If you use the FamilySearch web site for your genealogy research, you may have noticed that the web site has undergone a few changes lately. The changes are intended to enhance the experience of FamilySearch users by combining what had previously been a group of sites and products into one great big free genealogy resource website. The records and indexes from the old site are a part of the new site, along with an improved method for searching them. Additional records are continually being added to the site, too.
Genealogists can use FamilySearch for far more than records, just as they have in the past. The site boasts a Learning Center that contains helpful information for people researching family history in specific places, articles geared towards all levels of researchers, and helpful hints for specific topics. There is one significant change from the previous version of the site that may surprise regular users, but do not be alarmed. The International Genealogical Index (IGI) database was a favorite research tool for many FamilySearch users. There is no IGI on the new site, but the records that were contained in it have been integrated into the new collections of records.
Researchers who used the IGI know that there were two types of data, extracted data and patron – contributed data. The extracted data were just that, extracted from actual source records such as parish registers. Now, they can be found as part of the historical records collection as part of the original record collections that they were extracted from. Patron – contributed data will be made available as part of the “Family Tree” later in the year. It is important to note that the patron – contributed data is not source data, it is conclusion data and therefore should be researched and treated differently than source data. In fact, that is the reason why the IGI data has been separated and placed in different areas of the new site.
FamilySearch is a great, free genealogy resource for both members of the LDS Church as well as the general public. I must note that neither FamilySearch nor the LDS Church has give me anything of value in exchange for mentioning their site here.
Photo by badeendjuh on morguefile.com.