Many of us get intimidated when we hear the word “research”, it conjures up memories of assigned research papers or research projects, reluctantly completed, often after much anxiety and procrastination. Our lack of desire to do Family History research may stem from bad past experiences, a lack of knowledge and skills required to do the research, or a lack of understanding of the benefits that come from research.

Perhaps someone told you that you no longer need to do family research, that all family history research is now automated. While many documents essential to completing your family tree have become available at FamilySearch, the connections made to your family, by other persons or by FamilySearch may be inaccurate. It is our job to make sure before we print ordinance cards to take to the temple, that information and record hints have been verified. This is necessary, to make certain that the person’s record is attached to the right family and that their Temple work needs to be done. It is suggested that there be a minimum of two sources attached to the person record, and that these sources are checked for accuracy before the name card is printed and their temple work done.

I like to think of verifying and attaching correct information to my family tree as “detective work”. When working on our family trees, we need to make sure that the evidence we find supports the information we are attaching. Remember, we are all working on the same tree. Any user can change anything, and it affects everyone. If changes are made without finding evidence through research to support these changes, errors can dramatically affect the work you are doing and the work of others.

There are many resources available that can help you in your research. There are articles, and “how to” tutorials available on the FamilySearch Wiki, the Family History Guide, and webinars, (I like the webinars available through BYU Family History Library ), to name a few. These great resources can assist you in doing this important research. Temple and Family History Consultants in your ward can assist you one-on-one and teach how to do family history research. Consultants at the Granite Family History Center can help you whenever you visit.

Research done properly is exciting. As you find information and start to see the story of your family, it’s like finding a treasure that blesses your life and the lives of your ancestors. –Elaine Hardman