Finding More Ancestors in FamilySearch

Record Hints

Record Hints in FamilySearch.org are indexed records for you that may be related to your family. The best matches are based on family tree data that you have on your tree displayed. 

When you see those little blue boxes to the right of some of the names of people on your tree. By clicking on this icon, it opens a box with suggestions of records.  If the record matches your ancestor, you can attach it as a source.

Searching Records

On your ancestor’s detail page, you can click the Search FamilySearch. There are other links to search Ancestry, MyHeritage, and FindMyPast. You will need to log onto those sites for the searches there to work.

Search Historical Records

Under the main tab of Search, click on to Historical Records. You can manually search for deceased ancestors in historical records to uncover vital information from their lives. There are many more records that are only images and not indexed yet, that may have your ancestors information that you need.   

See PDF file for more information: Branching-Out-Handout

Descendancy Research 

Descendancy research is the process of identifying all of the children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren of an ancestral couple. Use descendancy research to expand the family, identify new names, and even connect with cousins.

You can discover opportunities for temple work by looking at collateral lines, or in other words, the families of siblings of your ancestors. FamilySearch makes this easier through the use of its descendancy view.  To give this a try, go to an ancestor who was alive between 1830-1880 in your pedigree.  Make this person the root person of the tree by clicking the name and then clicking "Tree."  Change the tree from Landscape or Fan to Descendancy view, in the upper left area of the pedigree screen. Once there, you can set the screen to display one to four generations at a time. You can go farther back on your line for even more possibilities. In this view, you'll be able to easily see the extended families of your ancestors that aren't readily visible when looking at a traditional pedigree chart.  Color-coded icons help you determine quickly if any of them need temple ordinances or if there is record hints or research suggestions.  

See PDF file for more information: Find-The-Missing-People-Handout

Easy Steps to Decendancy Research

FamilySearch has put out a handout and video on Easy Steps to Decendancy Research

Handout: Easy Steps to Descendancy Research.pdf

Video: Easy Steps to Descendancy Research Video