Getting to the Roots of Your Family - RootsWeb - Ancestry.com

What’s New with FamilySearch in 2012
Presented by Tara Bergeson
www.FamilySearch.org
FamilySearch launched a new website in early 2011 that provides a richer family history experience
by putting all FamilySearch content, services, and products on the same site. Here is what’s new in
the last few months.
Home Page
The links on the home page have changed for easier access to the records or features. New to the
FamilySearch home page is: new links, “What’s New,” and the “Civil War Project.”
What’s New
FamilySearch is updated and released every three months, so check back often to see the changes.
Some of these updates are only minor “behind the scenes” fixes that you may not recognize. Others
are obvious improvements that make your FamilySearch experience richer and more rewarding. To
see what’s new, click the What’s New link.
1940 Indexing Project
On 2 April 2012 NARA is releasing the 1940 Census in digital format. FamilySearch is joining with
other genealogical organizations to coordinate a massive effort to index these valuable census
records. Be a part of preserving and sharing the census records of the “Greatest Generation.” Go to
www.the1940census.com to learn more and get started!
More Records
The FamilySearch website has many record collections from around the world, and each month,
more are added. At the end of 2011, there were over 3 billion names in FamilySearch!
New Search Options
New search options have been added in the last few months. The new search options include:
Single Search Form
The Advanced search feature has been replaced with all of the search capabilities on a single screen
where you can narrow your search by Event and Relationship.
• Multiple Events. You can now easily search multiple events, such as birth, marriage, residence,
and death, at the same time.
• Multiple Relationships. You can search for a spouse and/or parents.
Refine Your Search
You now have the option of changing the search information about your ancestor from the Search
screen. This may give you different or better results.
IGI Batch Number
You can now search for historical records using batch numbers from the International Genealogical
Index.