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bring your stories to life

YOUR family history starts with YOU
Carol Rice
FamilyStorytelling.com

Snapshots: Start Where You Are

1. Dont catch up!

You may have a fresh start any moment you choose,

for this thing we call failure is not the falling down,

but the staying down.

2. Ideas for starting fresh:

Celebrations: How do you celebrate, what do you celebrate, what is the most recent celebration you had?
Changes: Did you have a change this year, in the size of your family, a death, a birth, a wedding, an adoption? Did you
move or change jobs?
Headlines: What are some of the national or world headlines that matter to you? Why do they capture your attention?
Travels: Where have you traveled this year, why did you travel, who did you travel with? Where do you want to travel, why?
Favorites: Food, Movie, Songs, Restaurants, Clothes, Flower, Scripture, Poem, Day, People, Thing to do, Place to sit, Why?
Profiles: The basics - age, physical description, address, parents, siblings, spouse, children, employment, schooling
A Day In The Life: For a week/month write down your daily routine.
Spaces and Places: Write down, or capture photos of where you live, the different places you go, include how you feel about
those places, why you go there, who you see there.
Dreams: What are your dreams, your hopes for you, for your posterity, why?
Social Media: If you use social media, there are some great ways to capture your snapshots shared through those platforms.
You thought you were just sharing with friends - capture it and youre doing family history while youre at it!

Creating A Family Library

1. Not someday, today.

There are seven days in a week

Someday is not one of them.

2. Wired for stories: Naked Truth

The truth is more important than the facts. ~Frank Lloyd Wright

3. Reference Books vs. Treasured Nuggets

Our lives are a collection of stories - a library of our own books.

4: Ideas for YOUR library

Story Topics:

Stories of Immigration
Unsung, or Reluctant Hero
A Love Story
War/Survivor Story
Pioneer/Farming Life
Rags to Riches
Sacrifices Made for Belief or Convictions
A Change In Plans
Hobbies, Holidays & Celebrations
Lessons About Life

Famous First Lines (for inspiration):

It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife. Jane Austen: Pride and Prejudice (1813)
All happy families are alike; each unhappy family is unhappy in its own way. Leo Tolstoy: Anna Karenina (1878)
It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity,
it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing
before us, we were all going direct to Heaven, we were all going direct the other way. Charles Dickens: A Tale Of Two Cities (1859)
It was a bright cold day in April, and the clocks were striking thirteen. George Orwell: Nineteen Eighty-Four (1949)
In my younger and more vulnerable years my father gave me some advice that Ive been turning over in my mind ever since. Whenever you feel like criticising
any one, he told me, just remember that all the people in this world havent had the advantages that youve had. F. Scott Fitzgerald: The Great Gatsby (1925)
The past is a foreign country: they do things differently there. L. P. Hartley: The Go-Between (1953)
There was no possibility of taking a walk that day. Charlotte Bront: Jane Eyre (1847)

Writing Is A Second Language

Lets Practice!
Pair & Share: Tell your story
Bullets: Outline story using key words from your story
Sentences: Set a timer, write for only 4-5 minutes
Images: Record images that might illustrate your story, for reference later (not now).
Repeat: Keep it going, how many 4-5 minute windows do you have throughout the day?
Keep in mind:
1. It is easier to write your story AFTER you have told your story. We learn to talk before we learn to write, sharing our stories
follows the same logic. Share your stories, then write them.
2. Start with a question to answer, its easier to tell a story that way, rather than just reciting facts. You can find lots of story
starters at FamilyStorytelling.com
3. The process takes less than 10 minutes for 1 question, with questions and a notepad on hand, you can write your story
anywhere, anytime!

bring your stories to life

YOUR family history starts with YOU

Carol Rice: FamilyStorytelling.com

Student Handout
Module 1: Family Tree
Basics and Navigation

1.0 INTRODUCTION

The Prophet Joseph Smith stated that, The greatest

responsibility in this world that God has laid upon us
is to seek after our dead. (History of the Church,
6:313)

2.0 FAMILY TREE ACCESS AND SETTINGS

2.1 Username and Password

To use Family Tree, go to

www.familysearch.org and sign in using
the same username and password that
you use for your LDS account.
Click on Family Tree

2.2 Modifying Settings

To modify your
personal settings, click
on your name in the
upper right corner of
the screen and click on Settings.
The Account tab shows your
username, birthdate,
Membership Record Number
and Helper Number. It also
allows you to change your
password.
The Contact tab shows your email address, phone number,
and address, and allows you to
select which contact
information is Public.
o We recommended that
you check the Public
box for both your e-

mail address and

country.
o Be sure to click Save.
The Notifications tab allows
users to select what e-mail
notifications they wish to
receive.
The Preferences tab allows
users to display or hide LDS
Temple Information and to
change the person in the main
position on Family Tree by
placing the desired Person ID
Number in the Starting Person
box.
The Connected Accounts tab
lists the partner providers with
which you have created an
account, such as:
o Ancestry
o findmypast
o MyHeritage

Note: Go to
familysearch.org/partneraccess to
sign-up for free access to any of
these three websites.
Note: Partner accounts you have
signed up for are listed. If you
want to discontinue the free
access to any of these accounts,
click on the

button.

