Family History Work for Beginners

I am about to approach perhaps one of the most feared subjects among Latter Day Saints: genealogy. If you feel like you are too busy, like it’s too hard and complicated, or that you have no idea where to start, let me assure you, you are not alone! I felt that way in the beginning too. Don't freak out, you're normal.

What's the point?

Why should we even do family history anyways? First of all you need to recognize that these are real people. They aren't just names on a screen in front of you, THEY ARE YOUR FAMILY. If you are married, think about how much you love your spouse and children. If you aren't married, think of your desire to marry your eternal companion in the temple and the excitement you have to start a family of your own. The people you do family history work for feel the exact same way you do. They love their family, they want to be with them forever, but they can't because they didn't know about the gospel on earth. They didn't have the chance to be sealed in the temple. That breaks my heart. Can you imagine living in the next life but your little brother got lost somewhere along the line? And the only hope you had were people on earth to find him and seal him to you and your family? Our ancestors are desperately waiting for us. We are their only hope. 

“When you were baptized, your ancestors looked down on you with hope. … They rejoiced to see one of their descendants make a covenant to find them. Their hearts are bound to you. Their hope is in your hands.”

~ Henry B. Eyring, Hearts Bound Together, Conference April 2005

Common Misconceptions:

1.     “Great Aunt Edna already did all the genealogy work”. This is the most false statement I have ever heard. Even if your line can be traced all the way back to Adam and Eve, you probably still have a ton to do. What people often forget is that almost everyone has kids, and their kids have kids, and their kids have kids and it literally branches on for forever. There is ALWAYS more work to do.

2.     “Genealogy is for old people”. Family history work is for everyone. Teenagers tend to be spending many hours of their day using technology, giving them a great background to figure out one of the easiest websites out there. We all need the blessings of family history work, old and young.

3.     “Family history work is boring”. People who think this, haven’t actually done genealogy. I love family history work because it feels like solving a mystery or a puzzle. You piece together families using historic documents and when you find the names and link everything together you feel an overwhelming peace and joy that you could never feel anywhere else. The spirit of Elijah will catch you and you will LOVE to do your ancestors’ work.

4.     “Going to the temple is enough”. Temple attendance is very important, but doing your own family name will intensify the glorious sacredness of the experience. President Howard W. Hunter said:

“There are some members who engage in temple work but fail to do family history research on their own family lines. Although they perform a divine service in assisting others, they lose a blessing by not seeking their own kindred dead as divinely directed by latter-day prophets. . . . I have learned that those who engage in family history research and then perform the temple ordinance work for those whose names they have found will know the additional joy of receiving both halves of the blessing.”

-President Howard W. Hunter, “A Temple-Motivated People,” Ensign, February 1995, 4–5

Where Do I Start?

Always start with a prayer. When I forget to start with a prayer, I end up frustrated, stressed out, and I get nowhere. Pray for the spirit to be with you, pray for comfort when you feel overwhelmed, pray for the time you need, pray for revelation, and pray for your ancestors to be with you. If you pray for all of those things, you will, with patience, find a name and you will feel one of the best feelings you have ever felt in your life. I promise you that.

Having a desire is key to doing this work. If you don’t have the desire, get the desire. Pray, read scriptures, read talks, do whatever it takes to get excited- it’s worth it. However, the best way to get excited is by exploring family search and digging into the work. Overcome any negative thoughts and humble yourself to think “Why not me? Why can’t I be the one to do this missionary work instead of expecting and relying on others to do it?” Elder Richard G. Scott said:

“But what about you? Have you prayed about your own ancestors’ work? Set aside those things in your life that don’t really matter. Decide to do something that will have eternal consequences. Perhaps you have been prompted to look for ancestors but feel you are not a genealogist. Can you see that you don’t have to be anymore? It all begins with love and a sincere desire to help those beyond the veil who can’t help themselves. Check around. There will be someone in your area who can help you have success.”

~Richard G. Scott, The Joy of Redeeming the Dead, Conference October 2012

My wonderful Bishop works for the church and is constantly improving and working on Family Search. Below is the list he made that is a simple tour of Family Search. Once you familiarize yourself with how to use the website, family history work becomes a piece of cake.

