Class Notes - "The Dash"

Key Links & Tools:

• VIDEO: Meet My Grandma
• VIDEO: "Family History: What I found" - This is 'the gun' story
• CONFERENCE TALK: "O Remember, Remember" by President Eyring, October 2007 Conference
• ARTICLE: "The'Low-Hanging Fruit' Method of Autobiographical Writing"
• ARTICLE: "How to ChooseWhat Stories to Tell"
• TOOL: Converting a Facebook Timeline into a printed book...in one click - https://mysocialbook.com/
• ARTICLE: "How to Capture Story Ideas on a Life Timeline"
• Online Book Making - www.shutterfly.com; www.picturesandstories.com 
• ARTICLE: "Discover Yourself: Keep aJournal"
• ARTICLE REVIEW: "Top OCR Software of 2015"

Brian's Teaching Notes:

Mankind has told stories since the beginning. They are used to

Teach - tortoise and the hare

Entertain - Shakespeare

Really good stories do both…and make us feel.

The problem with Family History stories is that we:

1. Try to tell everything we know, and
2. Think we have to work only from "cold, hard facts"

Let me give an example. In the story of the tortoise and the hare we don't know the names of the tortoise's parents or even where he grew up…because it's not relevant to the story.

In Romeo & Juliet we don't know what year Romeo was born or the names and birthdays of all of Juliet's sisters…because it's not relevant to the story.

Don't confuse Genealogy with Family History. They have different purposes.

DISCUSS: What, then, should be the purpose of Family History stories?

Consider

1. What are the relevant bits of the story
2. What gives the underlying story meaning

Repeat

And I would like to add a third item for Family History

3. What makes the story personal / inspirational / spiritual

Sherry Russon's talk "I was taught from their examples that I can be happy in my trials"

Separate Family History from "the dash". The dash stands alone.

GATHER	ORGANIZE/ARCHIVE	SHARE	CAPTURE
-Event related focus -Person "                   " -Location "                " -Media  "                   " *Wedding (Addie's video   (Wedding pictures of ancestors	-Albums -Digitize (all videos     (scan pics    (online and CD,    (resolution, format Book -Costco Thumbnails -SmugMug	-Cloud -CD / DVD Key Li/ Thumb Drive    (Christmas CD -Printed Copy (Archive   (book and .PDF audible -TBT (Throw-back Thursday -Calendar	-Newsletter -Video -Picture Contest -Annual Report -Email    (Virginia -Journals -Interview -FHE

VIDEO

PICTURES

STORIES

RECIPIES

EVENTS

TRADITIONS

BIOGRAPHICAL DATA (Worksheets for Acord Games / Quiz

DOCUMENTS

TALENTS

FAVORITES -Books -Stories -Music

AUDIO -Interviews

TESTIMONIES (xfer church talks, lessons, missionary letters

I gathered a lot of .PDFs and .DOCs but what do you do with them? IDK

Record - Mom & Grandma Ella

I have only one recording that has a voice from one of my four grandparents.

When I was in Virginia I was doing some family history. I sent letters to my grandma during my mission and asked her to write some stuff down. I think I gave her a tape recorder during one of my visits home.

PLAY RECORDING OF ELLA -

<<Grandma Ella History.mp3>>

PROJECT: - I'm going to use that audio and create a movie with pictures, maps, etc. to let my Grandma tell the story while I back it up with interesting visuals.

Organize Family Movies

Transfer to DVD

Create Clips, Tag & Upload to family media site

Now that I have all those assets, now what?

Saturday I ran across this clip that I had seen before but never really considered and it prompted a completely new project for me.

PLAY VIDEO OF "THIS IS MY GRANDMA"

ASK Your thoughts on the impact of that video?

ASK - What was the name of the grandma? When / where was she born?

   …because it's not relevant to the story.

ASK Any ideas what my project might be?

   - imagine a simple tool that would allow you to introduce your grandparents to their great-great-grandchildren.

One of the ways Family History has changed my life is its ability to not only learn about my ancestors but to seriously consider what message / memories I want to leave to my posterity.