3.0 NAVIGATING WITHIN FAMILY TREE

3.1

Basic Navigation

Review the Menu Headers in FamilySearch:

FamilySearch Iconlinks to the

home page and the various
functions and support helps of
FamilySearch.org and Family Tree.

Module 1: Family Tree Basics and Navigation

Family Treelinks to the

pedigree, details, and ordinances
of deceased individuals. There are
four ways to view the ancestors
of the person signed in to Family
Tree: Landscape, Portrait, Fan
Chart and Descendancy.
Landscape is the default view.
Memorieslinks to the
Memories Gallery for adding,
viewing and managing Memories.
Also links to People and Find
applications. The site currently
allows users to add four types of
memories: photos, documents,
stories, and audio. The People
option allows users to quickly see
photos submitted by anyone of
up to four generations of
ancestors and one generation of
descendants.
Searchlinks to the historical
records search screen.
Indexing this process makes
records searchable online. This
menu item is not covered in this
course, but can be easily accessed
in the system for more
information.
Templelists the ordinances you
have reserved for individuals and
families. Allows you to print
Family Ordinance Request (FOR)
forms, unreserve ordinance
requests and assign reserved
ordinances to a temple.

3.2

Pedigree Views

Demonstrate use of the Pedigree Views:

3.3

Note: By hovering your mouse over

an item in the header, options to
quickly navigate to a specific place
within that section will appear.

Landscape View
Fan Chart View
Portrait View
Descendancy View

Persons Summary Card

How to display and navigate from a

Persons Summary Card:

The Family Tree Menu bar:

previously viewed history list of

persons. Clicking on a name puts
that person in the main position
of the tree. The first person on
the history list is always the user
that is logged in.
Persondisplays the details page
of the last person displayed. Drop
down arrow shows previously
viewed history list of persons.
Clicking on a name opens the
details page for that person. The
first person on the history list is
always the user that is logged in.
Findfinds an ancestor within
Family Tree by name or ID
number.
Listslists the people you are
watching, as well as listing recent
changes made.
Whats Newlinks to the
FamilySearch Blog which lists
updates to the system.
Help Others (lifesaver icon)click
this icon to help other users.

Treetakes the user to the last

person shown in the main
position. Drop down arrow shows

The Summary Card lists the

persons name, vital information,
Person ID number, and status of the
persons temple ordinances.
Hover over the gray ordinance icons
with your mouse to display

Module 1: Family Tree Basics and Navigation

3.4

ordinance completion date and

temple
Click Tree to display this person in
the main position or click Person to
display the persons detail page.

4.2

Other Information

Other functionality in Family Tree:

Persons Detail Page

The purpose of each section on the Persons

Detail Page:

Life Sketch Brief biography of the

person
Vital Information Name, gender,
birth, christening, death and burial
information
Other Information Alternate
names and other specific facts
about the person
Family Members Details about
spouses, children, parents and
siblings
Sources Documentation of birth,
marriage, death, or other vital
information
Discussions and Notes Interaction
with other interested researchers
or family members

Watch
to
begin watching. To turn off
the Watch feature, click on
Unwatch

4.0 PRINTING AND OTHER

INFORMATION
4.1

Watch/Unwatch
o Receive an e-mail
notification when anyone
makes changes to a
specific individual in Family
Tree
o Turn on the Watch feature
for a specific individual,
either from their Summary
Card or from the Persons
page, by clicking on

When the star

is black,
you are watching the
individual.
View My Relationship
o Click on
to see
how you are related to the
individual.
Tips Icon
o

Printing Charts

Charts can be printed from the various

views:

Persons Page:
o Pedigree Charts
o Family Group Record
Landscape View
Portrait View
Fan Chart View

Click on
to view quick
tips specifically applicable
to the page or topic you
are on.
Messages Icon
o

Click on
in the
upper-right portion of the
screen to send a message
or communicate with
another user who may
have added or changed

Module 1: Family Tree Basics and Navigation

information on an ancestor
in FamilySearch.
Latest Changes
o A record of changes made
to an individuals
information. Changes can
be restored back to their
original state, if
appropriate. Click on

5.2

to see all the

changes that have been
made.

Tools
o

Quick Start From the

Users own person page,
clicking on Quick Start will
display four generations of
vital information similar to
what is found in the Family
Booklet.

