PAF users have a new home at RootsMagic; Upgrade offer and Free Quick Start guide

If you are a current user of PAF genealogy software take a look at this RootsMagic offer for you. RootsMagic will make your transition as easy as possible and you will find a whole new list of possibilities for your family tree.

Remember that as of July 15th, 2013, PAF will no longer be supported by FamilySearch nor will it be available for download.

So take advantage of this great offer and read all the detail at PAF Users Have a New Home. You will even receive a free quick start guide.

FamilySearch No Longer Supports PAF or Provides Downloads

FamilySearch has announced that beginning July 15, 2013, PAF will be retired and will no longer be available for download or support from FamilySearch. PAF users should consider alternative products to meet their ongoing personal genealogy management needs.

For full details and for information on alternative products, please visit http://familysearch.org/PAF.

FamilySearch has worked hard to establish partnerships with third-parties to provide the best experiences for patrons.

• PAF users should consider third party products as a solution that provides similar functionality but added benefits (such as connecting to FamilySearch Family Tree)

• FamilySearch encourages patrons to use third-party products that are certified to work with FamilySearch FamilyTree.

This is a great opportunity to explain the value of this partner eco-system and focus on those benefits and the quality of partner solutions, rather than focus exclusively on the discontinuation of PAF.
 

Anyone using PAF currently is encouraged to visit http://familysearch.org/PAF  and get started in migrating to one of the recommended products.  It is appropriate and encouraged to have Family History Consultants and Library support personnel host events and/or train patrons on how to migrate to the various products, discuss the advantages, and allow them to make their own choices.  

NOTE: When using LDS church buildings and resources for these activities, products will not be sold nor will sales be solicited to exclusively promote only a specific product to patrons, as The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints will maintain a neutral position whilst providing informative guidance.  Also, third-parties must abide by these guidelines if their employees or representatives are invited to participate in the activities in person or by phone or web conference. 

Learn to use Genealogy Mailing Lists.

A genealogy mailing list is a very simple method for collaborating on the internet. You can network with other genealogists, share data, ask and answer questions, and share in the research process. Mailing lists are free and can help you learn more about genealogy, surnames, locations, types of records, research, and related software.

Join one or more lists
You can join any number of mailing lists depending on what you are interested in. Once you decide which one you want you can join the list by sending an email that automatically adds you to the subscriber list.

Decide on email mode
There are two modes of receiving email. The list mode will send you one email for every message that is posted to the list in real time. The digest mode sends one email per day with all the posts included. However, this mode can make it a little more difficult to follow a thread. (…not a spool of thread!...but rather, all the emails relating to a specific topic.)

Benefits
As soon as you join a mailing list you will find a new world of help and support at your fingertips. Other people will be more than happy to answer your questions and, as you gain experience, you will be able to help others.

A few rules for success
1. It’s always best to enter a subject line that is specific. Some people won’t open an email unless the subject line is something they are interested in or feel confident about. So be specific and be brief. If someone using the digest mode doesn’t change the subject line, be sure to change it when you respond.

2. Be courteous in your request and don’t get upset with others for asking questions that don’t make sense or are not clear. Don’t write a message in all capital letters because this means you are SHOUTING!!

Old Message Archive
Most mailing lists maintain an archive of their old messages. This can also be a great resource because you can search old messages and look for answers to questions that have been asked previously. You can check out the archive before you subscribe to get an idea of how many emails are generated in a given month. Some only have a handful of posts each month and some can get 100 plus each day!

When you are finished reading the emails that come to your email box, just delete the ones you are not interested in.

Examples
Let’s take a look at a couple of lists that you might be interested in.

LDS-WARD-CONSULTANT

This is a list for the use of LDS family history consultants to exchange suggestions, guidelines, data, etc. related to their duties. You can discuss just about any topic that concerns the duties of a consultant, teaching Sunday School classes, and even how to get members of the ward involved in family history research and temple submissions.

