Family Tree: “Photos” Changed to “Memories” in Main Navigation

The FamilySearch site has had a couple of significant changes in the last couple of days.

“Photos” Changed to “Memories” in Main Navigation

It is now official: the “Photos” section of the site has been renamed to “Memories.” Our site currently allows users to add 3 types of memories: photos, stories, and documents.

If you click “Memories,” that page has been altered somewhat to reflect the new wording:

This planned change was announced on the FamilySearch blog last a few days ago 

(https://familysearch.org/blog/en/photos-feature-called-memories/).

If you click “Memories,” that page has been altered somewhat to reflect the new wording:

In Family Tree, where it used used to say “Photos,” it now also uses “Memories.” Here’s the summary card:

On the details page, the “Photos and Documents” tab is now “Memories.” The page has three sections, one for each memory type. The sections can be opened and closed, and links for adding new memories located directly under the title of the section.

Improved Sitewide Navigation

If you hover your mouse over each item in the header, you now get options that you can use to quickly get to a specific place within that section of the site.

This change was announced on the blog last November (https://familysearch.org/blog/en/change-to-site-wide-navigation-coming/).

Some Family Tree Watch List Improvements Just Went Live

The Watch List in Family Tree is now part of a larger lists feature. This new lists feature lets you sort and filter your lists so you can focus the list on what you are looking for. This new lists feature also provides a framework that the Family Tree development team can use to build more useful lists that we can use in the future.To see the new Lists feature, go to Family Tree, and click Lists.From there, you can see two lists.

·         People I’m Watching. This is what was formerly called the “Watch List.” It is a simple list of all the people in Family Tree you’re watching for changes. This list should now load more quickly than it did in the past. When it first appears, the list is sorted alphabetically by the last or family name of the person being watched.

·         Changes to People I’m Watching (beta). This is a new list. It shows you all of the changes made in the last 30 days to people you are watching. When it first appears, the list will be sorted by the date when the last change was made, starting with the most recent changes.

This list may take a little while longer to load, so it will be labelled as “beta” feature for a while after its release.

Sorting Lists

Use the column headings to sort the list.

If a particular column has only one sorting option, click the column heading itself. Click the heading again to reverse the sort order.

If a column has more than one sort option, you see a little triangle. Click the triangle, and click the sort order you want.

Green highlighting and an arrow tell you how the list is currently sorted.

Filtering Your Lists

Sometimes you want to be able to focus your list according to any of the text that shows up in the list, such as a particular surname or other information. To do that, just enter the text that you want to filter by in the Filter box, which is located at the top of your list:

Have You Downloaded The RootsTech App Yet?

This will be my 3rd RootsTech and am I excited! Notice there was no question mark, rather an explanation point.

It's time to download their app. Schedules are in it. Information on the vendors are there. Keynotes are identified.

They have done a great job with the app. Use it to decide if you even want to attend. Of course you do want to attend, this will just cement that thought. There are classes for all levels of skills. There are classes for the beginning youth.

The venue is bigger this year, the classrooms are larger. I used the app last year to make last minute changes of plans on which classes to go to. Some filled up so fast I needed a back up plan. A couple of classes weren't what I expected and my app was ready with an alternative class to move over to.

It's great - RootsTech, and the app is great too.

Using Digital Newspapers In Research; Library of Congress Chronicling America: Updated

 

Yesterday was the 3rd Saturday and it was Saturday Seminar day at The Riverton Family History Library. The keynote was great, an hour presentation on photos and stories by Devin Ashby who is a project manager for FamilySearch. He has some great ideas and terrific instruction.

Following the keynote, were two 1 1/4 hour breakout sessions. There are four classes to choose from. Kathleen anxious to learn how to use her MAC better took a class on MAC Tricks from Jimmy Zimmrman. She loved the class.

I took a class taught by Ron Ray, who currently maintains an awesome website for research links: http://eaglequestpro.com/share 

As is typical to these classes and even those at events such as Rootstech, the handouts are as valuable as the lecture.

