We now have a new resource in using FamilySearch, The Guide to FamilySearch Online. FamilySearch has been a great research tool for many genealogists. Its website states “FamilySearch is the largest genealogy organization in the world. Millions of people use FamilySearch records, resources, and services to learn more about their family history. For over 100 years, FamilySearch has been actively gathering, preserving, and sharing genealogical records worldwide. Patrons may freely access our resources and service online at FamilySearch.org, or through over 4,500 family history centers in 70 countries, including the renowned Family History Library in Salt Lake City, Utah.”

The FamilySearch online records have seen a surge of growth in the records they have uploaded to their website. Some of the questions researchers have asked are

• Confused by Genealogy Online?
• How can FamilySearch Help Me?
• Where Do I Start?

James L. Tanner has written an easy to follow guide that takes you step-by-step through FamilySearch! Emphasis is being placed on the digitizing and indexing of records, the FamilySearch wiki, in addition to the effort put into New.FamilySearch. It is and will continue to be a driving force, allowing genealogists worldwide to locate and record more ancestral data than ever before. FamilySearch.org website is the portal through which genealogists access data and volunteer their indexing skills.

The Guide to Family Search Online provides detailed instructions to the content and organization of all the current FamilySearch websites. Heavily illustrated with screen-shots, the book makes it extremely easy to put into practice what one just learned in the book. The book is divided into the following sections:

• Section One: FamilySearch.org
• Section Two: FamilySearch Indexing
• Section Three: New.FamilySearch.org
• Section Four: Other FamilySearch Websites

The book included current information on

• FamilySearch.org
• New.Familysearch.org
• Wiki.FamilySearch.org
• Forums.FamilySearch.org
• Indexing.FamilySearch.org

The best feature for me in reading this book is the illustrations. Not only does he write about the different attributes that FamilySearch offers, he shows you as well. Sometimes it helps to have a picture to compare with what you are seeing on the website. It has really helped me have a better understanding on some of the search engines and how they work.

About the author:

James L. Tanner is a leading genealogical expert and Blogger with over ten years’ experience in teaching and writing about technology issues for genealogists. He is a featured Blogger and writes for the FamilySearch Tech Tips website as well as his own blog, Genealogy’s Star.

The Guide to FamilySearch Online by James L. Tanner can be bought at Family Roots Publishing Co., LLC , phone: 801-992-3705. This great resource is also available in a PDF version download.

Disclaimer: I was given a copy of this book for review. I find this book to be a great resource for all genealogists in using the FamilySearch website and resources.