Here are 6 steps to doing free family history research using Puzzilla.org.
Affordable premium features are also available for the serious user.
Affordable premium features are also available for the serious user.
Puzzilla.org
Beginner Tutorial
1.
Sign in to
Puzzilla.org using your FamilySearch user ID and password.
2.
Examine “Ancestors”
tree. Blue squares indicate males, red circles indicate females. Move your
mouse over the symbols to browse their names.
a. Notice
“Generations” field. Suggestion for
youth: change to 7 or 8 generations.
b. Click
someone in the topmost row to select that person
c. Click
“Descendants” button.
3.
Examine descendants tree. Selected person is at the center; children are
in the first circle, grand-children in the second circle, etc.
a. Click
“Targets” button. This adds a red
square to persons whose children have not yet been found. These are good places
to start because they are likely places where others’ research stopped.
b. Suggestion:
under Targets button click in “Birth
Range” field and type 1830-1870 to narrow the time to a period of good
record coverage.
c. Click
a target person. Suggestion: choose someone with an uncommon name.
4.
Click on “View
in FamilyTree”. Examine person details in FamilyTree.
a. Birth
and death: upper left
b. Spouse
and children: lower left
c. Parents
and siblings: lower right
d. “Record
Hints” and “Search Records”: upper right
5.
Click “Search
Records.” This is like a Google search and lists records in order of
decreasing probability of matching your target person. Suggestion: Click “Record Hints” if any are available.
Record hints show pre-selected historical records with a higher probability of
including your target person.
6.
Examine “Search
Results from Historical Records” or hint record details.
a. Look
for records containing your target person. Match the names, the event dates and
places, and the relationships to known family members.
b. Success:
Previously-unknown family members are discovered in historical records, such as
birth, marriage, death, census. Get help from a Family History Consultant to
help you add new persons to the tree, attach sources, resolve duplicates, and
submit ordinances.
c. Try again: If you don’t find a match in
the first Search Results page immediately, close that browser tab, return to the
Puzzilla descendants tree tab and select a different “Target” person. Repeat steps
4 and 5 until previously-unknown family members are discovered in historical
records.
d. Suggestion:
Try many searches; don’t get stuck on one person, one family, or one
descendants tree. Try a different descendants tree for a different ancestor
from the Puzzilla ancestors chart.