I have to say that as much as I love genealogy I usually come out of seminars and conferences on fire. Yesterday was no exception. The focus of this article is on newspapers as taught by Ron. In another post I will write on the topic of "Beginning Guide to tracing Irish Ancestry taught by Jessica Taylor of Ancestry.com, which was the second break out class I took.

OK now, putting into action the newspapers class. 

I will start by going to Library of Congress Chronicling America website. http://chroniclingamerica'loc.gov/ Here you can explore historic newspaper pages from 1836-1922.

At first I am going to search for CRAGUN and see what they have. Yikes, 1733 pages on Cragun. This should be interesting and keep me busy for awhile.

I think I will publish this now and share more with you later - I have research to do..

What I am expecting is to find interesting information, perhaps information on people previously lost or unknown to me.

--
I just have to update this post. Yesterday I reviewed about 16 articles. They were the first Craguns to appear and were on some of my great grandfathers brothers. It was just so interesting. One brother had his finger shot off by armed robbers. I wonder what finger it was and how they picked which one to remove; and why. (humor here). Another article was about how one of his brothers was sued by another for unduly influencing their mother to sign a will naming the sued brother as the sole heir. The article claimed the will  was done the day before their mom died, and that she was not capable of making a sound decision. Now, I didn't think things like that happened in our family. (more humor)

What was also interesting, was that almost none of the people I have so far come across had any or much sourcing done in FamilyTree. Since they are so closely related, and since basic sourcing is so smoothly done in FamilyTree I probably added about 200 sources to the tree yesterday. I even found a few relatives not attached to the tree.

I learned more about our family, it was a fun few hours yesterday. All of this from one website with 1733 pages of newspaper articles on Cragun, and having read only about a dozen of those articles. (I did attach photo copies of all of these articles to FamilyTree.) I used the snipping tool that is part of Windows to make a copy to my desktop and then uploaded that to the persons sources section on their person page. Where the article was about more than one person I also hit the attach to source box button and then went to each individual mentioned and added it as a source from the source box. Again, this is a smooth and easy process.

PS: the two stories I mention here weren't the only interesting stories, just the most dramatic. These old newspapers are really quite fun.

Watch This Amazing Video And Tell Me There is no God

"We occupy a very tiny place in the Heavens."

"These Galaxies are racing away from us faster than the speed of light"

Joseph Smith also translated the Book of Moses - not  a part of the Book of Mormon.

Note what Moses saw as you watch this video: " 1 The words of God, which he ^aspake unto Moses at a time when Moses was caught up into an exceedingly high ^bmountain,

 2 And he ^asaw God ^bface to face, and he ^ctalked with him, and the^dglory of God was upon Moses; therefore Moses could endure his presence.

 3 And God spake unto Moses, saying: Behold, I am the Lord God^aAlmighty, and ^bEndless is my ^cname; for I am without beginning of days or end of years; and is not this endless?

 4 And, behold, thou art my son; wherefore ^alook, and I will show thee the ^bworkmanship of mine ^chands; but not all, for my ^dworks are without ^eend, and also my ^fwords, for they never cease.

 5 Wherefore, no man can behold all my ^aworks, except he behold all my ^bglory; and no man can ^cbehold all my ^dglory, and afterwards remain in the flesh on the earth.

 6 And I have a work for thee, Moses, my son; and thou art in the^asimilitude of mine ^bOnly ^cBegotten; and mine Only Begotten is and shall be the ^dSavior, for he is full of ^egrace and ^ftruth; but there is ^gno God beside me, and all things are present with me, for I^hknow them all.

 7 And now, behold, this one thing I show unto thee, Moses, my son, for thou art in the world, and now I show it unto thee.

 8 And it came to pass that Moses looked, and beheld the ^aworld upon which he was created; and Moses ^bbeheld the world and the ends thereof, and all the children of men which are, and which were created; of the same he greatly ^cmarveled and wondered.

 9 And the ^apresence of God withdrew from Moses, that his ^bglory was not upon Moses; and Moses was left unto himself. And as he was left unto himself, he ^cfell unto the earth.