5.3

5.0 UTILIZING GET HELP

Send Message Submit a problem or

question (Case) to Support for
response via e-mail
Find Local Help Lists your local
family history consultants and nearby
Family History Centers

Help Center Resources

Help Center Allows the user to
select help by topic
FAQs Commonly asked questions
are listed, along with a search box to
type in key words for policy
documents or for answers to other
questions

Learning Center Resources

The Learning Center displays online
courses, including Family Tree
training lessons and videos.

The Get Help button is used to access the Help

Center and other help resources, and is located in
the upper right corner of the FamilySearch screen.
The Get Help menu has two panels. The Contact
Us options on the right remain the same
wherever you are on FamilySearch, but the Self
Help options on the left are specific to the menu
tab you are currently on.

5.1

Contacting FamilySearch
Call Us Provides toll free numbers
to FamilySearch Support (U.S. is 1866-406-1830)
Live Chat Can choose Technical and
Product Support or Research
Assistance

2015 by Intellectual Reserve, Inc. All rights reserved. A service

provided by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Fun Family History Websites and Activities

Internet Site or Activity
findagrave.com
or
billiongraves.com
familysearch.org/campaign/discover
familysearch.org/pioneers
treeseek.com
puzilla.org
rootsmapper.com
roots-fb.cs.byu.edu
familysearch.org/partneraccess
familysearch.org/learn/wiki

Familysearch.org/apps
Load photos, documents, stories,
audio into FamilySearch

Description
Get pictures of headstones of ancestors, along with
other information
See what happened the year you were born
Find ancestors that came across the plains
Print 9-Gen fan charts and Name Clouds
Find cousins and missing ancestors
Find out where your ancestors came from
Find your famous ancestors
Sign up for free access to ancestry.com,
myheritage.com, and findmypast.com
Explore the many resources on the FamilySearch
Research WIKI. Get genealogical research advice, or
learn where to find record collections in our 81,360
articles
Explore various partner apps available.
Come to truly know your ancestors and feel the Spirit
of Elijah

Personal Histories Made Easy

It is easy to get started on your personal history. First, number the pages in a
spiral notebook from 1 to 70. Keep your notebook close by for a few weeks as you think
about the events of your life. When you remember an event that happened at age
eight, for example, jot down a few simple notes about that event on page 8 of your
notebook. When something comes to your mind that happened when you were 15, turn
to page 15 and write down a few simple notes about that event. Even though you may
not think of the events in a chronological order, the notes in the notebook will be listed in
chronological order. Then take your notebook and start writing your personal history
using your notes as an outline, filling in details as you go. The hardest part of writing a
personal history is to get started. So lets get started! It is simple and easy!

A life that is not documented is a

life that within a generation or two
will largely be lost memory.
(Elder Dennis B. Neuenschwander, April 1999)

BEYOND HINTS
ONLINE SEARCH STRATEGIES FOR BEGINNERS
Presented by: Crystal Beutler

Search with a Purpose:

Do you want to find out something specific or to you want to find out everything you can about a person?
Focus your search on what it is you want to know as opposed to just randomly searching for stuff.
Avoid searching for records that dont exist. Use the Wiki to help you determine out what records are
available prior to 1900 and where to find them.
Use the search tool in Ancestry to focus on specific databases.
Use a log to keep track of where you have searched and what you found there, to avoid running in circles.
(Use the form on the last page of this handout.)

Basic Search Tips

Begin with what you know. Look through the records you already have. Ask your relatives for documents
they might have in boxes and drawers. Obituaries, birth certificates, marriage announcements, etc.
Start small. Browse record collections. Look at the Wiki on Family Search and narrow down your search
area to a state, or county. Identify collections within the state or county which will alleviate wading through
records that produce no results.
Filter. Search with broad terms, then use filters to narrow the mates to those from specific collections such
as census reports, birth, marriages, or deaths, or locations. It makes it more manageable to view your search
results.
Experiment with Search Criteria. Enter a variety of name combinations first and middle, initials, nicknames,
maiden name, married name, etc. Add another search parameter (a relationship, a place). If you get too
many results, remove a parameter.
Use wildcard characters to search for names with variable spellings. (On last page of handout).
Search only on a relationship. If you are having trouble finding someone, try searching without the name.
Instead enter the name of a spouse, parent, child, or sibling. This might capture a poorly indexed or
misspelled name. You can also use this strategy to find previous spouses or multiple children of a couple.

Ancestry

Easiest place to build a tree and do research.

Start with the hints tool.
If you are LDS, you can link to Family Search and share your tree as well as sources.
Be brave, Use the search tool. There is so much out there!
Narrow your search to avoid looking through hundreds of records.
Filter by location.
Browse the collections.
Vary name spellings.
If there is an image of a document, READ IT!!!! Loads of information on the original, and names, dates, etc.
can be misspelled when being indexed.
Add all the facts from the original document to your tree, and make sure you attach the document as
evidence.
Make sure to look for FHL microfilm numbers on index records, it means the original document might be
available.

