How Accurate are the FamilySearch Family Tree Record Hints?

Not too long ago, FamilySearch.org implemented a feature in the Family Tree of offering "Record Hints." Here is a screenshot showing an individual in the Family Tree with some Record Hints indicated:

As you can see from this entry, my ancestor was supposedly born in Fletton, Huntingdon, England. However, this is not a "standardized" place entry. The standard place name is "Fletton, Huntingdonshire, England." If the place name is not standard, or at least standardized, then the Record Hints are likely less accurate. I standardized the entry so now it looks like this:

Now, I will check the Record Hints. It is important to verify the accuracy of the information you find already present in the Family Tree before attempting attach record hints because the information in the tree may be wrong but match the Record Hint. This means that someone used a wrong record to enter the information in the first place. The first suggested record is not my "Elizabeth Chattell."

This suggested Record Hint is for a family in Manchester, about 120 miles from Huntingdonshire. 

I marked this "Not a Match." I had already found a British Census record for my family in Huntingdonshire. Why did the program suggest a Record Hint for an inappropriate family? The answer to this question involves some of the most complex issues in existence facing family historians and those who develop the programs. My Elizabeth Chattell (or Chappell) was born in Huntingdonshire. She married a James Parkinson, who was also born in Huntingdonshire, about 120 miles from Manchester in Lancashire. My Elizabeth and her husband James, did have a daughter named Sarah born in 1833 also born in Huntingdonshire, not the girl in Manchester born in 1831. Here is the 1841 England, Wales and Scotland Census Transcription of the family from Findmypast.com:

At this point, there is another not-so-obvious issue. The location of the births of two of the children, including Sarah is "Cambridgeshire" not Huntingdonshire. Don't we have the same problem with this being yet another James and Elizabeth Parkinson family? It might help to know that Huntingdonshire is a non-metropolitan district of Cambridgeshire as well as one of the historic counties of England. Huntingdonshire lost its county status in 1974. See Wikipedia: Huntingdonshire. So now we have two questions: why does FamilySearch find a family in Lancashire for a match and why does Findmypast.com show the children born in the modern county of Cambridgeshire?

If I attach the FamilySearch.org Record Hint to my family, it is simply wrong. It is not a reference to my family at all. But on the other hand, if I attached the English 1841 Census record, it is correct even though the name of the birthplace is technically inaccurate (we record the name of the place as it existed at the time of the event). In both cases, to utilize the Record Hint or the search results, I have to know additional information. In the first case, I must recognize that Lancashire is a long way from Huntingdonshire. This fact alone is enough to call the record hint into question. In the second instance, I need to know the history of Cambridgeshire and Huntingdonshire.

Now, was the Record Hint for the Manchester, Lancashire family wrong? Is there something wrong with the program when it suggests this family? Not at all. But the answer does involve the need for the researcher to examine each Record Hint very carefully. But at the same time, this type of situation points out the need to study the information offered carefully in the context of all of the other possible records for any given family.

Assigning a percentage accuracy to a search engine's efforts is helpful in understanding the effectiveness of the process but it is also misleading, if the researcher relies on the stated accuracy rather than using his or her own judgment and looking at the records in the historical and geographical context. 

FamilySearch Family Tree Opens New Doors for Everyone

The FamilySearch.org Family Tree is not just for experienced family historians. The Family Tree has grown into a multi-faceted experience with opportunities in family history for all ages and all experience levels. Unless you have been closely watching the development of the program, you probably haven't noticed that the entire website has been changing and is almost entirely different than it was, say, two years ago. Some people complain about "all the changes" but change is inevitable and as the program evolves, it adds a better user experience and increases in functionality.

One of the "entry level" features of the Family Tree is the Memories section that gives users the ability to add photos, stories, documents and audio files to every individual ancestor. The "drag and drop" function to upload the files should be familiar to anyone who uses any one of the online social networking programs. In fact, FamilySearch has a Memories App for both iOS devices and Android devices that can be used to add photos directly to the Family Tree's Memories. The addition of ancestors' photos and other documents has greatly expanded both the utility and the appeal of the website.

For those who care to be a little more involved, the Family Tree has the need of many activities that can be easily learned. New users can take advantage of the Record Hints to add appropriate records as sources for individual ancestors. More experienced users can then analyze and extract the information from the sources and make needed changes in the data. Users soon realize that adding or correcting information in the Family Tree should be supported by sources. They also learn that the Family Tree is a unified program; everyone has the opportunity to add, correct, delete or merge data. Changes at this level should not be viewed as an attack, but rather as an opportunity to collaborate and make the Family Tree better. Those who do make changes, should be careful to do so only after careful consideration of the sources already provided. If an inappropriate source is added, it can be detached with an explanation.