There Is A New View In Family Tree

This portrait pedigree view has been released, today. No child expansion, data editing, or temple information, as of yet, so there are still be changes to be made, but users now have another view to aid them in tree traversal. I love that our ancestor's photos finally appear in one of the tree views. Make sure to let the developers know what you think. 

The new view can be selected from the home page of family tree.

Click the dropdown and select portrait view.

It's very nice

Just a little enhancement of the many being developed for our enjoyment.

Last I heard was that the mobile FamilyTree apps are still slated for release around 2nd quarter, next year.

Coming Soon To Family Tree

 

Yep, I was informed this week that perhaps the next upgrade in family tree will include photos in the pedigree view. Cool, get those photos uploaded folks; as of this posting there are now 1,640,035 photos in the tree. It seems like that number is about 200,000 more than this morning.

 I am kind shocked about the Porter line. I haven't focused on it much, thinking that there were so many stalwart Latter Day Saint Porters; but it seems like they think everyone else is doing the work. I have been adding things I found in my mothers files; but am surprised what I am finding of hers is on Porter relatives with very little put into the tree.

Wow, I just checked the photo count again; it is up about 200 in 5 minutes. Awesome! 

Update: 19 hours later:  1,643,496  photos on the tree: an increase of 3,461.

Get the picture

Oh, You've got the picture

Post it then 

Waiting…..Waiting for Christmas

by Elizabeth English
Herman and I finally locked our store and dragged ourselves home. It was 11 p.m. Christmas Eve. We’d sold almost all of our toys; and all of the layaway, except one package, had been picked up. But the person who had put a dollar down on that package never appeared.

Early Christmas morning our 12 year old son, Tom, Herman and I were out under the tree opening up gifts. But there was something humdrum about this Christmas. Tom was grown up, and I missed his childish exuberance of past years. As soon as breakfast was over, he left to visit friends and Herman disappeared into the bedroom, mumbling, “I’m going back to sleep.”

So there I was alone. It was nearly 9 a.m. 

Sleet mixed with snow cut the air outside. “Sure glad I don’t have to go out on a day like today,” I thought to myself. And then it began—something I’d never experienced before. A strange, persistent urge. “Go to the store,” it seemed to say. “That’s crazy,” I said to myself, “no one opens shop on Christmas day.” For an hour I fought that strange feeling. Finally, I could stand it no longer. I got dressed. 

I put on my wool coat, placed my hat on my head, then my galoshes, scarf and gloves. Once outside, the wind cut right through me and sleet stung my cheeks. I felt ridiculous. I had no business being out in the bitter chill.
 
There was the store just ahead. “But, what in the world?” I wondered. In front of the store stood two little boys—huddled together, poorly dressed, and half frozen. One was about nine, the other six.

“Here she comes!” yelled the older one. “See, I told you she would come,” he said. The younger one’s face was wet with tears, but when he saw me his eyes opened wide and his sobbing stopped.

“What are you two children doing out here?” I scolded, hurrying them into the store.
“We’ve been waiting for you,” replied the older. “My little brother Jimmy didn’t get any Christmas. We want to buy some skates. That’s what he wants.”
I looked at the three dollars in his hand and at their expectant faces. Then I looked around the store. “I’m sorry” I said, “but we have no ska….” Then my eye caught sight of the layaway shelf with its lone package. Could it be? I walked over and unwrapped the package. Miracles of miracles, there was a pair of skates!

Jimmy reached for them. “Lord,” I said silently, “let them be his size.” And miracle added upon miracle. They were his size. When the older boy finished tying the laces and saw that the skates fit perfectly, he stood up and presented the dollars to me.
“No, I’m not going to take your money,” I told him. “I want you to have these skates and use your money to get some gloves for your hands.” What I saw in Jimmy’s eyes was like a blessing. It was pure joy, and it was beautiful. My low spirits rose.

As I locked the door, I turned to the older brother and said, “How lucky that I happened to come along when I did. How did you boys know I would come?”
I wasn’t prepared for his reply. His gaze was steady, and he answered me softly. “I knew you would come. I asked Jesus to send you.”

The tingles in my spine weren’t from the cold. I knew God had planned this. As we waved good-bye, I returned home to a brighter Christmas than I had left.

Lots of Love