The Miscellaneous Question Post

I had some large questions, and still have a few.  But there were also some short little questions that can be answered in 10 words or less.  So, this post is dedicated to you, Asker-of-the-Short-Question.

Should I buy a family tree program?

Yes and no.  You should get some sort of family tree program.  It makes everything a ton easier.  But, like we learned a few questions ago, there are free versions.  Don't buy one unless you have discretionary spending.  Much like our current national budget, most of us don't have that.

Can you do Family History FHEs?

Most certainly can.  Ask your FHE parents to set it up, and we can do that.

When will the FamilySearch Tree System come out?

To quote Hamm from Toy Story, "They're here!  Birthday guests at three o'clock!"  The program is out.  And I am quite excited for it.  For those who don't know, FamilySearch Tree is a program that seeks to make it easier to resolve duplications and wrongful merges, which is one of the weakest points of New FamilySearch (which was phased in from 2009 to 2010).  So now, there's FamilySearch, New FamilySearch and Tree.  All are functioning FamilySearch programs and all are useful, and all have different emphases.

Can we do activities on Sundays?

These are in the works.  We were going to have them at this time, but then we didn't want to interfere with Nursing Home Singing, and then we were going to have them at that time, but didn't want to interfere with choir practice, and then we were going to have them before choir practice, but that's when Missionary Prep is.  So, we're working on it.

Can I find names without paying for ancestry?

Yes, you can.  FamilySearch has A LOT of records which you can access for free, and you can also find info on findagrave.com, ellisisland.org, castlegarden.org, and other websites.  Furthermore, you can use ancestry without paying!  (WOOT!)  BYU has an agreement with ancestry that you can use ancestry on campus for free.  Furthermore, there are a lot of microfilmed records in the HBLL Family History Library.  And Salt Lake City has the largest repository of Family History records in the world! There are lots of free resources.

So, that's all for now folks.  Provo YSA 18 Family History Committee signing off.  I need more questions.  So, comment, or email, or track me down.  Something like that.

What do I do if family history is "done" in my family?

This is probably the most common concern that I hear (I being Hannah).  But, the great thing is, it's not actually a real concern!  Because it's not true for two reasons.

1) If your family history was "done," mine would be too.  Eventually, we're all related, so if you haven't found me yet and haven't finished my work yet, you're not done.  If you have finished my work, please give me that information.  It would save me a lot of time and effort.   If your family history is so far back that it is too challenging for a beginner, start going laterally.  The parents of your great-grandfather's sister's husband are your family too.  Don't feel limited to the direct line.  There could be some much more recent, much easier family history if you go sideways and down.

2) Your grandparents having found a name doesn't make that family history done for you.  Remember that a huge part of family history is building a link and familial relations with our ancestors.  Ask for that info from your grandparents so that you can have it, so that you can find journals and anecdotes and such for those people, and so that you can build a relationship with them.  This is almost more important than the date-finding.  (Disclaimer: date-finding is important too, because if you didn't have the dates, the names couldn't go to the temple).

So, no.  You're not done.  And you won't be done until the end of the millennium.  So, have fun!

How do you do family history on an estranged side of the family?

So, this post will not be as applicable to our bred-in-the-church, born-to-two-pioneer-stock-parents crowd.  But, some of you really don't fall in that category.  And it can be a real barrier to family history.  However, here are the best ideas I can come up with, and maybe others can give more ideas as well. 

Firstly, see what you do know.  If you know some bits and pieces, it becomes the same idea as doing family history in the 1800s.  No one knows that stuff, you just have to piece it together from records.  If you have enough info to do it that way, then go for it. 

The second thought depends on how estranged, and why.  So, this may not be applicable depending on your circumstances.  You can use family history as the means of un-estranging.  Instead of thinking, in order to do family history, I need to create a relationship with that side of the family.  A lot of families have been brought back together BY and THROUGH family history.  Family history is not something that only members of the church want.  Just as everyone is born with the Light of Christ, everyone is born with the Spirit of Elijah (see Elder Nelson's talk from October 2009).  The Spirit of Elijah is the inherent and inbred desire to connect with your family, and to know where you came from.  It's an insatiable desire that has been present throughout history and throughout cultures.  Different cultures expressed it different ways, but lineage has always been an obsessive force throughout history.  That's the Spirit of Elijah.  The idea that who you are, and where you come from actually matters. 

With that in mind, sometimes it's helpful to get a little spark of family history.  Maybe a census record of your grandparent, or some tidbit.  Give it to that side of the family.  Present it outside of religious context (because it's more than that).  Say, "Look what I found out about your dad!  Do you have any other info about him?  I really want to learn who he was."  The Spirit of Elijah is a powerful force! Use it.

This is the Provo YSA 18th Ward Family History Committee, signing off.  Next week's question, "What do I do if the family history is 'done?'"