FamilySearch tip

I've noticed that one of the ways that we genealogists sabotage our results is by not knowing all the ways, or even some of the ways, that a website can help us find our family.

Take the website FamilySearch (www.familysearch.org). Most people are aware that you can use this website to search for ancestors but then if they don't find anyone they give up on the site altogether.

One of the most important aspects of this site is that you can look through the Family History Library catalog. This will help you identify resources that you can then use to help you find your ancestors.

When using the Family History Library Catalog and conducting a place search in the Family History Library Catalog, type in the state first then click on “view related places” this will bring you to the county level. Once you are at the county level you can click on “view related places” again and see what holdings the Family History Library has on the city or town level.

Also: If there is a resource on the Family History Library Catalog that you need but it does not circulate to Family History Centers then fill out a “Request for Photocopies” form. Fill in the title of the resource and then ask that the index be copied for your surname of interest. The Family History Library will copy that page of the index and mail it to you. If one of your ancestor’s is in the index then you can ask for that particular page to be copied. This service costs $4.00, it can be more depending how many pages you request. If they don’t find you surname they will issue you a credit.