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Are You Familiar with FamilySearch's Research Wiki?        The first in a series of using the Wiki more effectively

9/29/2012

 
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The Research Wiki is a powerful tool for doing genealogy and family history research. You can search the Wiki to find out more about what records exist and where your family lived. Here’s how you can search the Wiki.  Click on "learn" at the top of the FamilySearch home page. When the purple "Getting Started" box appears, scan down below it. Locate and click on the picture that looks like the one you see here on your left. Then you will see . . .

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In the search box, you can choose to search by Locality (place), or Topic 

Searching by Locality: Enter the place your ancestors lived. Start broad with a  country or state/province. For example, search “Tennessee,” or "Britain," 
  "Mexico." etc. Click on one or more of the pages offered to learn more.
  1. On the Tennessee page, review the Topics links on the left to see what records are available at the state level, or click through to a county page to learn more about the records available in a specific county

Searching by Topic:  Try any topic you want to learn about such as:  
  1. Search for “military records” to find guidance on searching for your ancestor in the military. Others might be in  "Census Records," "Parish Records," "Birth Records," "Obituaries," etc.
  2. Search for “brick walls” to learn more about research strategies to get you past the tough problems.
  3. Search for “organizing” to find multiple articles to help you learn about organizing your records.

Keep Updated by Email every Time Changes are Made to a Certain Page.

  1. Log in to FamilySearch Research Wiki.
  2. Go to a locality page for a place where you are actively researching.
  3. Click "Watch" in the upper right-hand corner.
  4. You will now receive an email every time the page is changed, allowing you to see what additional information people are adding to the page.

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Fast and Easy Learning to Become a Wiki Expert

To learn the"ins and outs" of the  Wiki, look for the box like you see here on the right. Click on it and you will find wonderful videos, tutorials and Wiki Search Tips. 


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