Genealogy Chat

Hi I was wondering if anyone can tell me how to use the new familysearch website. Some really helpful members on here explained perfectly how to use the old site which I found a really useful site but for the life of me I can't make any sense of the new one.

Thanks in advance
Alison :-)

I just click on the ..Go to previous site... on the right hand side of the page and carry on as before.( just near the picture)

Everything seems to take forever and a day if I try search on the new site.

Gwyn

Thank you Gwyn I'll give it a try because the new site doesn't seem to carry anywhere near as much information.

Alison

The new site carries way more - not all of it fully indexed, but just available as images of the original records.
My preference is to go to

https://www.familysearch.org/search/collection/list#page=1®ion=BRITISH_ISLES

and search in a specific collection. Say I'm looking at the collection called:
England, Marriages, 1538–1973

The search screen has various filters e.g.:
Search by Life Events: Any Birth Marriage Residence Death
Search by Relationships: Spouse Parents

And clicking on, say, residence or spouse brings up
Residence Place Year (Range)
Spouse's First Names Spouse's Last Names

etc.

There's even a filter:
Search by: Batch Number

thanks for the info, i suppose it will be fine when i get used to it, i'll save the link you've given me in my favourites so i can go straight to the right place

Alison

You can't get into the old site now via the Home page. I just went and tried it again in case it was just me not linking properly. You can still click on the words to do it but you get a large white blank area and cant' go any further. I miss the old site. It was such a good tool.xJ

There is a feature in the April edition of "Who do You Think you are" magazine called "50 ways to get more from Family Search.org." which I have torn out to keep! If it is off the shelves now you can order back numbers from future issues

Try this for the "Old site":
http://www.familysearch.org/Eng/Search/frameset_search.asp?PAGE=igi/search_IGI.asp&clear_form=true

Maureen

I have to agree with mgnv that the new site carries far more information...for me it has been invaluable...I have found so many more records that were not available on IGI or any other source on family search.

I just used the site as I did the old site...I didn't have a good start, as with any other change, however I stuck with it.

Linda

With the new site, be careful not to tick the boxes if you're not sure of spelling. Its fussy!

I was told by a member of LDS that we can use " * " in names....... like M*Kenzie, or Fra*er etc, must be a minimum of three characters.

If you contact LDS via the website, they are very helpful.

I have just tried to get into the old site via the Home Page and it went in without any trouble at all. It comes up with half the page covered with a blurb about why the new site is better, but you can get rid of it quite easily.

The new site may have more info, but I find it very complicated to use.

Initially I kept using the old site but now I find the new site easy.

I enter the name of the person, e.g. Joe Bloggs
Then click on an event e.g birth

then the birthplace, Halifax England
then the dates I want to look at e.g. 1800-1805.

If it is a baptism I click on Relationship

Enter the parents names, if I know them . then click on Search.

I find this is really quick. I hope this might help.-jl