At every level of the program, changes should be explained and in some cases, justified. Since its inception, the Family Tree has allowed the users to add millions of links to source records, thus enabling subsequent viewers to verify the conclusions made about family members and their relationships.

Whatever level you choose to be involved, even if it is only has an observer, the program is designed to provide you with valuable information about your ancestors. One of the more recent developments is a series of colored icons that notify users when there are either opportunities to add information through research or when there are problems with the data already recorded. You should look at these icons as an invitation to spend some time improving the quality of the Family Tree for all users. If you are unsure how to deal with a particular issue raised by the icons, please take the time to seek help from your local Family History Consultant or Family History Center volunteers.

Ancestor dies from lion bite -- Family History and Newspapers

Although the number of members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints who had ancestors who "crossed the plains" as pioneers, is dropping as the total membership of the Church increases, there are still a lot of people who find that they have one or more "pioneer" ancestors. This is true even for those members who are now scattered across the world.

One fascinating source of information for those whose ancestors passed through Utah is the Utah Digital Newspaper Project. This is one of the most extensive such free projects in the U.S. In doing a recent search, I found this article about one of my uncles, Roland Ray Tanner, the brother of my great-grandfather Henry Martin Tanner.

R. R. TANNER DIES FROM INJURIES R. R. Tanner, 66, 304 Herbert avenue, special policeman, died Saturday afternoon at his home as the result of being bitten by a lion in Liberty park last Saturday during the Lindbergh celebration. Scores of persons were horrified at the time when Tanner, reaching through the bars to pet the beast, was suddenly attacked. Instead of offering his mane, the animal bared his teeth in anger and with a roar sank them into the officer's hands and tried to draw him within reach of the vicious claws. A second animal started forward and was about to join in the attack when a man, whose identity was never learned, seized an iron bar that was lying near and came to Tanner's assistance. He succeeded in beating the enraged beasts until they withdrew and the victim was released. Tanner was rushed to the emergency hospital and though he had suffered somewhat from shock and the loss of blood, it was believed he would recover. Infection set in however, and he died, despite every effort to save his life. In political activities he served as county attorney of Beaver county, sheriff of Beaver county, chief deputy United States marshal for the Second judicial district of Utah, in 1894 and 1895. He was elected state senator from the Eleventh senatorial district and was twice appointed to serve as a member of the state board of equalization. Later he became chairman of the Democratic party of Beaver county. Impressive funeral services were held at Beaver Monday afternoon at 1 o'clock in the East ward chapel under the direction of the Deseret mortuary. Prayers were made by O. A. Murdock and Walter S. Tolton. Music was furnished by a mixed quartet. Solos were sung by Miss Lucile Huntington and Gps Fernley The speakers were J. F. Tolton and George Parkinson. The chapel was filled with old friends and neighbors. The floral offerings were many and very beautiful. Interment was made at Mountain View cemetery. The grave was dedicated by Carl Tolton. Mr. Tanner is survived by his wife, Mrs. Rhoda Alice Tanner and daughters, Mrs. Zella Hatch of San Diego, Miss Iva Tanner and son Paul Tanner of Salt Lake City. Three brothers, Scot Tanner of Milford; Shep Tanner of Beaver; Henry Tanner of St. Joseph, Arizona and a sister Mrs. Julia Tyler of East Highlands, Cal. Among those who attended the services from1 here were Mr. and Mrs. Scot Tanner, Mrs. Eph Smith, Mrs. Nels Schow and Mrs. Merril Edwards.

Just think what gems might be lurking in the pages of the local Utah newspapers about your pioneer family. Try searching for them with several different names. R. R. Tanner is Roland Ray Tanner, b. 9 September 1861, d. 10 September 1927. The article was in the Beaver County News for 16 September 1927. Here is a copy of the original article;

Why does FamilySearch.org have name and date standardization?

Recently the FamilySearch.org Family Tree started showing red icons with a warning message that dates and places were not in standardized format. Many users are confused about exactly what the message is supposed mean and what they are supposed to do. First of all, it is important that you understand the message and what it is asking before blindly changing both names and dates. The instructions for entering standardized dates and places is easily found in the Help Center. The link to the Help Center is in the upper righthand corner of every page on the website by clicking on the "Get Help" menu link.

Here is a screenshot of the drop-down menu that appears with an arrow pointing to the Help Center.

If one of the Frequently Asked Questions does not address the standardization issue, then search for "standard date name" and the article will come up. You can also go to the article by clicking on this link to Entering standardized dates and places.

Carefully read and follow the instructions. The most important statement on this page is as follows:

Note: FamilySearch recommends you use the name of the place at the time of the event. This matches with sources and facilitates hinting. FamilySearch is working to connect historic names of places with their modern names.

