificates. They do their best to provide accurate research with documentation, but other than spending hours in the Salt Lake City Family History Library, they rely upon those millions of records that Ancestry.com and FamilySearch.org have found, indexed, translated and made available. That is a lot of information to go through, and it isn't always easy to find, but because they have dedicated a Lot of time and effort to historical research they can often find what remains hidden to our third category...
3. The Family History Compiler. These make up about 30/40% of the Family Tree information you may come across, in my opinion of course, that are available on either Ancestry or FamilySearch. Because the Compiler is trusting they believe what they see added to the Family Tree is accurate! Oh, how I wish this were true!

We may all begin our journey in the number 3 position, but eventually we realize that the people we thought were experts were just like us, muddling along and trusting those before us. The truth is we have all contributed to the problems that arise in FamilySearch and Ancestry so we are all responsible for going through our own Family Trees, adding sources and any corrections that are needed.

Here is the best way to be sure We have accurate information in Our Family Trees:

• Take Your Time! Unlike the stores and restaurants of today, family history research and records take time and meticulous sourcing. Even when your tree links with another, don't trust their research unless they give reliable sources!
• Work on One Generation at a time, to become familiar with where to find the best sources, stories and family information.
• Standardize the dates and places. Dates should be written as follows: 4 July 1772. Places: Kansas City, Jackson, Missouri. This is the way the computer systems read what is entered. Most systems can't actually read 6/4/'72 or Fourth of July of 1772. 
• Create a File of Sources and have copies if possible.
• Put an image of the Certificates you discover, and in many cases had to pay for, in the Family Tree for all to see. If enough of us do that we won't need to buy them anymore.
• Share your Sources! In the short time I have been serving as a Service Missionary on FamilySearch I've lost count of the times I've heard people tell me they have proof of a birth-date, etc but haven't shared what their source is and why it is reliable for the next person to link to that individual.

This last bit of information is an admission of youthful indiscretion... I remember one moment when a Census Worker was asking me how many people lived in our house, and that of the neighbors... I'm not sure how old I was or which street we were living in at the time, but because of my youthful answer that record has the names of every dog and cat in our neighborhood in it. After all they were family members too, right?

So, even though the Census' are fairly accurate, they are only a guide, not a true source. Sources are Certificates of Births, Christenings, Marriages, Deaths. Church Records, Parish Priest Journals, Cemeteries, Family Bibles and Records, Ancestor Journals, Newspaper Articles (Usually!).

Take the time to write why you Know your information is correct and reliable in the Reason This Information is Correct or Comments areas. This will hopefully help others rethink what they Know to be true.

Now for the final word, leave your email address or some way others can reach you when they need to! You never know when someone will come along and instead of wanting help they are anxious to share the fun, exciting, illuminating research they have. Email accounts are free, and usually you can forward from 2 or 3 emails to your home email if you are nervous about privacy. 

For those who would like to share their thoughts, comments, or research, you can contact me at cristinabesendorfer@yahoo.com. I'd love to hear from you, especially if you have blogging or family history ideas to share, so drop me a line or two. I'm looking forward to hearing from everyone who reads this post. :)