Janice started doing family history "back in the day" when computers weren't so prevalent. The work was time-consuming, and it was easy to duplicate efforts and difficult to catch errors or share information. Today, things are different. It's easy and fun to get into family history work!
Janice told about a dream she had, wherein she met some of her ancestors who asked her, "What have you been doing that's keeping you from doing our genealogy?" And she told them, "I've been teaching cake decorating at the YWCA!" Seeing the shocked looks on their faces was the end of the dream. Janice stopped teaching the cake decorating classes and started doing family history work when she could. Later, she was called to teach a family history class in Katy, Texas. She felt she didn't know enough to teach, but she figured it out.
In recent years, Janice has had so much fun putting together two binders filled with family history records and photos. She labeled them "A Journey to Forever." She included birth, marriage, and death certificates, family photos, pedigree charts, family group sheets, and even photos of family pets and the houses where they'd lived.
Linda Jones introduced the new Family Tree program. (The Church's new Family Search program is transitioning to Family Tree.) To get started, you go to familysearch.org. Log in with your LDS Account if you have one. You get to a window like this:
From the main FamilySearch page, you can click the Family Tree link (along the top of the screen) to get to the new Family Tree program, where it's easier than ever to find and fix information. It's a new program, and there are still some bugs being worked out; if you use it, you can be at the cutting edge and submit feedback about how to make it better.
Terri asked if Family Tree is just for LDS people. It isn't, but you do need an LDS Account to use it. People who aren't LDS can create an LDS Account; it just won't have links for temple ordinances. Pat DeBry said it's so important to document where you get your information--and Family Tree makes that easy to do. Documenting sources will help reduce the inaccuracy of the information that it out on the Church web sites and combine duplicate information. Your information will always be there; people can't "mess it up." If you see family names that have been reserved by someone for an unusually long time without the temple work being done, there's a way to contact the person who reserved the names, so you can work together in getting temple work done. Linda said she entered some information about her 4th-great grandfather, and suddenly someone contacted her to see if she'd like to work with him on family history. It was her distant cousin--and he lives right over by the pool.
You can also get information by clicking the Help link at the top right of the familysearch.org web site.
Family history is a great way to bring families together. Sharon Beaty works for the Church movie production agency. She said that FamilySearch has literally changed people's lives. The Church is evolving and placing such a focus on doing family names for temple work; that's because there is great power in family history, especially for the youth. Sister Beck said there is no better way to get closer to your children than to go to the temple together.
"There are two curious phrases used in the Old Testament: when a man passed away he was 'gathered to his people' or 'gathered to his fathers.' Those phrases were, in a sense, euphemisms for 'died'--a nicer, softer way to express the stark reality of death...
"The notion of being gathered to his people or his fathers is a clear hint that all of us will, upon leaving this mortal world, come face to face with 'our people,' our ancestors. The phrase 'gathered to our fathers' is also a subtle hint that we should do something about that relationship while still here in mortality. The scriptures poignantly present to use the divine injunction to be about our Father's business, and about our ancestors' business--to know their names, and to know something of their lives. As we come to know them, we come to love them and appreciate them. Time spent getting acquainted with them is one way we honor them." --Dr. Kelly Odgen
If you're interested in doing family history--even if it's only a little bit right now--please use the abundant Church resources online or contact one of our ward family history specialists. They would love to help!