 - A Tale of Two Legacies

       - One of my ancestors likes to say "It takes a big dog to weigh a ton" (I don't think

       - Funeral story / Warm doughnuts @ MTC

JACOB 4:4

  - Precede by telling my story of how the Book of Mormon changed my life (Jacob 1:12)

Take your favorite scripture / story & match it with a favorite picture of a favorite person.

Pull Family History into every gospel topic / lesson / personal progress / journal entry

   - add a Family History element -- "When I think of Faith, I think of my third great grandmother Frost and how she…

   - record your thoughts and share them in a meaningful way

Pinterest Idea below

Technology - Facebook Timeline - https://mysocialbook.com/

   I simply ask, why do you think we have that kind of technology in our time?

OTHER IDEAS

Pinterest-type squares  with pictures of ancestry along with quote, or favorite scripture - Pinterest - Laugh with 

How to Find Family Names to Take to the Temple Using Puzilla.org

A previous post on this blog shows how you can find family names to take to the temple using FamilySearch.

This article shows how you can find family names to take to the temple using a sister program of FamilySearch called Puzilla.org.

Puzilla is free to all LDS members and requires you to log into your FamilySearch account in order to work so the first step would be to go to www.Puzilla.org and click on the "Sign-In" button in the top right corner. This will immediately take you to the FamilySearch sign-in screen with which you are already familiar. Log into FamilySearch. (If necessary, click the following link to learn how to create your FamilySearch login.)

Rather than re-creating a detailed blog, the best way to introduce Puzilla and explain how to use it to find family names to take to the temple would be simply to watch their video introduction. After watching the video and finding your own names to take to the temple, you can also watch this great video overview of the process of preparing names for temple ordinances, click here.

Click the following link to watch the introduction video on Puzilla.

How to Find Family Names to Take to the Temple Using Tools in FamilySearch

This post is designed to help individuals and families prepare family names to take to the temple using Family Search. For a great video overview of the process of preparing names for temple ordinances, click here.

The rest of this post provides details on two of the more basic ways you can find family names to take to temple.

METHOD ONE - Using FamilySearch to find names that are already in your immediate tree.

Step One: Log into FamilySearch. (Click the following link to learn how to create your FamilySearch login.)

Step Two: Click on the "Temple" tab at the top of the screen and select the "Opportunities" option from the pull-down menu. You will be taken to a new page and after a few minutes the website will update the numbers at the top of the screen to show all of your temple work currently in process.

If FamilySearch finds any temple ordinances in your family tree within your first five generations of ancestors, they will show up under the "Opportunities". (Note the 7 Opportunities shown in the above screen capture.) Click the "Opportunities" tab to display a list of all the names in your family tree that are all ready for you to take to the temple.

Step Three: Click the following link for detailed instructions on what you need to do to reserve those names and prepare them to take to the temple.

Method One shows the easiest way to find the low-hanging fruit already waiting in your family tree. If you were not able to find any opportunities using this first method, don't despair. Try the next method to see what names may already wait for you in more distant generations of your family tree.

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METHOD TWO - Using FamilySearch to find names beyond the first five generations of your ancestors.

The previous method only provides opportunities in your family tree looking back five generations from the individual logged into your family tree. Use this method to look for opportunities that are all ready for you to take to the temple that don't automatically show up in the previous method.

Step One: If you haven't already done so, log into FamilySearch. (Click the following link to learn how to create your FamilySearch login.)

Step Two: Click on the "Family Tree" option from the top of the page and select the "Tree" option to display your family tree. You should see your family tree with the starting point set for the person who is currently logged in to FamilySearch. (I like using the landscape mode option as highlighted in green in the following screen shot.)

On the right side of the displayed family tree there are gray arrows that indicate additional ancestors. Clicking on any of these arrows will expand the family tree to reveal the next two generations of ancestors from that couple (if additional information is available).

Step Three: Pick any line and expand your family tree looking for any green temple icons towards the right side of any displayed couple.