This is extremely important because it allows you, the program and other researchers to find records that match the individual being researched. Historical records are very often associated directly with the location as it was at the time an event occurred. This is particularly important in Europe and countries where the international boundaries have changed many times over the years.

The key to keeping your place names correct is in this statement in the article:

Instead of clicking the standardized place, click somewhere else on the screen. The system leaves the place as you type it but connects the place with the standardized place.

This is really a simple procedure, but it is crucial to the way the program works. The answer to the question in the title is simple, it enables the program to find your ancestors.

We teach people not classes

Most of the Family History Consultants I have talked to over the years have told me they had been called to teach a "Family History Class." I have learned a hard lesson during my long life. We can only teach people, not classes. Family History is highly individual in nature. We teach people one at a time in an appropriate setting. Classes can be instructed and shown, but teaching comes to the individual. The Leader's Guide to Temple and Family History Work, To Turn the Hearts states, at page 20,

Consultants take the initiative to reach out to members, especially those who are not comfortable using technology, by:

• Helping a few individuals or families at a time to work on their own family history so they can perform temple ordinances for their deceased relatives. The most effective place to do this is in members’ homes. The ward council could determine specific individuals or families for the consultant to work with. The high priests group leader assigns these families to the consultant. 
• Answering family history questions from ward leaders and members. 

If a "class" is going to be held, the Guide counsels us to do the following:

Lessons are generally conducted as workshops in which members actually complete their own family history work, either on the computer or on paper. Where feasible, class participants should have access to computers. Many meetinghouses are currently being equipped with wireless Internet connections.

This is how teaching family history is best accomplished. I teach a lot of classes, but I am most careful to teach people, individually, whenever possible.

If you are called as a Ward Family History Consultant, you should be contacting Ward members directly and offering to help them find their ancestors. Let's suppose that you were called but no one bothered to tell you what you were supposed to do or how to go about being a Family History Consultant. The simplest way to "get trained" is to go online and carefully study the following guidelines, manuals and lessons that are aimed specifically at training Family History Consultants. You do not need to wait until the Bishop or the Sunday School or whomever "schedules a class." You do not need to have a dedicated space in the building for Family History. Notice what it says above, "The most effective place to do this is in members’ homes." All you have to do is start offering to help.

The first place I suggest going is to carefully read the Leader's Guide to Temple and Family History Work, To Turn the Hearts. A PDF copy is on LDS.org. Read the entire Guide and study the scriptures quoted.

Next, go to LDS.org and sign in and go through this entire section: Family History Topics. Pay particular attention to the section on Family History Callings. Carefully review all of the videos especially for Family History Consultants. There is a link here to the Leader's Guide. If you want to be an effective Family History Consultant and be able to help people go through all of the FamilySearch Tree Training in the FamilySearch Learning Center.

Now, for instructions on FamilySearch.org and how to do research, go to TheFHGuide.com. This new website will provide you with an excellent understanding of how to go about teaching family history and give you the tools to do so.

If you want to magnify your calling as a Family History Consultant, you will have to use your own initiative. You can call on your local Family History Center and others for help, but you need to take matters into your own hands and do your job. Don't wait for someone to tell you what to do. That may never happen. Get busy and do it.

If you are reading this blog post and know a family history consultant, you just might want to give them a copy of this post. It might help to know where the instructions are located.

Keeping up with online family history record collections

I wrote a post about some of my experiences lately with the FamilySearch.org Historical Record Collections. I just got a list of the newest additions to those collections in an email from FamilySearch. Usually, this list also appears in a blog post from FamilySearch within a few days of receiving the email notification. I usually don't mention this list but I wanted to illustrate that these collections are very rapidly evolving and expanding. The records you need could be added at any time so it is a good idea to check back and see if there is anything you are personally interested in reviewing.

In addition, as the Record Hints expand on FamilySearch.org's Family Tree, there are new collections added to the hints. What is and what is not included is not necessarily announced anywhere. But additions to all the collections eventually will benefit the ability of the programmers to add Record Hints. It is important to understand that the growth is only made available if the records are indexed. Record Hints do not come for records that are not indexed so indexing is a vital part of this whole process of making the records available. This list shows the effects of indexing. Many of the listed records are added indexed records.

Here is the most current list.

New FamilySearch Collections Update: October 5, 2015

Major additions this week to the United States World War II Draft Registration Cards 1942, Brazil Sao Paulo Immigration Cards 1902-1980, Colombia Catholic Church Records 1576-2014, Italy Asti Civil Registration (State Archive) 1803-1814 1911-1935, Maryland Baltimore Passenger Lists 1820-1948, Massachusetts Boston Crew Lists 1811-1921, and New Zealand Archives New Zealand Probate Records 1843-1997 collections. Twelve additional collections were also updated this week.  See the table below for details.

