The Family Tree
The Family Tree is part of the FamilySearch website https://familysearch.org. Family Tree offers a new approach to researching and organizing your family history with a focus on enhanced data accuracy through collaboration and sourcing. There is no guarantee that the information in Family Tree is accurate. Data comes from many sources, and anyone can edit the information in Family Tree. It is your responsibility to verify names, dates and places, and family relationships, and to provide sources when available.
The Family Tree is one tree for all mankind; it represents our collective family tree. Users begin with themselves and link through relationships to other records in the tree. The idea is that every person who has ever lived will have one unique record in Family Tree. We bring together as many historical records and family memories as possible and preserve them for future generations. To improve the data in Family Tree, sources can be linked to show where the information in the tree came from. Conclusions are the best available facts about each individual in the tree. Sources strengthen conclusions. Opinions are variations of the conclusions, such as theories, variations, or contradictions, found in various sources.
Family Tree allows a community of interested researchers to identify, record, and maintain an accurate set of conclusions in the Family Tree. This allows the correcting of other contributors’ data, collaboration allowing the genealogical community to identify the most accurate information to be shown on the tree, monitoring, and a roll-back feature to help control this more open environment.
Living records in Family Tree are only seen by the person who entered them. These living records are protected in a private space that then links to the deceased relatives. Family Tree also provides a private section to upload personal documents, photos, and stories, and link those to persons in Family Tree.
The goal behind Family Tree is to create the best-sourced genealogy in the world. FamilySearch strives to get people to interact with one another so that supporting documentation can be connected to the correct ancestor. Family Tree will be improved as time goes on. Fortunately, it is easy to resolve duplicates and errors in Family Tree. Because changes are easy to make, it is important to be sure changes are accurate and backed up by reliable sources
Fixing Pedigrees
Family Tree does provide tools to help keep the pedigree fairly error free.
- You can correct a name, date, and place or add this information if it is missing.
- In the pedigree you can select which marriage and which parents are displayed.
- You can also delete any individuals and relationships that have been added in error. Sometimes you will find a child or spouse shown as a member of a family where the person cannot possibly belong (for example, wrong time period or wrong country). This can usually be solved by editing the Family Relationships.
- You can merge duplicate records that are for the same person and mark those that are not the same person as Not a Match. This will help to prevent others from merging them.
- You can add sources to the information, helping others to understand the factual data behind the information.
- You can collaborate with other contributors.
We wish you success in using FamilySearch Family Tree as we work together to accomplish these goals.
- Family Tree is designed to provide a place to show one complete, accurate record for each person who has ever lived on the earth.
- Family Tree is a single tree, not private user trees, linked together in families.
- Family Tree is the place to preserve our family history online.
In summary, the goal of Family Tree is to create one accurate record for each person who ever lived and linked together in correct family relationships.