Note: The initial view of the family tree shows the root individual (their kids, if any, are on the left) and their parents and grandparents are on the right. Counting the root individual, the parents, and the grandparents make up 3 generations. Clicking on any of the arrows shown on the right will reveal two more generations (for a total of five generations). Any individual up through the fifth generation of ancestors should have shown up automatically using Method One stated previously.

Step Four: Click on any green temple icons you find to show any temple ordinances that may need to be completed. - Click the following link for detailed instructions on what you need to do to reserve those names and prepare them to take to the temple.

Note: As shown in the following chart, the different colors of the temple indicate different levels of progress. You are looking for opportunities highlighted by the green temple icon (shown in #2 below).

Note: Depending on your how familiar you are with FamilySearch, you could easily follow the yellow temple icons to provide additional information, rule out potential duplicated efforts, or research other options to convert many of the opportunities indicated by the yellow temple icons. Doing so would turn these yellow icons green and would create additional names you could take to the temple. However, it is beyond the scope of this post to provide any additional instruction on how to turn names highlighted with yellow icons into green opportunities.

If you were not able to find any opportunities using this first two methods, don't give up yet. There is another fairly easy approach to finding family names to prepare for temple ordinances. The next approach uses a sister-program of FamilySearch called Puzilla and is sure to uncover the names of many of your ancestors who are still waiting for their temple work to be completed.

Click the following link to learn how to Find Family Names for the Temple using Puzilla.org.

Registering to Use the New FamilySearch Web Site

If you use the new FamilySearch Web site, you need to register. To register, you need your membership record number and your confirmation date. You can get that information from your ward clerk.
Registration is a two-part process. To be able to see temple ordinance information and prepare temple ordinances for your ancestors, you need to identify yourself as a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. That is why you need your membership record number and your confirmation date.
In the second part of the process, you will choose a sign-in name and a password that you can use for the new FamilySearch Web site.
Every effort is made to ensure that your personal information is protected. Please see the FamilySearch privacy policy for more information. You will find a link to this policy at the bottom on the Home page in the new FamilySearch Web site.

Part 1. Identifying Yourself as a Church Member

To register for the new FamilySearch Web site, you must be a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. When you register, you need to enter your membership record number and confirmation date to validate your Church membership.

1. Go to https://new.familysearch.org/.
2. If you want to register using a different language from the one shown on the page, click the language drop-down list, and click the language you want.
The language drop-down list is located in the upper-right corner of the page. FamilySearch is available in English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, German, Chinese, Japanese, and Korean.
The Welcome page is displayed in the language that you select. The registration pages are also displayed in this language.
3. On the Welcome page, click Register for the new FamilySearch.
You will find this link beneath the fields for the sign-in name and password.
A pop-up screen appears.

Note: If you click New users register here and nothing happens, your pop-up blocking software might be blocking this page. Try turning your pop-up blocking software off. Your computer may use several programs that block pop-ups. For more information, click Click here if nothing happens when you attempt to register.

4. Enter the requested information, including the text that appears in the box as a security measure.

a. Enter your membership record number.

b. Enter your confirmation date.

c. Enter the letters and numbers from the picture into the blank field.

In this picture, which is called a “captcha,” the text is purposely difficult to read. A captcha is a security measure that prevents people from using automated methods to guess valid membership record numbers and confirmation dates.

5. Click Continue.

The system finds the name of the individual whose Church membership record matches the membership record number and confirmation date that you entered.

6. Review the information, and indicate if it is you.

• If it is you, click Yes—Continue.

• If it is not you, click No, and reenter your membership record number, confirmation date, and the text that appears in the box as a security measure.

Part 2. Entering Your Registration Information

After you have validated your Church membership, you can finish the registration process. Among other tasks, you agree to the conditions of use, select your sign-in name (user name) and password, and indicate what contact information the new FamilySearch Web site should display about you. You can also print your registration information for future reference.

