For those who may not know, for the past few years the Church has been overhauling and rebuilding FamilySearch, one of the world’s premiere family history and genealogy websites, to expand its features and functionality significantly. It has been several years in the making, and is slowly being rolled out to members in selected temple districts across the world. From what I have been able to gather, the new FamilySearch will enable members to do much more family history and temple ordinance preparation work from home online. Some of the new features will include:
- Add, correct, and manage family histories online
- See what temple work needs to be done for ancestors
- Prepare names for temple ordinance work at home over the internet
- Easily see ordinance information and status of work in progress
- Significantly reduce duplication of research and ordinance work
- Correct personal submissions/data in real time
- Dispute the submissions of others
- Work collaboratively with family members and relatives
- Find living relatives not known to exist
- Print temple ordinance cards at home ((http://www.beyondproject.org/2006/06/12/the-new-familysearch/))
The new FamilySearch has not been rolled out to members in Utah yet, so I have not been able to check it out for myself, but I am very excited for this new program and what it will mean for the advancement of ordinance work being done in the Lord’s temples around the world. It will greatly facilitate doing family history and geneology work and preparing names for the temple. Once the rollout has completed for all temple districts, the FamilySearch website will officially switch over to the new version and open up for the whole world to use.
Here is some more information about the new FamilySearch that I’ve been able to gather:
To see which temple districts have the new FamilySearch available, go to Ancestry Insider, who has put together an updated map and timeline of the rollout, as well as when future rollouts should happen. Here is a Google Map showing announced or online temple districts using the new FamilySearch.
- The only official statement I’ve been able to find from the Church on the new program is at this link on LDS.org. Do you know of any others?
- The new front-end of the website can be seen and accessed from here – new.familysearch.org. You will only be able to register if the new FamilySearch has been rolled out to your temple disctrict.
- Wikipedia has cataloged some of the new features and rollout of the new FamilySearch here.
You can get a sneak peek at some of the new features that will eventually be incorporated in the new FamilySearch here – www.familysearchlabs.org. My favorite is the new Flash-ified Family Tree. You can see a demo here.
- There is even a well-developed third-party forum that has been developed to discuss the new FamilySearch – www.familysearchforum.org.
- If you want an account early, and you are a Family History Consultants or Priesthood Leader, you can take a 1 hour course at Temple Square and receive early access. To sign up for the class, go here. To register as a Family History Consultant or Priesthood Leader, go here.
What else do you know about the new FamilySearch, and what are your thoughts?
There is a great new DVD that is sent out to leaders in the temple districts that have rolled out with it.
It features Elder Marlin Jensen who gives an overview of the new features and how to use them.
Also included on the DVD are specific instructions to bishops, HP group leaders, etc. from Elder Jensen – kind of a FAQ deal – along with a few instructional PDF files.
It is a wonderful, wonderful new site. The church keeps making things easier for us by adapting new technologies.
nice
http://jerusalem2036.blogspot.com
One clarification to your bulleted list: The last item that states that temple cards can be printed at home is not entirely correct. At home, once names have been selected and prepared, you print out a Family Ordinance Request (FOR). This sheet of paper lists the names of the persons ready for temple work and a bar code. A person would then take this sheet to the temple where the bar code is scanned and ordinance cards are printed.
Good post, Bryce. You’re becoming as good of a blogger as you are a dancer.
For anyone who would like to personally witness Bryce’s dancing prowess, you can see him in action at the Dancesport National Championships this month:
http://www.byunationals.com
So Bryce, how did you do in the Dancesport National Championships?
Dear Bryce,
I was trying to locate the New Family Search as it’s been a while since I logged in but couldn’t remember how to find it. (The one where we submit family names for temple work.) I have used it before and it is wonderful. As a convert (of now 35 years) I love being able to share that which has changed my life, the gospel of Jesus Christ, with my loved ones who have passed on. As I said I was not able to find the correct website but I did stumble upon your video about Temples and watching it made me cry. Thank you for presenting such a beautiful video where members can be uplifted but where also those who are not members of our faith, can watch and learn so much about why temples are important to us. Thank you.
With kindest regards, Gina Johnson , Gilbert, AZ
Over the past 2 1/2 years, I have spent nearly 2,000 hours with New FamilySearch–beta-testing, teaching at our family history center, helping patrons, and cleaning my family tree. Several family history consultants asked me to write a manual for teaching New FamilySearch in their wards.
So, I have posted a 66-page manual, entitled How To Use New FamilySearch Correctly, in PDF format, at http://www.usingfamilysearch.com, from which any New FamilySearch patron is welcome to print it.
It provides tips and Do’s and Dont’s. Chapter 3 identifies the most efficient order of tasks to clean your family tree (so you won’t be so overwhelmed). The manual also reviews New FamilySearch’s future plans, and it evaluates the third-party software programs.
I will update it whenever there is a major revision to New FamilySearch, which is about every 3 months. (The next should be in early November.)
I offer it to your readers and hope it will help many.
Best regards,
George W. Scott
GeorgeSonOfCarl@aol.com
Orem, Utah
I am looking for my Great Grandmother who was part Cherokee Indian. Her first name was, Sabrina, Sarina or Sweeney with a maiden name of Scott and married name of Kirk. I have been searching for her for years and have come up with no information other than her name on my Grandfather’s social security application with the spelling of Sweeney. Any suggestions where I might be able continue to search for her?
Thank you,
Shelby Carter
I have input names of my dead ancestors for temple ordinances.How do I get them to be included in the tempple list for temple ordinances?
How do I log into the New.FamilySearch.org to Input my family names and print out temple cards? I have not been on the site for two years. You’ve changed a lot since then. I can’t access the many names I have entered and the Templke work already done on them. Help?
Brother Meglan Columbus, OH
My father had research done on the families and I am looking for it cannot find it