FamilySearch Wiki:About Us: Difference between revisions

The FamilySearch Wiki is a tool for finding information about subjects, record types that may have been generated about your ancestors, and the places in which the records might be found. It is a vast information depository. When you search in the Wiki, you can search for places your ancestors lived but also for subjects and research methods to help you understand and learn about the history and possible records and record collections available where you think your ancestors may be found. You will not find a Wiki page about a specific ancestor, but you may find a link to a database that contains your ancestor's birth, marriage and/or death record!  

The Wiki has information from the United States, as well as from [[Browse by Country|244 countries.]] Here you will be able to find information pertaining to records available in these countries as well as links to documents, such as [[United States Census|census]] records, [[United States Marriage Records|marriage]] records, [[United States Birth Records|birth]] records and [[United States Death Records|death]] records, and much more. [[United States Probate Records|Probate]] documents are often very informative and may help you in your search. There is an extensive list of links to United States [[United States Military Records|military]] records on the Wiki.  

With research and reading, combined with some information gathering to lay the groundwork, you can begin to construct your family tree and fill in the blanks that may have eluded you. The FamilySearch Wiki is a wonderful place to start to learn about the places your ancestors resided in order to be better able todiscover further information and records!  

By simply typing a word or two into the search engine at the top right of the page, you can begin to see some of the thousands of information pages that are here on the FamilySearchWiki. Although each page is different—it is a community compiled information source—you can find location and subject specific information as well as links to record collections from all over the world. You will even find links to lessons: [http://familysearch.org/learningcenter/lesson/researching-in-the-familysearch-wiki-a-case-study/664 Researching in the FamilySearch Wiki:A Case Study] that will teach you how to use the Wiki and [http://hiddenancestors.com/FStour.html videos] assist you in your searches.  

In addition to searching for information here on the FamilySearch Wiki, we would like to invite you to contribute to the Wiki by writing articles about where you might have found records we are missing and editing articles you find that may need editing. We view the Wiki as a community effort that will only get better with your participation. The only thing more fun than watching your family tree grow is helping others to grow their family trees as well. Your expertise is needed!  

1. Think about what you want to find about your ancestor. Be specific.  

4. Work backward instead of forward. Look for a death or marriage record before looking for a birth record. We generate more and more records the older we become. The later in time you look, the more likely you will be to find a record.  

:#'''A possible location''' where your ancestor may have lived; a town, city, county, state or nation.  

:#'''A general time frame''' of the time between their births and their deaths.