1. Read the conditions of use.

2. Click I Agree.
(If you do not agree, you will not be allowed to register.)
Your user profile appears.
3. Fill out your user profile.
Some information on your user profile appears automatically because it is on your Church membership record. Fields with an asterisk (*) are required.
a. Review the address shown in the Membership record address field. If you choose to have the new FamilySearch Web sites display your mailing address, this is the address that will be displayed.
b. (Optional.) If you want to display a different address, uncheck Use this address to contact me for FamilySearch purposes. Then enter the mailing address that you would like to use if anyone, including a support office, needs to contact you by mail.
If the address in the membership record address field is incorrect, your Church membership record contains an incorrect address. Please ask your ward or branch membership clerk to correct your membership record. After the clerk adds your correct address to your Church membership record, the correct address automatically appears in your user profile. If you want the system to display your correct address before your membership record is corrected, enter the address that you want displayed.
c. If the Phone field is blank, enter your telephone number.
FamilySearch Support will use your telephone number if they need to talk to you to resolve a question or problem that you send using the Feedback feature.
d. (Optional.) Enter your e-mail address in the E-mail address field.
e. (Optional.) In the Enter e-mail again field, enter your e-mail address again.
f. Click Continue.

Tip: If you later want to display a different address, if you get a different e-mail address, or if you change your mind about how much contact information you want to display, you will be able to make changes in your user profile and preferences.
4. Enter a sign-in name for yourself, and click Continue.
Your sign-in name must contain between 3 and 36 characters. You will not be able to change your sign-in name after you complete the registration process. If you forget your sign-in name, you will be able to use your membership record number and confirmation date to retrieve it. Because you use your sign-in name often, you may want to choose a sign-in name that is not too long.
5. Enter your password twice, and click Continue.
Your password must contain at least 8 characters. At least one character must be a letter, and at least one must be a number. You will be able to change your password after you register. If you forget it, you can use your sign-in name and the password recovery questions that you select in the next step to retrieve it.
6. Select your password recovery questions.
If you forget your password, the system asks 2 of the 3 questions that you select here. If you answer them correctly, you can select a new password. If you forget your password and then find that you have forgotten the answers to your password recovery questions, you will need to contact a support office for help.
a. Click the drop-down list, and click a question whose answer is easy for you to remember and won’t change.
b. In the field beneath the drop-down list, enter an answer for the question.
c. Repeat these steps for the remaining password recovery questions.
d. Click Continue.
Note: You will be able to select different password recovery questions after you register.
7. Enter a contact name for yourself, and click Continue.

Your contact name is the name other users see when you contribute or correct information. When you choose a contact name, follow these guidelines:
• Many people use their real name as their contact name. This makes contacting other users easier. If, however, you want to be more anonymous, choose a contact name that does not contain your name.
• Do not use diacritics or periods in your contact name.
If you later change your mind about your contact name, you can change it by going to your user profile.
8. Click the box for each type of contact information that you would like the Web sites to display for each piece of information that you contribute. You have these choices:
• Contact name (required).
• Full name.
• E-mail address.
Note: If you are younger than 18 years, you will not be able to display your e-mail address.
• Mailing address.
• Telephone number.

Providing contact information allows other people who are doing research on lines that connect with yours to contact you and share information they have gathered.

9. Click Continue.
10. Review the information that you provided.
• If you find errors, click the Edit link that is next to the information you want to change. After you correct the information, you will need to click through the registration screens until you see the summary page once again.
• (Optional.) To print a copy of the summary page, click Print.

Tip: Your password and the answers to your password recovery questions do not appear on the summary page, nor will they be printed. If you are concerned that you will forget this information, write it on the printout. Then store this printout in a place where you can find it again if needed and where it will be protected from others seeing it.
11. Click Done.

You are registered to use the new FamilySearch Web site. The Home page appears.

Class Notes on Puzilla.org

Ancestry view vs. Descendancy view

Using Descendancy view, Look for individuals without children…especially whole families with no children listed. Did these individuals actually have no children, or are they missing / unlinked? (Yellow indicates an individual died before 16 so "no children" is a likely outcome, but what about the others?) (Gray square were born within the last 110 years and require permission from nearest living direct descendants.)

Hover over an individual to see details. Click on that individual to lock the pop-up menu options for that individual. (Use the individual button, not the main menu on left.)

