New Fan Chart Options in FamilySearch

Recently FamilySearch added some new options to its fan chart view. These options have been part of the Consultant Planner for some time, but now they are being made available to all Family Tree users. We’ve updated The Family History Guide with instructions on using these new options, in Project 1: Family Tree, Goal 5: Alternate Views, Choice B. Here’s a...

Using Pinterest for Family History

Pinterest is a social media network that allows you to share and discover new interests by posting or “pinning” images and videos to your own “board,” which is a collection of pins with a theme or subject. Think of it as a type of search engine like Google, Bing, or Yahoo but with its own twist. Pinterest has an estimated 200...

Introducing the Certified Trainers Program

We are excited to announce a new development for The Family History Guide Association—the addition of the Certified Trainers program. You can find information about it in the Certified Trainers pages on the website. Below are some FAQs about Certified Trainers and the new program. Q1: What is a Certified Trainer? A1: A Certified Trainer is basically a “local” trainer...

What’s New in The Family History Guide Facebook Pages

As you are probably aware, we have two Facebook pages: one is for the Main page of The Family History Guide, and the other is for the Trainers, Consultants, and Directors page. The latter is a closed Group, but anyone with an interest in family history training is welcome to join. Below are some of the features we have instituted...

Fun Ways To Celebrate Family History Month!

In many parts of the world, trees of all kinds are turning various shades of gold and red — a beautiful reminder to turn our hearts to our family trees no matter where we live or what our experience with family history has been to this point. In 2001, Congress first passed a resolution introduced by Senator Orrin Hatch of Utah...

The Benefits and Blessings of Keeping A Family Journal

A family journal can be a simple means to great blessings and benefits for your family! Create a lasting record of your comings and goings, the guests who visit your home, the events and holiday celebrations and share the scribe opportunities with the whole family! Learn more In Trina Holden’s article, 24 Ways and Reasons to Keep a Family Journal. She gives the following suggestions:...

Your 15 Minutes Are Here …

One of the most common reasons people use for not getting involved in family history is, “I don’t have the time.” Yet if you ask busy people if they could spare 15 minutes a day—or every other day—for something very important, chances are they’d say yes. That’s where the “15 Minutes” approach can be helpful. We recently added a “15...

Spotting QUIKLinks in the Header

In the previous format for country pages, all the Goals were in the same page. While this made for some lengthy scrolling at times, it was relatively easy to find QUIKLinks to records; you’d see them as you scrolled. In the new format with one Goal per page, it became difficult to tell which Goals (and pages) had QUIKLinks—you would...

Farewell to Find-A-Record

It’s with a note of sadness that we bid a fond farewell to Find-A-Record, one the most popular and effective online tools for FamilySearch Family Tree. In Project 1: Family Tree (FS) of The Family History Guide, Goal 9 was dedicated to learning and using Find-A-Record, which helped you find data problems, research opportunities, and possible duplicates across your family...

How to Help Children Enjoy (and Benefit from) Family History Activities

In his book, The Secrets of a Happy Family (quoted here), Bruce Feiler records a conversation he had with Marshall Duke, a professor at Emory University who researched American families. According to Professor Duke, “The more children knew about their family’s history, the stronger the sense of control over their lives, the higher their self-esteem, and the more successfully they believed their families functioned.” Isn’t...