Fresno North Stake FamilySearch Center Training

"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  

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  

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  

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  

  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

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  

"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