How many people on a chart does it take to make up 100 new ordinances? (Baptism, Initiatory, Endowment, Seal to spouse, Seal to parents, Seal to each child. -- A family of 4 children can include 18+3+1+2 = 24 ordinances. We could get to 400 ordinances by finding 16 families.

Use "Targets" to help you highlight potential areas for work. (Targets already incorporates 110-year limits and "died before 16" so you can turn those off to better identify beginning points).

You can add a geographic location and a date range "1820-1860" to further focus on a potential "Sweet Spot" for beginners.

Clicking on "View in Family Tree" takes you out of Puzilla and into the Family Tree records in Family Search.

Clicking on "Search Records" on right takes us to the "records" section and creates a search form on the left. From here you can browse documents, personal information, or other potential leads to unlinked documents.

Link matching records to grow your tree.

Youth may need to go back 7 generations or even 8. Each new generation doubles the number of potential leads. With each couple having an average of 4-6 children, there is a lot of room for new potential targets. (NOTE: Don't go back too far as each new generation doubles the amount of work Puzilla needs to do and may freeze the system.) Instead of trying to go back 12 generations, pick a new ancestor back about 6 generations and look at their 6-generation chart.

Advanced Features of Puzilla.org cost $39.95 / year and currently include: Hints, Sources, Possible Duplicates, Ordinances

How to prepare family names for the temple in 5 easy steps

This post is taken from an article by Breanna Olaveson at UtahValley 360 Magazine

Members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints are finishers. Mormons are a fully invested bunch, serving full–time missions, paying a full tithe and striving for the full and abundant life. But there’s one aspect of gospel living many Church members are doing only halfway.

“Temple and family history work is one work divided into two parts,” Elder Richard G. Scott said.“They are connected together like the ordinances of baptism and the gift of the Holy Ghost.”

Attending the temple is great, but bringing the names of deceased family members to the temple allows Church members to fully participate in all the blessings of the temple. If you’re not sure how to go about preparing names for the temple, here’s how in five easy steps. (For more detailed instructions, see this resource from LDS.org.)

1. Identify your ancestors

First, identify the names of ancestors who have not yet received all their temple ordinances. (Photo courtesy FamilySearch.org)

This is the first and most difficult part of the process. Genealogical research can be complicated and time-consuming, but resources like FamilySearch.org and Provo-based Ancestry.com can help.

But before you jump into piles of census records, check your existing family tree. Your family members may have already done the hard part for you. Many family trees have people identified who are waiting for someone to do the temple work.

Log on to FamilySearch.org using your LDS account, then click on “Family Tree.” As you add people to your family tree through your own research and browse through previously identified names, look for the green arrow pointing to the temple icon on FamilySearch.org’s Family Tree. This means the names are prepared for temple work.

(Note: You can also click “Temple” and check the “Opportunities” tab for names that are ready.)

2. Reserve temple ordinances

(Photo courtesy FamilySearch.org)

Click on the green arrow to open the “Reserve Temple Ordinances” page. Here you will be able to review what ordinances need to be done and whether there are any possible duplicates.

Work from this screen to resolve errors and duplicates before you proceed. Press “Continue” when you’re ready.

When you do, you will notice a statement of Church Policy. Review this page carefully before proceeding to ensure you are in compliance with Church guidelines. Church members are discouraged from submitting the names of people they aren’t related to, including the names of famous people, Jewish Holocaust victims or names gathered from unapproved extraction projects. If a person was born within the last 110 years, special permissions are required. When you are sure you are in compliance with Church policy, check the box indicating so and continue.

3. Choose cards you’d like to print

(Photo from FamilySearch.org)

On the next page, choose which ordinances you’d like to reserve by checking the boxes next to them. By doing so, you are taking responsibility for their completion. Only choose as many ordinances as you can be sure to finish in a reasonable amount of time. Click “Print.”

4. Print Family Ordinance Request form

(Photo by FamilySearch.org)

You will need Adobe Reader to print the request form. Choose ordinances you’d like to print and check to make sure they are included in the form that comes on the screen. When you’re sure you have all the ordinances listed, print the form.

