Step 5a – Go To The “Family Tree” Website

The Church’s “Family Tree” website is command central for your family history. It’s the site you use to submit your family names for temple work. And, it’s much more…as you’ll see below.

The vision of Family Tree is huge: to build and preserve the family tree of mankind.

Basically, Family Tree is the online repository for your family history. It lets you:

Submit names for temple work — so you can perform the sacred temple ordinances for your family.
Include Vital Information, Life Sketches, Photos, Documents, Stories, and Notes — for every person in your family line.
Navigate easily — you can zoom in or out, and expand or retract family lines.
Edit incorrect information — easily (once you figure out how to do it).
Link to and upload Source documents — to show where the information was found, and that it’s accurate.
Communicate and collaborate with others — so you can share information and compare research with others who are working on your line.
Be notified of changes — so you’ll know when someone has changed information on ancestors you’ve placed in your Watch List.
Store your information forever — safely, deep in the Church’s underground Granite Mountain Record Vaults.

Sounds amazing doesn’t it. And it is. Family Tree is open to everyone (but only Church members can see the temple ordinance data).

Here are two brief videos that give you an introduction and overview of Family Tree:

Video: Getting Started With Family Tree
Video: Connecting Your Family On Family Tree

Here’s the link to Family Tree websites:

Website: Family Tree
Website: Family Tree Practice (lets you practice using Family Tree without goofing anything up)

And, here’s the link to the Family Tree Reference Guide (168 pages):

Guide: Family Tree Reference Guide

Below, is a quick look at how Family Tree works…

In the Tree View, you can:

Easily see several generations of your ancestors at one time and identify the places where more research is needed.
At a glance, see who’s temple work is not completed.
Easily navigate your ancestral lines.

On the Summary Card, you can:

See the person’s portrait photo if one has been uploaded.
See the number of sources, discussions, photos, and stories attached to this person.
See the person’s name and basic events.
See the ID number (beneath the name) which identifies each person in the system.

To display this person in the main position on Family Tree, click Tree.
To display the person’s details page, click Person.
To display the person’s sources, click Sources.
To display the person’s discussions, click Discussions.
To display the person’s photos, click Photos.
To display the person’s stories, click Stories.
To watch the person, click Watch. To unwatch the person, click Unwatch.

On a person’s Details Page, you can:

See, add, edit, and delete the person’s name, gender, events, and other details.
See the ID number (formerly called the person identifier). This number identifies each person in the system. It appears directly beneath the name.
See the person’s family members.
Click the name of any person in the family to display his or her summary card.
Add new spouses, children, parents, and siblings.
See, edit, and delete information about couple and parent-child relationships.
See, attach, detach, and edit sources about the person.
Search for the person in the historical records on FamilySearch.org.
Participate in discussions.
Watch the person so that you can receive notifications when information about him or her changes.
See a history of the changes that were made to the person’s information.
See how many discussions have been added and when the last activity occurred.
Return to one of the last 50 people whose information you viewed previously.
See and merge duplicate records.
Print a pedigree chart and family group record.
Delete the person from Family Tree.