Pedigree Resource File

PRF Cover Image.png

Pedigree Resource File (PRF) is a growing collection of user submitted genealogies. It shows individuals’ names; family relationships; and dates and places of birth, marriage, and death. No merges, corrections, or additions are made to genealogies submitted to Pedigree Resource File. The most current version of the Pedigree Resource File is available for free on the Internet as part of FamilySearch Genealogies.

What is the PRF?

• Contains all submissions made by users
  
• Has about 200 million records
  
• You can click to view a person in the FamilySearch Family Tree.
  
• You cannot download the information as a GEDCOM file
  
• The data is shown as individual submissions
  
• Submissions by the same contributor are not combined
  
• Sources and notes are displayed
  
• Multimedia links are not displayed
  

Benefits of the PRF

There are many reasons why the Pedigree Resource File is helpful to a researcher. Here are a few:

• It is a safe place to archive your family tree.
  
• Each submission is stored in LDS Church's Granite Mountain Vault
  
• PRF contains hundreds of millions of searchable names
  
• Contributors often provided source notes and sources
  

When to Use It

Use Pedigree Resource File to discover what genealogical research has already been done. Use it to guide you towards original records. As with all compiled genealogies, Pedigree Resource File has significant limitations (see below) and more accurate information should be sought from the original records.

Limitations

• Submitters are responsible for the accuracy of the information. FamilySearch does not check the accuracy of any contributed genealogy.
• Information in Pedigree Resource File is second-hand. Verify the information before accepting it.
• Submitter information, previously available, is now hidden for privacy reasons.
• Pedigree Resource File contains many errors and unlike the new FamilySearch Tree, corrections are not accepted. Submitters are advised to make another submission that includes corrections. However, both old and new submissions are left in Pedigree Resource File.

Submitting Your Genealogy

Sharing your genealogy allows you to preserve your family history in the Pedigree Resource File and share it with others around the world. A copy of the genealogy files (GEDCOM format) that you submit will be preserved in the Granite Mountain Records Vault located near Salt Lake City, Utah. In addition, your genealogy may be made conveniently available to others on the Internet.

You can quickly and easily submit your genealogy:

1. First, obtain permission from any living persons mentioned in your genealogy to submit their information to FamilySearch. Remember, notes and sources attached to an entry for a deceased person may also include information about a living person. For privacy reasons, you must remove any information about living persons if you do not have their permission to submit it.
2. Second, review your notes and sources to make sure they don't contain any offensive or inappropriate statements about another person. If found, remove such information.
3. Third, save your genealogy in a GEDCOM file format on your personal computer. Many genealogy software programs provide the capability to save your records in a GEDCOM file format (where the file is named with a .ged extension -- for example: eastleyhistory.ged). Please see the instructions provided with your software for more information.
4. Fourth, submit the GEDCOM file that you have created to FamilySearch. You will need to agree to the conditions for submitting your genealogy before submitting the file. For instructions, see Submitting to the Pedigree Resource File.
   

Pedigree Resource File on Disk

Formerly, Pedigree Resource File was available for individual purchase on 147 disks (CD and DVD). Because FamilySearch is discontinuing distribution of record collections on disk, Pedigree Resource File is no longer sold on disk. Copies of the 147 disks are available for use in many family history centers, including the Family History Library. New submissions to Pedigree Resource File will be available only online.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between Ancestral File and Pedigree Resource File?

Both files are the results of user submitted genealogies. Submissions to Ancestral File were merged into one common pedigree. Submissions to Pedigree Resource File are kept separate from other submissions. Notes and sources submitted are preserved in Pedigree Resource File submissions but were discarded from Ancestral File submissions.

How do I contribute to Pedigree Resource File? Use the steps below to submit your GEDCOM file to the Pedigree Resource File:

To delete a GEDCOM file, you must be signed in to use FamilySearch.org.
1. From the FamilySearch home page, hover your mouse on Search, and click Genealogies.
2. Scroll to the bottom of the page.
3. Click Submit Tree.
4. If you are not already signed in, click Sign In or Register Here. If you are a registered user of FamilySearch.org, sign in. If you are not yet a registered user, please register for an account.
5. In the list of your contributed files, find the file that you want to delete.
6. Click the garbage can icon () of the file that you want to delete.
7. When the system asks if you want to delete the file, click OK. The GEDCOM file disappears from your list of submitted files. As soon as the processing is finished, the information that was in the file is no longer available for searching on FamilySearch.org.

The Pedigree Resource File has existed for many years, and the data has been published in several ways. If you submitted this GEDCOM file several years ago, you should be aware of the following:
• The Pedigree Resource File has been published on compact discs for more than a decade. If this file is on one of these compact discs, it is deleted from the online version of the Pedigree Resource File. It remains on the compact discs.
• Some information from the Pedigree Resource File was used to create the database that is currently used by the new.familysearch.org (which is Read Only) and FamilySearch Family Tree websites. This data is stored separately from the official Pedigree Resource File, which people can search from the Family Tree section of FamilySearch.org. If you delete a GEDCOM file, it is deleted from the online Pedigree Resource File. It is not deleted from new.familysearch.org or the FamilySearch Family Tree.

Lost GEDCOM submission to Pedigree Resource File

• Lost GEDCOM submission to Pedigree Resource File.
• My PAF or computer crashed. Can I get a copy of my Pedigree Resource File submission?
Solution

If You submitted the GEDCOM from the updated FamilySearch site under the Genealogies section, you can download the GEDCOM by clicking the download icon.

If you submitted the GEDCOM through the classic FamilySearch website and not the current FamilySearch website, please contact Support, and include as much identifying information about the submission as possible.

Items that would be helpful in locating your file are:
• A few of the names that were a part of the submission.
• Any other information that can help us locate your file.

Please include the following information:
• Your submission number.
• Your name.
• Date of submission.
• Your birth date.
• Your place of birth.
• Your spouse's name, if applicable.

Lastly, provide the e-mail address where you want the GEDCOM file to be sent.

History

May 1999	Ability to submit genealogies on the new www.familysearch.org. Submissions occurred at the rate of about 1.2 million names per month.
1999	Released CDs 1-8.
February 2000	Ability to search the master index of all Pedigree Resource File CD-ROM discs.
July 2000	First nine discs are available.
2000	Released CDs 9-22.
4 January 2003	Submissions to the Ancestral File are no longer accepted. Contributors told to submit to the Pedigree Resource File (PRF) instead.
2001	Released CDs 23-36.
2002	Released CDs 37-54.
2003	Released CDs 55-75.
2004	Released CDs 76-100.
2005	Released CDs 101-125.
2006	Released DVDs 126-130.
12 Mar 2007	Total names exceeds 150 million. File has been growing by about 19 million names a year. Added the ability to view pedigrees online.
2007	Released DVDs 131-137.
2008	Released DVDs 138-143.
2009	Released DVDs 144-147.
2010	Released DVDs 148-150.

Links

Videos and Online lessons

• If I’d Only Known! Beginner Genealogy Mistakes (Section: Collecting Answers)
• Ancestors Season 2: Compiled Records

Articles

• Family Trees: An Online Research Tool
• Submitting to the Pedigree Resource File
  
• Use the Internet for Family History Research

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