Author Topic: new.familysearch.org  (Read 6694 times)

Peter Ahlstrom

  • Administrator
  • Level 59
  • *****
  • Posts: 4902
  • Fell Points: 2
  • Assistant to Mr. Sanderson
    • View Profile
new.familysearch.org
« on: May 27, 2008, 09:50:05 PM »
If you live in a temple district that they've rolled out the new.familysearch.org beta out to, check it out! I've been engrossed in it this past week, and perhaps it will finally fill the void left when I gave up Wikipedia.

Basically I've just been going through and combining duplicate records...and uncombining records where they have people confused with each other. For example, Robert son of John was getting mixed up with his nephew Robert son of John son of John... I also found one guy who's his own father and grandfather.

It's fun and I feel like I'm doing something meaningful. Fixing duplication and combination errors seems like it's really what's needed right now...there are sooo many people who have had temple work done multiple times, and getting the records all straightened out will help keep that from happening in the future.

(Note: The beta/alpha is open to LDS members only.)
All Saiyuki fans should check out Dazzle! Emotionally wrenching action-adventure and quirky humor! (At least read chapter 6 and tell me if you're not hooked.) Volume 10 out now!

readerMom

  • Level 8
  • *
  • Posts: 275
  • Fell Points: 0
    • View Profile
    • Books, mostly
Re: new.familysearch.org
« Reply #1 on: May 28, 2008, 09:09:35 PM »
Do they want documentation when you try to fix errors?  I've found some whoppers in my own family tree and haven't known how to figure out which record is the right one.

Peter Ahlstrom

  • Administrator
  • Level 59
  • *****
  • Posts: 4902
  • Fell Points: 2
  • Assistant to Mr. Sanderson
    • View Profile
Re: new.familysearch.org
« Reply #2 on: May 29, 2008, 07:57:33 AM »
Documentation is definitely best, but some things you can figure out using the sources that are already listed. If something's got a microfilm source, for example, that's better than just a temple source, or (of course) no source at all. Also, you can keep people linked to multiple parents, for example, allowing for things like adoption and stepfamily.
All Saiyuki fans should check out Dazzle! Emotionally wrenching action-adventure and quirky humor! (At least read chapter 6 and tell me if you're not hooked.) Volume 10 out now!

jeth

  • Level 1
  • *
  • Posts: 2
  • Fell Points: 0
    • View Profile
Re: new.familysearch.org
« Reply #3 on: August 22, 2008, 10:30:26 PM »
Congratulations to you for trying to correct inaccuracies in the family search database.  It's too bad their own researchers and the owners of the database aren't as willing to make corrections.

A long time ago I noticed a rather glaring error in the entry for my parents and myself.  First, my birthday was wrong, and second....I'M NOT DEAD YET, despite the claims of the LDS member (Arhtur Hill) who supplied the data.

I notified him as well as the LDS and provided copies of birth certificates, etc.  I also copied as pages from a published history of one branch of my family that clearly showed where Mr. Hill had strayed from the straight and narrow and screwed up the records.

Mr. Hill never even bothered to respond.  The LDS merely said that it could take up to a year to have the corrections made.

This was about EIGHT YEARS ago!  And, nothing has been changed yet.

I also find Mr. Hill's name listed as submitter of many records for this branch of my family, and wonder how many other he has screwed up.

So beware!  Take what you find there with a "block" of salt, and triple check anything you find, especially if it has the name of Arthur Hill associated with it.

Peter Ahlstrom

  • Administrator
  • Level 59
  • *****
  • Posts: 4902
  • Fell Points: 2
  • Assistant to Mr. Sanderson
    • View Profile
Re: new.familysearch.org
« Reply #4 on: August 25, 2008, 02:15:00 AM »
How many total individual records would you say are messed up? Basically it just takes someone going in and doing it. Once something is fixed, the old stuff still stays there in the record (so it can be changed back if it shouldn't have been changed) but is hidden from normal view.

I would be willing to put in the time to fix say 10 records for you if provided documentation. I'm not saying it takes long to change each one (it doesn't), but generally people are asked to work on their own line rather than someone else's.
All Saiyuki fans should check out Dazzle! Emotionally wrenching action-adventure and quirky humor! (At least read chapter 6 and tell me if you're not hooked.) Volume 10 out now!