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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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The Place of Vital Records in Family History Research (February 26, 2025)

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Family Historians rely on Vital Records for many of the details that are needed to complete the research on their ancestors.  When available, Vital Records, should be your go-to records.  This presentation will explain what Vital Records are, why we seek them out, challenges in using them, what specifically can be found in them, when we can't find them - the records we can substitute for them, and a FamilySearch tool - Guided Research - that makes finding Vital Records in select areas easy for everyone. Link to the recording of the class Link to the PDF of the slides  
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Temple Ordinances Reviewed and Explained (November 11, 2025)

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The class this time was "Temple Ordinances Reviewed and Explained." We covered many of the new wrinkles in the reservation process, various ways to accomplish finding a relative to take to the temple and explained some of the frequently misunderstood rules and regulations that patrons find confusing.  All in all, this is a great class to attend. It also includes some brand new programs that you probably haven't heard of.  Watch and find out something new! Link to the Video    Link to the PDF of the slides
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Finding Value in Findmypast (October 22, 2025)

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"Finding Value in Findmypast" - Do you know why the Findmypast website was created?  This presentation will explain the history of this site, what is found at it, how to access it, why you should put a tree on it, and how to use it to find records that are needed for your research.  This site is a third-party partner with FamilySearch and as such is can be accessed by members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints for free. Watch this video and find out why you need to learn how to use this site. Link to this week's presentation Link to PDF document showing the slides of this presentation  
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Understanding the Two FamilySearch Catalogs and Books at FamilySearch (Oct. 8, 2025)

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The topic is "Understanding the Two Catalogs and Books at FamilySearch." Yes, there are currently two different catalogs used on the FamilySearch website. They have different strengths and weaknesses which we will discuss. In addition we will take a quick look at the Digital Books collection found at FamilySearch and discuss how to best use it. There will probably be something new for everyone who attends this class so please reserve the time to view this presentation. Link to the Video Link to the PDF Document of the Slides  
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Verifying Your FamilySearch Tree (September 24, 2025)

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Have you ever questioned connections in Tree?  They just don't seem to be right or they are added with absolutely no sources. Has something been added that you have never heard of before?  Because the FamilySearch Tree is interactive it is forever changing and needs careful monitoring.  This class will demonstrate one of verifying your tree - this one using some internet resources to flesh out details on your ancestors.  We will discuss how to preserve your research and the best ways to do this process.  If you care about the accuracy of your tree come join us for an interesting class. You might not personally need this class, but your patrons will love you for having a strategy to help them when they encounter problems. Link to the presentation Link to a PDF of the Slides  
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Dig Up Extra Facts Through Cemetery Research (September 10, 2025)

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Dig Up Extra Facts Through Cemetery Research:  We discussed all the records that are available regarding burials, the kinds of cemeteries, where to find burial records online and offline.  We also discussed accurate and inaccurate tombstones and transcribed burial records. We also described several of the larger cemetery sites online and described where to look off-line. Link to the recording Link to the PDF of the Slides  
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Using Puzzilla for Ancestor and Descendant Research (July 9, 2025)

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  This week's presentation "Using Puzzilla for Ancestor and Descendant Research" is an excellent presentation showing how to use Puzzilla to assist you and your patrons in finding where you can add new people to your tree in FamilySearch. This presentation will show you the various features of both the Free and Premium versions of this great program and will also demonstrate it's use in real-life situations. Link to the Presentation Link to a PDF of the slides
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