How To Do Family History Work


First Four Generations

If you haven't completed your first four generations, gather information about those ancestors, and add it to your family tree.

  1. Sign in to www.familysearch.org with your LDS Account, and then click alt text.
  2. If you are not already in landscape view, change the view to alt text.
  3. Look for green temple icons alt text, record hints icons alt text, and research suggestions icons alt text.
  4. Click the icons to view the records and research suggestions.

Finding and Gathering Records

  1. Sign in to www.familysearch.org with your LDS Account, and then click alt text.
  2. Find an ancestor who was born before 1830.
  3. Select the ancestor, and click alt text. Then change the view to alt text.
  4. Expand the viewed descendants of your ancestor, and look for record hints alt text.
  5. Look for both the record hints icon and the research suggestions icon together alt textalt text. The two icons together mean that there may be records for the person and possibly missing family members to add.
  6. Click the research suggestions icon alt text to view possible gaps or missing family members.
  7. Click the record hints icon alt text to view possible records about the person. Select a record, and then click Review and Attach.
  8. Compare the information from the suggested record tot he information already in your family tree.
  9. If the information is accurate, attach the record, and add any missing family members to your family tree.
  10. Click Return to Family Tree. Reserve ordinances for the newly added family members.

Taking and Printing Names

  1. Go to the Temple menu, and select All Reserved.
  2. Select the box of the ancestor for whom you want to perform ordinances. Click the Print button.
  3. Select alt text Print Family Ordinance Cards to print the ordinance card at home. Select alt text Print an FOR to print a Family Ordinance Request to bring to the temple and have the family ordinance cards printer there. Click Continue, and follow the instructions on the screen.
  4. Take the name to the temple to perform ordinance work, or share it with a family member.