To join this list you subscribe by sending the one word message “subscribe” (without the quotes) to LDS-WARD-Consultant-L-request@Rootsweb.com. Replace the “L” with a “D” if you want the Digest mode rather than the list mode.

You can search the LDS Ward Consultant archives for this list or browse the archives.

PAF-5 Software

There is a mailing list for users of PAF5 software.

Again, to join this list, send the one work message “subscribe” to paf-5-users-l-request@rootsweb.com. Search the PAF 5 archives or browse the archives.

RootsMagic Software

A terrific list for users of RootsMagic software is ROOTSMAGIC-USERS. If you have a question just send an email and you get a response, usually within minutes. Subscribe the same way at rootsmagic-users-l-request@rootsweb.com. Search the RootsMagic archives or browse the archives.

If you want to find other genealogy related mailing lists, or any mailing list for that matter, check out the following:

Here is a great list of Genealogy Resources on the Internet.

And here is the list of all Mailing Lists hosted on RootsWeb’s website.

Yahoo also hosts some mailing lists, but, they call them Groups rather than lists. You can reach their index at Yahoo Groups.

Get Started!

Follow the four easy steps outlined on the form “How Do I Start My Family History?” available here. The first few are covered below. I'll cover the others later.

Identify What You Have
1. Do you have a computerized database of your genealogy and family history?

2. Do you have the information in paper form?

3. If you have neither, do you have a relative that does? If so, contact that relative(s) and ask for a “gedcom” copy of what they have computerized, a photocopy of their material, or take a digital camera and take pictures of what they have.

Don’t reinvent the wheel! Beg and borrow the work that everyone else has already done! This will give you the framework, but, not the finished work. Often, during the course of identifying the sources of the data you have gathered, you will find that mistakes have been made. There really were four sons named “William” in one family. Or, there were two James Millers living in the same town and both of them had sons named George.

Computerize Your Data
Obtain a software program on which to enter your data. Any software package will do. You can download PAF (Personal Ancestral File) from FamilySearch.org for free. Most people who do so, purchase add-on packages from various vendors to streamline the process, create additional reports and charts, search the IGI automatically and search for other records faster. Many other purchased software packages have these same abilities, and more, combined into one package.

Other software packages include: RootsMagic, Legacy, The Master Genealogist, FamilyTreeMaker, and Ancestral Quest, to name a few. If you already have access to new FamilySearch or you want to be ready for the release in Utah/Idaho you will find it much easier and faster to work with if you have either RootsMagic, Ancestral Quest, or the PAF add-on program, Family Insight. My personal preference is most definitely RootsMagic V4.

Research Your Data
Once you have gathered your records turn to the Internet for more information. There are literally tens of thousands of websites that contain data – both good and bad. Remember to gather ALL you can and then determine what is correct by gathering sources to confirm the accuracy of the data.

1. First, go to FamilySearch (or new FamilySearch if you have access.) FamilySearch contains the following databases and are searchable online for free.

Ancestral File- contains information from four-generation pedigree charts that were submitted by individuals to FamilySearch in paper form many years ago.

Pedigree Resource File – contains data submitted by individuals electronically. More data is included on the CD version of these files, located in the FH Center or FH Library, than is displayed on the Internet.

IGI (International Genealogical Index) – for members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter day Saints it contains dates and temple codes for all ordinance work completed in any temple. It DOES NOT include records for the living, only for those who are deceased. It is updated daily. For others the IGI includes everything except temple ordinance information.

Census Index – contains transcriptions of the 1880 US Federal Census, the 1881 British Census and the 1881 Canadian census.

The US Social Security Death Index –includes many of the millions of people in the US who were issued a Social Security Number and their death was reported to the Social Security Administration. Birth years range from 1875 to the present.

Vital Records -- are transcribed vital records from Mexico and Scandinavia. Other vital records on CD's are located in the FH Center.