A Simple Tour of FamilySearch

•   Go to FamilySearch.org

•   Click “Sign In” in the upper right hand corner and enter your LDS Account user name and password.  If you do not have an account, click “Create an Account”

•   Click on Fan Chart to see how much family history exists for your line. 

•   Click on the FamilySearch logo at the top left to return to the home page

•   Click on Photos to see photos that you have already uploaded.  Then click “People” on the gray menu to see pictures of all of you relatives that have been uploaded

•   Click on the FamilySearch logo at the top left to return to the home page

•   Click FamilyTree to see your online pedigree. Click on your name. A little box with your name will appear on the screen.  Click on “Person” in the bottom right hand corner to see or edit information about you

•    Click the down-arrow next to the “Tree” menu item that is just below the FamilySearch logo.  This will take you back to your tree.

•   If your tree goes back more than more than two generations, you will see arrows pointing to the right on the right hand side of the screen.  Click on the arrows to walk back through your tree (you may need to click on the gray area of the pedigree and drag the pedigree to the left to see the additional white boxes).  Each white box represents a set of parents.

•   As you move your mouse pointer over each white box, it tells you if their temple work is complete.  It also shows additional arrows around the box that will allow you to see their children or other spouses.

•   On the pedigree, click on the name of any ancestor that is dead (preferably some who lived in the late 1800’s).  When the box comes up, click “Person” in the bottom right side of the box.

•   Now on the right hand side of the screen you will see a section entitled “Research Help”.   Inside of this section is a link called “Search Records”.  When you click this link, FamilySearch will search through billions of names looking for information about this particular person.  It will open a new tab in your browser and show you all of the records that were found as a result of you search.

•   If you see a record that looks like a possible match, click on the name listed on the record.  This will take you to a new tab that summarizes the data found in that record.

•   In Family History work it is important to keep record of your findings.  You can attach this record to the person in you pedigree.  You have two options: 1) Just click “Attach to Family Tree” (on the right side of your screen) and then select the name of the person to attach to, or click; or 2) FamilySearch has something called a Source Box where you can store Sources that you are investigating.  You can click “Add to My Source Box” and the record you just found will be placed in your Source Box for later use.

•   Up on the Main menu click “Temple”.  This is where you go to see any names you have submitted to the temple.  In the upper right hand side of the screen you will see a sub menu entitled “Opportunities”, click it.  This shows possible names in your tree that may be ready for temple work.

What if I’m still Confused?

If you are still feeling uncertain about your genealogy skills, go to your ward family history consultants! They love helping you and would be so happy to guide you through it step by step. There are also family search missionaries online you can chat with, family history centers, and tons of online tutorials. Most importantly, have faith- believe in yourself! If you have negative thoughts fill your head, push them out and let it go. Having a positive attitude is key. When you start finding information the spirit of Elijah will hit you so strongly, and you will get very excited and feel a joy you have yet to experience in your life.

What’s in it for me?

The blessings of family history work are literally endless. Every person you find will become a guardian angel in your behalf. Even the joy alone of finding a family and doing their ordinances is worth it. Accomplishing something you thought was so hard and impossible is an amazing feeling as well. Here is a list of blessings that lds.org gives:

1.    Find protection from the adversary. 

2.    Receive assistance in all the affairs of life.

3.    Bring your family closer together.

4.    Deepen your conversion .

5.    Experience light and knowledge through the Holy Ghost 

http://www.lds.org/topics/family-history/family-history-brings-power-to-the-living?lang=eng

I have a very strong testimony that family history work needs to be a part of our daily lives. As I have found my ancestors and taken their names to the temple, I have gained the best friends I have ever had.  These people are real; they are your family. When you die, you will be surrounded and encircled by your ancestors who love you and appreciate you making their exaltation possible. You will find that you love these dear family members as much as they love you. Gaining these heavenly relationships is the best protection available and you will find more joy, peace, comfort, and help in your life as you do their sacred work. You can do it. These people are worth every sacrifice. The resources around you are endless and if you have the desire, and you commit yourself to this missionary work, how great will be your joy.