Family History and LDS Genealogy

There are many places that you can go to learn about genealogy. Your local library or historical society can be a valuable place to start. You can even learn online without having to leave your house. One of the most treasured places to start or continue your research is through FamilySearch.

FamilySearch is owned by the Mormon Church, which is also known as Latter Day Saints (LDS). They are the leader in collecting and obtaining genealogy sources and have the largest collection in the world. The Granite Mountain facility known as The Vault, contains over 2.4 million rolls of microfilm and 1 million microfiche and increases in size every year by 40,000+ rolls. The LDS Church is in the process of making the information available digitally to everyone.

The Best Family History Research Repository

They have several libraries that contain a large amount of their microfilms, genealogy books, and more. The main Family History Library (FHL) is in Utah, where they have an extraordinary facility with computers, microfilm viewers, books, and more. If you have never been, it really is the place to go to do lots of research and learn in a facility that is equipped to handle a variety of genealogical needs.

They realize that not everyone can get to their libraries, so they have extended a large part of their collection to be viewable at local Family History Centers (FHC) which can be found in almost every county in the United States and around the world. You can view online what sources, what can be ordered, and viewed at your local FHC. Both FHL and FHC's have experienced genealogists that will help you with your research and educational needs. Everyone that works at these facilities are volunteers and are happy to assist you.

Online Classes are Available When You Have Time

FHL now has classes available online, so you can educate yourself where ever you are in the world (as long as you have internet access), at a time that is convenient for you. They offer a variety of classes. All of the classes can be accessed from the LDS website by clicking on Free Online Classes on the home page.

Help Make Genealogy Sources Available

Over the past several years, the FHL is using volunteers to help digitize their records. They know the importance of making these valuable sources available to the public for free. Anyone can contribute by becoming a FamilySearch indexer. If you have some extra time, join thousands of others who have contributed to making genealogy records available online. Thousands of records are indexed on a weekly basis that can be used by anyone.

What is a Wiki?

The internet is very useful for finding information quickly. The way we use computers evolves every year. People are uploading personal information on applications like Facebook and Twitter letting everyone know what they are up to in real-time. A Wiki is similar, in that you can find and add information in real-time.

FamilySearch is keeping up with the internet momentum by having their own Research Wiki. You can find genealogy research tools and learn information from a variety of sources. Anyone can contribute or edit an existing article. To use the site you can browse by topic or by country. Try it out, you might discover a newly found source or you can help by adding a link they don't already have.

Add Sources to Your Genealogy Tree

Most people do genealogy research whenever they can fit it in their busy lives, on evenings, holidays, weekends, and so forth. Whether you are a beginner or experienced researcher, building a solid heritage with sources is essential to preserving your pedigree. The information you discover can possibly be the legacy that you leave to your relatives, and to your grandchildren, so they can pick up where you left off with confidence, knowing they don't need to do the same research that you already have done. They can concentrate on filling in the gaps and extending the genealogy tree that you started.

We can help you build a documented tree, by adding Family Search sources directly to your personal website from our program. Try it for 100 days free, no credit card required.