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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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Fill in Your Tree Using Newspapers (October 14, 2026)

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This presentation - Fill in Your Tree Using Newspapers - provides help in using this great genealogical resource. Researching your ancestor in newspapers can be a very rewarding experience.  Many details of your ancestor's life can only be found here.  This class will discuss the many non-vital record details that can be found in newspapers, explain where newspapers can be found, discuss general search techniques for online sites, describe the biggest online newspaper sites and how to use them, and finally dive into the National Digital Newspaper Program (NDNP) showing what it is and how to best use it for newspaper research. Link to the recorded class   Link to a PDF of the slides    
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U. S. Census Research - Getting the Maximum Value From It (September 23, 2026)

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"The U. S. Census" covers the topic of what is on each of the various census enumerations from 1790 to 1950. It also covers what is unique on each census, the on-population schedules that were taken from time to time, and even takes a peak at state census records. Search strategies and how to use the census to track a family over time is discussed. This is a great chance for you to learn what you need to know to take the full advantage of what can be found on the U. S. Census. Link to the class video Link to the PDF document of the slides  
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What are User Trees at FamilySearch? (September 9, 2026)

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  FamilySearch has finally provided useable alternative option to their collaborative focused FamilySearch FamilyTree. This project is recently been renamed User Trees and provides an experience that is very similar to that found at the other major genealogy sites on the web. This class will explain exactly what User Trees are, where they are located on the FamilySearch web site, how to create a User Tree and finally how to use it. Link to the recorded class Link to a PDF document of the slides for this class
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The Improved Merge Experience at FamilySearch (June 24, 2026)

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Over the past couple of years FamilySearch has made several improvements to the merge experience with the goal being that the system will help us do a better job of merging duplicates and not merge non-duplicate people. This class presents a short history of merging at FamilySearch, describes the basics of merging, describes the tools FamilySearch has developed to help with merging, and finally walks you through 3 merges and one case where a bad merge needs to be reversed. This is a valuable lesson for all of us to view. Link to the Presentation  Link to PDF of Slides  
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Puzzilla - A Different Way to Approach Ancestry and Descendancy Research (July 22, 2026)

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Have you ever wished there was an easier way to search through your ancestry or a descendancy to find people who need temple work or to find new people to add to the FamilySearch Family Tree?  The solution is here!This class is "Puzzilla – A Different Way to Approach Ancestral and Descendancy Research."  This class will explain the features of Puzzilla and demonstrate how to use this outstanding third-party product to help you become a more productive user of the collaborative tree at FamilySearch. Link to the Presentation Link to a Slides  
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Understanding the FHAR Report and How to Use It (July 8, 2026)

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The topic is "Understanding the FHAR Report and How to Use It."  The Family History Activity Report is our primary report showing family history activity in our various units (wards/branches, stakes/districts). We will cover the history of the report, what it is and isn't, where to find it and who has access, and definitions of terms used in the report.  Then we will take it section by section and explain what is reported. We will conclude the lesson by discussing ways your unit can use the FHAR to set up family history goals. This class is especially important to leaders (both at the ward and stake levels as this report is the single most useful tool available to help wards/branches and stakes/districts know how active their unit is in temple and family history work. Link to the Recording Link to PDF of the Slides  
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Get to Know Your Ancestors with Memories at FamilySearch (June 10, 2026)

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Get to Know Your Ancestors with Memories at FamilySearch: You can call this class "Everything You Wanted to Know About Memories" as we made this tour comprehensive.  Come join us as we discuss this wonderful feature at FamilySearch. Link to a PDF Document of the Slides Link to the video of this class  
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