Google Search Tips

Ignore having to learn about all the search operators, and Boolean terms, by using the Google Advanced
Search form. It takes care of the search operators for you.
Once you have set up an effective search query, set a Google Alert to be automatically notified of new
matches. Log into your Google account and visit http://google.com/alerts. Enter your query and click
show options to choose the type of results you want (new books, websites, etc.).
Google Maps and Google Earth - great places to pinpoint and view key ancestral locations ancestor home, a
county, attractions that are nearby. Enter and address, press the Satellite button to get an aerial
photograph. Press Street View for a view that looks like you are standing in front of the house or on the
street.
When you map a town, add keywords such as library, archives, or courthouse to your search. Google will
list the nearest research repositories and plot them on the map.
Google Books look for local histories, or published genealogies that may include your ancestor. If you know
where your ancestor lived or their occupation, search, search by county, or trade.

Fold 3
Great place to look for military records. Draft registration cards and pension files are great sources of
information to help locate birth dates, death dates, and family relationships. If you can find a pension record
index you can locate the application number, and date of application and send a request for records to
NARA for a copy of the original file.
Look at the birth and death dates of your ancestors to determine which wars that may have pertained to
them. Narrow your search to those wars, and the area in which they lived. They would have registered for
the draft in a local county and filed other applications there as well.

If you can determine which military unit they fought with, you can do a google search and find out more.
Sometimes you can locate photos if you look in Google Images.

Newspapers
Great source for information on key events in your ancestors lives. Birth, marriage, obituaries, anniversary
celebrations provide facts for vital information. Can also reveal stories you wont find anywhere else. You
might find information about businesses, sports honors, scandals, or criminal offenses.
Narrow your search by state, and then by cities of publication. Then enter the year in the date range boxes,
then enter the name you are searching for. Search just the last name, and then narrow by adding first name
or initial.
Newspapers.com http://newspapers.com
Genealogy Bank http://geneologybank.com
Google News Archive Search https: //news.google.com/newspapers
Newspaper Archive http://www.newspaperarchive.com
Chronicling America - http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov use the directory to find information about
newspapers published in the United States, most of which havent been digitized. You can search by state,
county, city, years and other criteria. The directory tells you which repositories have microfilm copies you
may be able to borrow through interlibrary loan.

National Archives (NARA)

NARA is the custodian of federal government records and has many genealogical documents. Only a
handful are digitized or indexed, but the site provides information about records you might want to research,
and helps you access them elsewhere online, on microfilm, or at a NARA facility.
If you ancestor immigrated to American, applied for federal land, served in the Armed Forces, lived on an
Indian reservation or dealt with a government agency, this is a good place to search.
Copies of some of NARAs microfilmed records are available through Ancestry.com, Fold3, Archives.com or
large libraries. The Family History Library in Salt Lake City, Utah has many NARA microfilms, which you can
rent through a local Family Search centers. Search Ancestry.com and Fold3 first, and if you cant find
anything there, check the NARA website: http://www.archives.gov
Start with the Research our Records tab where you will find links to a catalogue of records, search tips,
and where to request copies of records. There are also has links to resource guides for African-American,
Chinese, Japanese, American Indian and Hispanic ancestry.

Yearbooks
Can provide a glimpse into the teenage years of an ancestor. Also might find photos you cant find
anywhere else. Look for them at:

Ancestry.com
Google Search if you know where and when your ancestor attended high school
Example: 1957 east high school yearbook, salt lake city, utah

Images and Photos

Search for photos, maps or images that relate to the time period your ancestor lived in. Look on Ebay,
Google Images, and a general google search.
Look on Ancestry in the photos and images database, or in public member trees.

Search Symbols and Punctuation

Search Checklist

BUILDING BRIDGES BETWEEN THE PAST

AND PRESENT
ENGAGING TEENS AND EXTENDED FAMILY IN FAMILY HISTORY

Presented by: Crystal Beutler

Know Your Audience and Speak Their Language

Use mobile devices to talk and share with teens. They text and use Instagram
and Skye as opposed to talking on the phone.
Dont hold teens hostage with long stories. An effect of social media -- youth are
used to reading short paragraphs, bullet points. They will tune out of you take
too long.
Younger children love one on one time. Look for activities you can do together
that can teach them about your past.

Make Time to Gather with Extended Family

Plan a family gathering, but dont do all the work! It does not have to be
elaborate.
Plan with a purpose share family history using the ideas in this handout.
Give youth and extended family assignments -- conducting interviews, preparing
slideshows, etc.
Incorporate a family tree in the dcor. It can be as simple as taping pictures to
the wall by generations. Pull photos of everyone off social media sites and
printing 3x3 images in the Social Print Studio app.

