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Welcome to our Blog

 The Fresno California North Stake is located in the San Joaquin Valley of California half way between Los Angeles and San Francisco.  We have been decicated for many years to training our Family History Center staff and Ward Temple and Family History Consultants. This blog may evolve but it's initial purpose is to provide a place for us to publish links to the videos of our recorded classes and the PDF files of the PowerPoint slide decks for these presentation. Our presentation are housed at YouTube in our channel - Fresno North Stake Family History Center Trainings.  These are PowerPoint presentations and PDF documents of these slide decks are located here for your convenience. All work hosted here is created under the copyright of Robert Givens.  The material is free to be shared as long as credit for it's creation is retained.
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Cousin Research Using the Descendancy Chart at FamilySearch Family Tree (June 25, 2025)

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Cousin Research (otherwise known as Descendancy Research) entails the researching of the descendants of your ancestors. FamilySearch provides an internal viewer for this called the Descendancy View. This class explains what the Descendancy View is and how it works. You will learn how to best organize this tool for its successful use. Finally, several actual examples of researching using this tool will be shown. If you have not used this tool this class will be a big help in obtaining an understanding of how it works and can assist you in researching cousins. Link to the recording of the class Link to a PDF of the slides of the presentation  
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Using AI at Ancestry to Help Grow Your FamilySearch Tree (June 11, 2025)

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"Using AI at Ancestry to Help Grow Your FamilySearch Tree" - This should be a beneficial class for all at it will help you understand when and how to most effectively use the tools and resources at Ancestry to help you fill in the holes in your research at FamilySearch. This is a class we all can benefit from. Link to the recording of the class Link to the PDF of the slides
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Using Helper Resources in Making a Lesson for Your Patron (May 28, 2025)

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  Do you use Helper Resources and the Planner?  If not you should view: "Using Helper Resources in Making a Lesson for Your Patron."  It will take you through the use of Helper Resources and the Planner in helping you plan a lesson.  We will conclude the class by creating two lessons from scratch using the principles taught in the lesson.  Though it is especially designed for beginning consultants, all consultants and others that help patrons can benefit from seeing how the Helper Resources and planner are designed to be used. Link to recording of the class Link to PDF of the Slides
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Temple Ordinance Opportunities (a new tool at FamilySearch) (May 14, 2025)

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Temple Ordinance Opportunities appears to be part of a wide-spread initiative the Church is conducting in providing multiple ways to interest and encourage members to become engaged in taking their own family members to the temple. This tool is still in the exploratory phase but shows a lot of promise in helping patrons find relatives to submit by going to their fan chart and choosing a line to explore for people with green temples or the yellow temples (meaning more information is needed.)  Come join us and learn where to find this tool and how to best use it. Link to the presentation Link to the PDF of the Slides
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Your New Consultant Tool Kit in the AI World of 2025 (April 23, 2025)

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What should you, as a Consultant, do prior to the first formal meeting with your patron. This year, with many new AI resources at FamilySearch, we have many options we have never had before. This class will take you through the planning process from your first "Hello" up to when it is time to plan a first lesson. We will especially stress the many new tools that are at our disposal to use with our patrons. This is a class not to miss. Link to the Presentation Link to a PDF of the Slides  
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FamilySearch AI Research Assistant (April 9, 2025)

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  Have you ever wished you could afford to pay for someone to help you do your genealogy research? Now you can have assistance for free with the newest artificial intelligence tool at FamilySearch - AI Research Assistant. This presentation will provide a short introduction to artificial intelligence and then do an in-depth study of what this tool can do. This is a must see for any serious researcher - this is the face of the future. The recording is found here The PDF of the slides
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What's New at FamilySearch - 2025 (Part 1 of 2 - Temple Related) (March 26, 2025)

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This class will cover those changes at FamilySearch that relate to temple ordinances that have added or updated since RootsTech 2024. This short presentation is an extension of the main presentation found in an earlier post. Here is the link to the presentation Here is the link to the PDF of the Slides  
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