COLLECTION	INDEXED RECORDS	DIGITAL RECORDS	COMMENTS
Brazil São Paulo Immigration Cards 1902-1980	991,910	0	Added indexed records to an existing collection
Brazil São Paulo Immigration Cards 1902-1980	0	13,738	Added images to an existing collection
California San Diego Airplane Passenger and Crew Lists 1929-1954	47,380	0	Added indexed records to an existing collection
Colombia Catholic Church Records 1576-2014	0	1,377,861	Added images to an existing collection
Honduras Civil Registration 1841-1968	178,391	0	Added indexed records to an existing collection
Idaho County Birth and Death Records 1883-1929	33,063	0	Added indexed records to an existing collection
Italy Asti Civil Registration (State Archive) 1803-1814 1911-1935	0	279,461	New browsable image collection
Kentucky Confederate Pension Applications 1912-1950	25,786	0	Added indexed records to an existing collection
Maryland Baltimore Passenger Lists 1820-1948	873,918	0	Added indexed records to an existing collection
Massachusetts Boston Crew Lists 1811-1921	424,219	0	Added indexed records to an existing collection
Missouri County Marriage Naturalization and Court Records 1800-1991	29,690	0	Added indexed records to an existing collection
Missouri County Marriage Naturalization and Court Records 1800-1991	3,961	0	Added indexed records to an existing collection
Montana Cascade County Records 1880-2009	79,821	0	Added indexed records to an existing collection
Montana Teton County Records 1881-2012	11,394	0	Added indexed records to an existing collection
New Zealand Archives New Zealand Probate Records 1843-1997	0	724,182	Added images to an existing collection
Nicaragua Civil Registration 1809-2013	0	17,580	Added images to an existing collection
Peru Cusco Civil Registration 1889-1997	176,344	0	Added indexed records to an existing collection
United States Headstone Applications for U.S. Military Veterans 1925-1949	352,726	0	Added indexed records to an existing collection
United States World War II Draft Registration Cards 1942	1,067,147	1,067,143	Added indexed records and images to an existing collection
Utah Weber County Marriages 1887-1939	94,859	0	Added indexed records to an existing collection

Putting the Historical Record Collections in Focus

This last week or so I was asked to help a patron at the Brigham Young University Family History Library with research into her Italian ancestors. After a short review of the status of her family research, we began by searching the FamilySearch.org Catalog for the place where her ancestors lived. Starting with a general search for "Italy," we looked for "Places within Italy" and found the province where her family lived.

There were a lot of choices, but she already knew that her family came from Udine.

We clicked on the link for Udine and saw the records available for the province.

A further click on the "Places within Italy, Udine" gave us a much longer list. We found the town where her ancestors lived, "Varmo."

One more click took us to the FamilySearch Records for Varmo. There were seven different Civil Registration records for this town in Italy.

We compared the records to the time period when her ancestors lived in this town and began looking at the each of the entries. The first set of records were Civil Registration Records listing births, marriages and death records among others.

Fortunately, the records were digitized and in the Historical Record Collections as indicated by the link in the statement in red. We began our search by looking at the records in the Historical Record Collections.

There were, at the time, 1,262,279 images. These images are not yet indexed as there are no search fields. However the records are organized by location. We clicked on "Browse Records" and moved into the record collection.

We clicked on Udine, to show the records in that location. After scrolling through a long list of place names, we found Varmo.

We then found a chronological list of record sets that we could search. Within minutes we were finding her family members. We continued to find new people to add to her ancestry until she had to leave.

 This is remarkable. She had no idea the records for her ancestors were in the FamilySearch.org website. Neither did I for that matter. I had been asked to help her because I could read Italian. But, guess what, I hadn't needed to know one word of Italian to find the records. We found the digitized records by doing a search in the FamilySearch Catalog.

Later, when looking at the new additions to the Historical Record Collections, I found a very interesting fact. The entire Udine Collection had only been added a few days before this patron began her search.

There are several lessons to be learned from this. First, a search of the Historical Record Collections can be started from the FamilySearch Catalog. Second, the list is growing every day and just because you looked yesterday, does not mean the records are not there today. Third, the records can be successfully searched without an Index. Fourth, the records are freely available. Fifth, I didn't need to know Italian to find the record.

What about reading the record once found? Well, that did take a little work in Italian. But, I could have used a Google Translation Search or a dictionary or an Italian Word List online. All of these would have been sufficient to read the records, had I needed them. Which I did not. Another lesson to the missionaries at the BYU Family History Library is the fact that any one of them could have helped this lady. We did not have to wait for someone who could research "Italian" records.