Ask Questions. Make them Think and Get Them Looking for Answers
I wonder what kind of food grandma ate when she was little?
I wonder what the town looked like back in 1950?
I wonder if the town were our ancestors lived saw any battles during the Civil
War?
I wonder where we could find pictures of toys grandpa and grandma would have
played with when they were little?
Google the answers, or visit historical societies, family history libraries, and teach
them how to search.
Have grandparents read or tell a story from their past.

 Have a story telling competition. Adults share stories, and children are the
judges or children tell stories and adults are the judges. Share stories about
ancestors or your own personal history. Let the children give the awards to the
most interesting story, the funniest story, etc.
Pay two truths and a lie. Three people each tell a story. One is true the others
are not. Gear the stories towards family history.
Ask your children something they would want to know about their grandparents,
and then have your grandparent gear the story towards the question. Ask
grandparents what they would want to know about their grandchildren, and have
the children tell a story about their life. Family history goes both ways!

Interviews
Have smaller kids interview grandparents and record it. Grandparents, interview
your grandchildren and record it.
Use the microphone in the Family Search Memories app.

Do Family History Projects for School Projects, Scout Eagle Projects,

Church Youth Projects, etc.
Teenagers in high school usually have to do service projects as a requirement for
graduation. Project Ideas include: Indexing, photographing headstones in a
cemetery, and uploading images to Find a Grave.
Make sure to ask questions as they work. Example: Wow, that person died in
1875. I wonder if they served in the Civil War?
Grade school kids usually study the Revolutionary War, Civil War, etc. If you
have an ancestor that lived then or served in the war, do a report on that person.
Make a costume that your ancestor might have worn.

Honor Birthdays
Challenge extended family to make a recipe that reminds your of the birthday
boy/girl.
Share your favorite memory about that person and upload to your family tree.
Use the microphone tool on the phone apps Ancestry.com and Family Search.

Recipe Challenge, or Creating a Cookbook

 Teach your children how to make the recipe and tell them the story about the
ancestor as you cook.
Serve this recipe as part of family traditions and celebrations.
Share the results on Instagram.
Make a family cookbook get your children to do the editing.

Make a Game About Ancestors

You can create bingo games, ancestor cards, etc. in the Rhonna Designs mobile
app, and print it in Persnickety Prints, or Social Print Studios apps. Play it after
dinner or at family gatherings.
Make playing cards, or baseball cards, with ancestor facts. Use the card to pin
the ancestors on the family tree
Play ancestor trivia.

Send out a Call for Stories on Social Media,

Gather and publish an e-file or post on a blog, or print.
Ask everyone to share a story about family. It can be about anything, a spiritual
experience, a funny story, etc.

Treasure Hunt
Look for ancestor wills or chancery records,
Transcribe the inventory.
Google search to find images for those things on the list.
Create a poster or Chatbook with the images.

Honor Ancestors over Holidays

If you have descendants that served in a war, Mayflower descendants, Salem
Witch trials, pioneers who came across the plains, etc., share those stories over
the appropriate holidays.

 Post pictures of them on Instagram, Facebook etc.

Engage family in preparing an application for the Mayflower Society, Daughters
of the Utah Pioneers, Daughters of the American Revolution, etc.

House Hunters
Use City Directories or Census Reports on Ancestry.com, to locate the addresses
of your ancestors. Google Earth the addresses and see if you can take a photo of
their home.
Check city archives to see if there are photos there, or plot maps.

My Favorite Things
List your favorites from elementary, middle school, high school like toys, movies and
music. Google search and attach images.

Weekly Personal History Challenge

Great way to know your grandkids, siblings, aunts, etc.
Send out a question on Facebook and have everyone report back and answer.
Include images if possible. Use the questions on Write Your Story 365.
Remember to save all your personal responses in a program that will allow you
to print your personal history or create an ebook for posterity.

Childhood Tour
Walk the neighborhood and places you frequented as a child. Is your local ice
cream shop, park, elementary school, high school still there?
Write the occupants of the house you grew up in and ask if you can look inside.

Share Talents
Share your talents with each other.
If you do woodworking, paint, knit, etc. make your children an heirloom, or teach
them the skill.
Draw pictures from old photos and create a family history gallery of artwork.
What did dad look like at your age??
Make family history dolls.
Build a toy that was used by your ancestors. Tell the story while you work.
Have an auction at your family reunion of family-made items.

Fashion Show
Look for styles that were popular when your ancestors were alive. How did they
dress?
Do a skit based on an old family story. Make puppets out of Popsicle sticks.

Timelines
What was happening in history during the time your ancestors lived. Look for clues on
Ancestry.com. The timeline adds that information.

Make a Movie or Slideshow

Have your children make a FH movie or slideshow of an ancestor. Or have them
start their own personal history by making an all about me slideshow.
Give them a specific topic.