5. Go to the temple

Bring the printed Family Ordinance Request form with you to the temple. Take the sheet to the Recorder’s office, where temple workers will print pink, blue or yellow ordinance cards for you to take as you stand proxy in the ordinances.

If you have a lot of cards, you can distribute these cards to family members or request that the temple distribute them to be completed by patrons.

As Church members bring their own names to the temple, they more fully participate in the blessings that come from temple worship.

“When we research our own lines we become interested in more than just names or the number of names going through the temple,” said President Boyd K. Packer. “Our interest turns our hearts to our fathers—we seek to find them and to know them and to serve them. In doing so we store up treasures in heaven.”

Notes & Links for FamilySearch.com

1. AN OVERVIEW
1. FAMILY TREE
1. Tree
1. Different Views (Landscape, Portrait, Fan, Descendancy)
2. Four Icons - Record Hints, Research Suggestions, Data Problems, Request Ordinances

Tips button -

2. Person
1. Different Tabs (Details, Memories, Ordinances)
2. Other (Watch, View My Relationship)

2. MEMORIES
3. SEARCH
4. INDEXING (Another Lesson)
5. TEMPLE
6. "YOUR NAME"
1. Get them to come to you - Updating your contact information (under settings: contact)
7. GET HELP
1. Free Account to other tools like (Ancestry.com
1. Click "Get Help" in the top right corner
2. Select "Help Center" from the drop down options
3. Scroll down and select the "Partners" icon
4. Next to "Our Partners" click the "Open" drop list
5. Select which new account you want to create
1. Ancestry
2. MyHeritage
3. findmypast
4. Family.me
5. AmericanAncestors
6. Other Partners Includes partners (many of which are free) other sites, software, charts, tree analysis, stories and photos, and more.
6. Follow the instructions provided for that specific partner
2. Contacting Help: Phone: 1-866-406-1830, Online chat, or email

2. GETTING STARTED
1. FamilySearch.org Introductions, Resources, & Learning Aids
1. An Overview page - https://familysearch.org/ask/gettingStarted
2. Learning Center - Courses, Videos, Specific Courses, Beginning Genealogy Courses "5 Minute Genealogy"
3. Help Center (Menu System)
4. Playing in the Sandbox (for the very early beginner). - Guided, hands on lessons and videos
5. Wiki
2. Other Resources
1. Willow Wood Ward HPG Blog - http://willowwoodhpg.blogspot.com/
2. Riverton Family Search Library Handouts and Guides - https://familysearch.org/ask/#/partners/
3. Puzilla.org - Coming back down the tree
3. THREE MAIN TASKS IN FAMILY SEARCH
1. FINDING NEW ANCESTORS / FILLING IN THE BLANKS
1. Search
2. Using outside sources (other databases like Ancestry.com)
2. FINDING TEMPLE ORDINANCES
1. Preparing a name for the temple - NOTE: FamilySearch only scans back as far as your great–great–grandparents, also looking at each of their spouses, their children, and their children’s spouses. - From <https://familysearch.org/temple/opportunities>
2. Reserving names: NOTE: There are nearly 12 million ordinance reservations held by FamilySearch patrons in Family Tree. Amazingly, 5% of FamilySearch patrons hold 60% of those reservations. From <https://familysearch.org/blog/en/releasing-reservations-years/>
3. CORRECTING MISTAKES
1. Finding proof
2. Attaching proof / Sourcing
1. If you can get a picture and a citation, you have an unbreakable source.
2. If you have a link (url), although it will break someday if it is not from FamilySearch, you will have easy access to the source until it does break.
3. Having a picture, citation and a link is the best.
4. REACHING OUT TO OTHER USERS FOR INFORMATION

One Week. One Hundred Thousand Volunteers. Come Help “Fuel the Find*” Around the World!

The Worldwide Indexing Event is coming August 7-14, 2015, and this year it’s one week long! Join volunteers from around the world to help “Fuel the Find”*. You have one week to participate by indexing at least one batch in the language of your choice. If you are fluent in a non-English language, challenge yourself by helping to index in that language. We are especially looking for help indexing French, Italian, Portuguese and Spanish records.

Learn More

Some of the Amazing Blessings from Family History