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. :)

Hello to all you Family History Enthusiasts!

One of the challenges of Parenting is getting children to value what is most important. My hopes for AncestorEbooks were to make it easier for Grandparents to share their history and life experiences with the youth of today.

My first efforts died, but there are still many ideas and dreams in this old grey head of mine. Thankfully FamilySearch has the same goals, and many more people to pull ideas from, and you can find some of these ideas in the FamilySearch Blog, https://familysearch.org/blog/en/, such as Go Fish!

“Go Fish, is a simple game you create with your printer by creating cards where one side has a photo of a family ancestor, and the other side of the card tells a story about the person’s life. Attributes worth emulating can be identified. Players take turns asking, “Do you have a person who has _______ attribute? If not, ‘Go Fish!’”

List of Good Character Attributes:


Honesty
Reliable
Loyal
Courageous
Respectful
Tolerant
Good Manners
Cooperative
Obeyed Laws
Good Neighbor Clean Language
Peaceful
Persevere: Keep on Trying
Self Control
Informed
Voted
Volunteer
Good Example
Listens
Fair
Kind
Compassionate
Grateful

In order to create your game, you will need to get to know your ancestors! Find out the stories neighbors and journals tell about them. Did the Men fight for freedom? Did the women raise their children alone? Who left their homes to come to America? Who were the best cooks in the town?

Where can you find great stories that will catch the fire of your child’s imagination? Historical Newspapers! You can start at The Ancestor Hunt.com or Google for the newspapers in your ancestor’s nearby town.
Our Klein/Cline family line comes through Moritz Klein, from Postorf, Steinsal, Alsace, Germany.  Hirschland church records contain the baptism dates and sponsors for each of their 11 children.

He immigrated to Bieber Creek, Rockland Township, Berks County, Pennsylvania along with many of his children.

The Kleins (Clines) immigrated to America to escape the unstable and dangerous conditions in their region of Europe in the late 17th and early 18th centuries.

Early Pennsylvania records show only one Sebastian Klein through at least 1760, he immigrates in 1739 and signs the oath of allegiance list as Bastian Klein.  His European origin is Postorf, Alsace and lists his father as Moritz Klein and siblings, Michael and Jacob.  These three brothers migrate to North Carolina about 1747-1749. By 1830 almost 90% of the Cline families in North Carolina are descended from Moritz Klein.

The ancestors of Moritz Klein lived in Steinsal, which is about three miles west of Hirschland. His great-grandfather was Pieter (Peter) Klein born about 1575-1580, who lived in Steinsal and had six children.

Now that you know a brief history of our Cline family, what are some of the attributes you would give them?

Loyal – They stuck together as a family
Courageous – Left their homeland and came to America
Persevere: Keep on – Started as the first Cline family in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, then the whole family moved to Catawba River Valley in South Carolina and by 1850 their family dominates the area.
Good Example – They were a Church going family is Alsace and continued to be so in America.

Now, what are you going to create for your children? Hmmm?

Living Family History!

Hello Dear Friends! Great news, unless you are calling in from FamilySearch for help with your Tree, I've graduated from 6 weeks of fast paced learning. Monday I begin Full Production, which just means I help folks who call in with problems of all kinds.

I expected to rub shoulders with good people, but FamilySearch trainers are beyond patient and kind. Just as our sixth week began we were shown the picture of an Eagle with her nest of fluffy chicks and the inscription that said, "Just as the Eagle pushes her Eaglets out of the nest, it's time for you to fly!" My first words were, "I don't have enough feathers to fly yet!"

So, the next two weeks might be the wrong time to call in, unless you have some extra time while the Eaglets find the answers to fix the problems... I apologize ahead of time!

As you've probably figured out, Family History is a passion of mine, and I can spend hours searching through badly indexed documents to discover proof of citizenship, parentage and to put together a life history of someone. After all, as I've been saying for years, it's not just a dead, dry bunch of facts you are linking together. Family History is about who our ancestors really were, and what we can learn from them.

One family in our Ward shared their family lines at our Open House recently; it was printed onto a 3x5 foot sheet of paper showing family lines going back through the dark ages! Fascinating accomplishment!

My husband's line, the Besendorfers, goes back to Johann Leonhardt Besendorfer born in 1741, thanks to many dedicated  family researchers like Mellissa B. While my Schnee line stops at  Johannes Christian Schnee born in 1722. Just 400 years to go, right? :)


I've learned that the Schnee's are a strong Military family, and still are. It's amazing to see that even without knowing about their ancestors, the men in our family continue to exhibit a strong love of country and battle-ready intelligence.

Before I close I want to remind you of the quick learning videos available in the Learning Center at FamilySearch.org, and many classes available at AncestryAcadamy FREE to all. The old excuse of not knowing how to get started no longer holds water Folks! Start digging into your history today!

YOUR SUMMER ASSIGNMENT

A funny thing happened on the way to Sacrement the other day...I was asked to accept a call to be a Service Missionary who helps people with their Family Tree on FamilySearch.org! I accepted, not having any idea all the training and how quick we would have to learn everything!

For that reason I am going to go on hold for a month until I get my Mission Feet under me a bit, but just like Arnold S. "I'll Be Baaaccckkk!"

Until then, here is your assignment for the Summer...

Go to each of your elderly relatives and ask them these questions, just turn your phone to record and quietly leave it near you so you can transcribe it later. I can guarantee you won't remember half of what is shared, and the stories you will hear will be memorable!

1.  
   What is your full name?
2. 2. 
   When and where were you born?
3. 3. 
   Who is your mother?
4. 4. 
   When and where was your mother born?
5. 5. 
   What can you tell me about your mother’s relatives?
6. 6. 
   Who is your father?
7. 7. 
   When and where was your father born?
8. 8. 
   What can you tell me about your father’s relatives?
9. 9. 
   What are the full names of each of your brothers and sisters?
10. 10. 
    When and where were each of your brothers and sisters born?
11. 11. 
    What memories do you have of each of your brothers and sisters?
12. 12. 
    What schools did you and your brothers and sisters go to?
13. 13. 
    Whom did your brothers and sisters marry?
14. 14. 
    Whom did you marry?
15. 15. 
    What are the full names of each of your children?
16. 16. 
    When and where were your children born?
17. 17. 
    Whom did your children marry?
18. 18. 
    Who are your grandchildren?
19. 19. 
    What memories do you have of extended family members, such as aunts, uncles, cousins, and grandparents?
20. 20. 
    Where did some of these extended family members live?
21. 21. 
    What can you remember about births, marriages, and deaths of other family members?
22. 22. 
    Where are family members buried?
23. 23. 
    Did you or any of your relatives serve in the military?
24. 24. 
    Which wars did you or other relatives fight in?
25. 25. 
    Will you share some of their war stories with me?
26. 26. 
    What jobs do you remember your parents and other family members doing?
27. 27. 
    What religion or religions were practiced in your home?
28. 28. 
    What are some important spiritual experiences you have had?
29. 29. 
    Was anyone in the family interested in family history?
30. 30. 
    Are there any family members who kept a journal or who wrote a historical account of your family? Who are they? Are any of these accounts available for me to read?
31. 31. 
    Are you aware of any ancestors who emigrated from their home country to this country?
32. 32. 
    Does anyone in the family own a family Bible, a family history, or genealogical records of any kind? Who are these family members, and where do they live?
33. 33. 
    Will you show me some of your old family documents or artifacts?
34. 34. 
    Will you show me some of your old family photographs?
35. PLEASE DON'T WASTE ANOTHER DAY/WEEK/MONTH/YEAR. DO IT NOW!