Share Tangible Things

Have an heirloom night:
Share possessions of ancestors and tell stories.
Make or give an heirloom to each person in your family that represents you (ask
them what they think of that reminds them of you).
Have each person bring something that represents them and make an heirloom
capsule.
Grandparents, bring things that your children and grandchildren made for you
over the years.
Share your grandmas favorite candy, or your favorite candy as a kid.

Use the Census Report & Other Documents to Find Homes &
Historical Sites.
Use the census report to locate their address, and then use google maps and
look up the location and print a picture.
Or, visit the site in person a family history tour.

 Find homes historical sites or towns of ancestors using google maps.

Visit old family homes, or other places of importance and reading about your
ancestor while you are there.

Create a Family Hashtag or Logo

Have a contest. Have the youth vote for their favorite.
Use it for family events, print the pics on a mobile app or create a slideshow and
share it on social media.
Print it on a t-shirt for family reunions.

Create an Ancestor Picture Book

Use it as a quietbook for little ones with simple pictures, and a sentence or two
that tells something about them.
Use Chatbooks, its easy and inexpensive.

Family History, Simplied.

Take a Name to the Temple

Find

Verify

Reserve

Quickly locate temple

opportunities

Validate and qualify

information

Reserve through
FamilySearch

Why Verify?
To avoid doing work thats already complete
and to conrm the person is real.
Follow the levels outlined below before
reserving names.

Behold, mine house is a house

of order, saith the Lord God,
and not a house of confusion.
D&C 132:8

Verication Levels
Required

Verify relationship
Resolve duplicates
110 years since birth
Deceased 1 year

Good

At least one source

Attach record hints
Resolve problems
Standardize dates
Standardize places

Get started at kinpoint.com

or contact us at info@kinpoint.com

Better

Best

Compare locations
of life events
Check parents
Check children
Check spouses

At least one source for

every life event
Attach every census
Fully specied dates
Fully specied places

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SOS
Save Our Snapshots
Save your photos from a digital shipwreck. Its easy to
convert them into photobooks that the whole family can enjoy

This is the most photographed generation in history. Yet, in 10 years, many of these
photographs will not have survived.
Storing your photographs on your computer, hard drive, or cloud-based storage is the
equivalent of keeping them in a digital shoebox.
Our children will lose their history unless we print these priceless photographic memories!
Photobooks are the lifeboat that can save your photos from
a digital shipwreck.

FIVE POPULAR PHOTOBOOK APPLICATIONS

Chatbooks
Offered through Instagram
Easy and Inexpensive (starts at $8)
6x6 softcover books
Includes captions
Many subscription options offered
www.chatbooks.com

My Publisher
Landscape books in three sizes
Drag and drop capability
Preset layouts
Great for beginners
Quality paper and covers
Frequent discounts
www.mypublisher.com

Shutterfly
Five book sizes offered
Layout and customization options available
Regular free book (20 pages) and discount code offers
Ability to import .jpeg images from outside programs such as Photoshop
www.shutterfly.com

Picaboo
Landscape and square book styles available
Layflat page options available
Auto-fill feature creates your book for you
Huge background library within the program

Ability to import your own backgrounds and elements

Ability to import .jpeg images from outside programs such as Photoshop
Frequent Groupon and Voucher discounts
www.picaboo.com

Mixbook
Offers books in seven sizes
Has a large variety of predesigned book themes and layouts
Fully editable and customizable
Offers a huge library of backgrounds and stickers
Ability to import .jpeg images from outside programs such as Photoshop
Great program if you want a digi-scrap look
Better suited to intermediate to advanced users
www.mixbook.com

For more information on these and other Photobook companies, visit this site
www.photobookgirl.com
It contains comprehensive reviews, specs, and discount offers for most online photobook companies.

Creating a Book of Remembrance For Our Day

Valerie Elkins
Website: www.ValerieElkins.com / blog: www.FamlyCherished.com

The family books of remembrance in Latter-day Saint homes today should rate in importance
second only to the standard works. These family records are supplements to the scriptures,
aiding in teaching the gospel of Jesus Christ to the posterity of faithful members of the Church.
A knowledge of the written testimonies and spiritual experiences of family members and of the
proved genealogies of the fathers serves to bind the hearts of the children to their fathers and
helps them to understand the doctrines that pertain to the exaltation of the family. 1
Large Plates (Family History):

Vital Records (Birth, Marriage, Death)

Personal Journals, Diaries
Family Journals
Personal Histories and family stories
Genealogies (Pedigree charts, family group records, etc.)
Temple Ordinance Cards
Priesthood Lineage
Missionary Letters, Records
Callings and Church Service
Community Service
Awards, Certifications, etc.
Education
Career, work history and resume
Scouting and Young Womens
Military records
House History
Scrapbooks
Photo Albums
Medical Records and History
Favorite Books, Movies and Music
Favorite scriptures
Favorite Conference talks
Favorite Quotes
Sports, Hobbies, crafts and skills
Heirloom history
Traditions and Heritage
Family chores, responsibilities
Pets
Family Money

Copyright 2015 Valerie S. Elkins All rights reserved.

