* To get on New Family Search (NFS) you need your membership number and confirmation date
http://www.new.familysearch.org
* You will create a log in ID and password that gives you access to your family tree
There are online tutorials to help you navigate and use the site
* Information on New Family Search gathered from IGI, Ancestral File, Vital Records Index (some from extraction, some from member submissions = lots of inaccuracies and even more duplications)
* NFS has great features like possible duplicates, timeline, maps, and help windows
You can correct information, dispute (use discouraged because locks entry), add new individuals, families, and GEDCOMS (no more than 10 or so individuals, please!)
* NFS is the perfect place to start your research if you haven’t already. But where do you go from here?
• Keep your personal files on a genealogy program - can download PAF for free at: http://www.familysearch.org/eng/default.asp?page=home/welcome/simplePAFRegistration.asp
• Or purchase a better program (I recommend Reunion for Mac and RootsWeb for Windows, but there are a lot out there)
• At this point best place to download GEDCOM files from is Old Family Search Ancestral File or a relative’s data (if you need help with this see ward specialists)
WHERE DO I START DOING ACTUAL RESEARCH?
Censuses are generous sources of genealogical information – In U.S. taken every 10 years beginning in 1790 (though early censuses more statistical than genealogical)
Individuals enumerated beginning 1850
1890 census destroyed years ago
1940 census will be available in 2012 (72 yr privacy law)
In British Isles taken every ten years beginning 1841
• U.S. 1880 – index free at Old Family Search – links to image at Ancestry.com- http://www.familysearch.org/eng/search/frameset_search.asp?PAGE=census/search_census.asp
• U.S. 1790 through 1930 (partial) indexes and images available free through Salt Lake County library website (just need a library card) http://www.slco.lib.ut.us/rpa/webauth.exe?rs=heritage
• U.S. 1850, 1860, 1870, 1880 (index only), 1900, 1920 (index only) available free at http://search.labs.familysearch.org/recordsearch/start.html#r=-1;p=allCollections
• U.S. 1790 through 1930 indexes (free) and images (subscription) available at Ancestry.com at Family Search Labs Record Collections (entered on FamilySearchIndexing) http://www.ancestry.com/search/rectype/census/usfedcen/default.aspx
• Ancestry.com has tried to reconstruct data for 1890 from various documents. This “census substitute available (index free, records subscription at http://www.ancestry.com/search/rectype/census/1890sub/main.aspx
• U.K. and Canada 1881 available at Old Family Search http://www.familysearch.org/eng/search/frameset_search.asp?PAGE=census/search_census.asp
• England and Wales 1841 and 1861 free at Family Search Labs Record Search http://search.labs.familysearch.org/recordsearch/start.html#r=1;p=allCollections
• Pretty complete census and voter lists for England and Wales available at Ancestry.com (again, indexes free, records subscription) http://search.ancestry.com/search/CardCatalog.aspx#ccat=hc%3D25%26dbSort%3D1%26title%3D%26keyword%3Dengland%26filter%3D0*35%26
So many records available beyond this on these same sites and countless others! Explore at:
www.ancestry.com
http://search.labs.familysearch.org/recordsearch/start.html#start
http://www.archives.gov/genealogy/
https://www.myfamily.com/
http://www.worldvitalrecords.com/
http://genealogy.about.com/od/records/Genealogy_Records_Databases.htm
It’s also really great to explore the online catalog for the downtown family history library http://www.familysearch.org/eng/Library/FHLC/frameset_fhlc.asp
Best ways to start are with surname searches and place searches for wherever your ancestor was from – this will bring up all sorts of records NOT available online.