Small Plates (the sacred and spiritual):

Select Personal Journal entries

Miracles
Patriarchal Blessings
Blessings
Select family stories and spiritual experiences
Select Mission letters, experiences and journal entries
Testimonies
Letters to Posterity
Living Will or record of Core Beliefs
Trials and Triumphs
Answers to Prayers

Technology and Tools to Help:

1. Scanners
a. APPs for phone and tablets
b. High speed scanners
c. Zcan Scanner Mouse
2. Journal Apps and Software
a. DayOne journal and apps
b. LDS.org journal
c. Dragon NaturallySpeaking
3. Photo Apps
a. Photomyne
b. Project Life
4. Evernote.com
5. OneNote.com
6. Print-On-Demand
a. Shutterfly.com
b. Blurb.com
c. Lulu.com
7. Family History Blog
a. Blogger.com or Wordpress.com
b. Print blogs to books
8. Print Mission Letters into Book
a. MissonaryMemories.com

Additional Help

1. ValerieElkins.com Rootstech presentation; Free download of journal prompts

Copyright 2015 Valerie S. Elkins All rights reserved.

Quotes:
Confess your faults to the individuals you have wronged, and proclaim them not on the housetops. Be
careful that you wrong not ourselves. If you committed sin that no other person on earth knows of,
and done a wrong and have sinned against your God, but keep that within your won bosom, and seek
to God and confess thee, and get pardon for your sins to whomever you sinned against and let it stop
there. (Discourses of Brigham Young, pp245-245)

There, in a concise phrase, is the purpose of the book of remembrance: that our children may
know. With this book in our homes we are thus aided in erecting a concrete fortress against the
power of the adversary, that he may not destroy our family associations and faith.
The first purpose of the book of remembrance, then, is to show the eternal promises that have been
bestowed upon members of the immediate family as well as upon those who are classified as
ancestors. (Royall, Paul F. That Our Children May Know; Ensign, October 1971, www.lds.org.)

The family books of remembrance in Latter-day Saint homes today should rate in importance second only
to the standard works. These family records are supplements to the scriptures, aiding in teaching the gospel
of Jesus Christ to the posterity of faithful members of the Church. A knowledge of the written testimonies
and spiritual experiences of family members and of the proved genealogies of the fathers serves to bind the
hearts of the children to their fathers and helps them to understand the doctrines that pertain to the exaltation
of the family. Every faithful family should be diligently compiling a book of remembrance. In it should
be found the story of the family, especially the story of its spiritual life, written by inspiration. Also it should
contain a genealogy of the family so that the children may have an opportunity to acquire knowledge of their
fathers. (Improvement Era, April 1966, pp. 29495.)
I urge all of the people of this church to give serious attention to their family histories, to
encourage their parents and grandparents to write their journals, and let no family go into
eternity without having left their memoirs for their children, their grandchildren, and their
posterity. This is a duty and a responsibility, and I urge every person to start the children out
writing a personal history and journal. (Kimball, Spencer W. Ensign May 1978; p:4.)
Men should write down things which God has made known to them. Whether things are
important or not, often depends on Gods purposes: but the testimony of the goodness of God and
the things He has wrought in the lives of men will always be important as a testimony.
(Wilford Woodruff)
Church members are being urged by priesthood leaders to realize the importance of a book of
remembrance in every home. Many families that have no book of remembrance justify this lack by
claiming access to their parents book or to the completed record compiled by an aunt or some
other relative. The genealogy of the family may well be gathered by others, but if a copy of the
direct genealogy of the family is not in the home, there will be little interest evidenced by that
family in its progenitors. Relatives are not responsible for recording the testimonies and spiritual
experiences of families other than their own, and it is not common practice for them to do so.
Generally, if a family fails to record its spiritual history, it is never written.(Saviors on Mount Zion)

Bennett, Archibald F. (Archibald Fowler), Saviors on Mount Zion. Salt Lake City, Utah : Deseret Sunday School
Union Board, 1950. Available online at FamilySearch.org catalog.

Copyright 2015 Valerie S. Elkins All rights reserved.

Becoming Your Familys Story Finder

Valerie S. Elkins
Website: www.ValerieElkins.com Email: Valerie@AdvantageGenealogy.com
Blog: www.familycherished.blog.com Twitter: @elkinsvalerie Pinterest: www.pinterest.com/ValerieElkins

Story Finder: [noun] a person who has mastered the techniques of the pros to examine the evidence,
understands the story seeds within the historical and social context, and then brings the story to life.
Story Finders dont need to make stuff up, the truth is far more interesting.

Finding Your Stories

Think of a family or personal challenge/triumph in your life. Is there anyone on your family tree who had
similar experiences? Is there a family history story that resonates with you or touches you in some way?
1. Chose an ancestor and focus on finding one of their stories.
2. Find all the documents you can locate.
a. Birth
Genealogies, family
b. Death
stories, historical
c. Marriage
accounts, and traditions
d. Divorce
form a bridge between
e. Court Records
past and future and bind
f. Military Records
generations together in
g. Land Records
ways that no other
h. City Directories
keepsake can.
i. Newspapers
~Elder Dennis B. Neuenschwander
j. Church Records
Ensign, May 1999, 83
k. Social History for the time and area
3. Carefully document your sources, including personal
correspondence, and oral histories.
4. Begin to ask beginning questions: Why? Where were they? What is the conflict, problem or obstacle?
Look for seeds of stories.
5. Ask deeper questions1:
a. What did I learn?
b. Why was it significant to me?
c. Therefore, what?
6. Catalog stories by character traits, events, or people

1 Zwick,

W, Craig and Jn J. Zwick. More to Your Story; Discover the Powerful Experiences Youre Already Having. Salt Lake City, Utah : Deseret Book, 2012, p 3-5.

2 Ibid.

2014, Valerie S. Elkins

Tell Your Story

Share the story, a chapter at a time, not the whole book. Focusing on a chapter keeps the story manageable. If
you wish to write a whole book, create it one story at a time, chapter by chapter.
Ways to Share Your Story

Chose a format to tell your stories:

blog it
publish family history in chapter books
cookbooks, recipes with their stories
slide presentations
movies
oral storytelling
put it to music

In history, one gathers

clues like a detective, tries
to present an honest
account of what most likely
happened, and writes a
narrative according to what
we know and, where we
aren't absolutely sure, what
might be most likely to have
happened, within the
generally accepted rules of
evidence and sources.

o Gather what you have and what you already know

Victor Davis Hanson
o Talk to other family members
o Focus on the story you want to share. Chose only the best nuggets. Save the whole enchilada for
an in-depth family history book.
o Read between the lines in the records
o Compare local, regional and national history books for insight into behavior, motivation and actions.
o Research the historical facts for the battles and regiments they fought in, the associations and
neighborhoods they belonged too, etc.
o Search on Google, < http://www.books.google.com > and <http://books.familysearch.org for
surprising sources, quotes and more.
o Use a timeline to help figure out the story sequence of events.
o Remember those ancestors whose lives were less than stellar, may still have merit for their posterity:

If you cant be a good example. Then you will just have to be a horrible warning.
~Catherine Aird
But silence is not a natural environment for stories. They need words. Without them they grown pale, sicken and die. And then they
haunt you. ~ Diane Setterfield

There is no better heritage than a good name that a father can bequeath to his children. Nor is there in a
family any richer heirloom than that of a noble ancestor. We are the guardians of the treasures of the past,
with the high duty to preserve them and pass them on the generations yet future. ~Jessie H. Lindsey

2014, Valerie S. Elkins

Helpful Links:
FamilySearch http://www.familysearch.org
Steven Morse search site: http://www.stevenmorse.org
Timetoast http://www.timetoast.com/
X Timeline http://www.xtimeline.com/index.aspx
Brainy History http://www.brainyhistory.com/
Timelines of History http://timelines.ws/
Cyndis List Timeline help
http://www.cyndislist.com/timelines/how-to/

it is impossible to
overestimate the influence
our own stories can have
on us, our children, and
future generations.write
them down, and
frequently recount them
thus making them part of
our family lore and
heritage.2

Using Timelines in Your Research http://www.genealogy.com/36_donna.html

Family Cherished blog: http://www.familycherished.com where I share how to find your stories and leave a legacy.
The International Commission for the Accreditation of Professional Genealogists [ICAPGEN]
http://www.icapgen.org/icapgen/resources
Resources
Mills, Elizabeth Shown. Evidence Explained: Citing History Sources from Artifacts to Cyberspace. Second Edition.
Baltimore, Maryland : Genealogical Publishing Company, 2009.
Greenwood, Val D. The Researchers Guide to American Genealogy. Third Edition. Baltimore, Maryland :
Genealogical Publishing Company, 2000
Slawson, Mary H. Getting it Right; The Definitive Guide to Recording Family History Accurately.
Salt Lake City, Utah : Deseret Book, 2002
Morgan, George G. How to Do Everything Genealogy. Second Edition. New York : McGraw Hill, 2009.
Rising, Marsha Hoffman. The Family Tree Problem Solver; Tried-and-True Tactics for Tracing Elusive Ancestors. Cincinnati,
Ohio : Family Tree Books, 2011.

2014, Valerie S. Elkins