How to Fish: Puzzilla.org training and Family History Research

Bill and I have been giving training on how to use puzzilla.org to do family history research and how to find and add cousins to our family tree in familysearch.org. He has been invited by several family history centers and groups to give presentations. We have given personal one-on-one training to family and friends. He is working hard to add additional features and useful tools to the program.

Most of my ancestors have been well researched and my pedigree lines go back many generations on all sides. By using the view on puzzilla.org I can now see all the descendants of ancestors that have already been found by others in family tree, and I can see where the research stopped. When I find a place or "hole" where someone does not have any children I go to their individual page within family search. Next I click on the search button on the right hand side of their page to go into the historical record data base, where all the indexed records are found. I search to find them in a birth, death, census or other record and look for their spouse or children so I can add them to my family tree. Using this process I have found hundreds of new cousins to add to my family tree. Some short videos on puzzilla.org main page easily demonstrates this process.

I like the analogy my husband uses about a father taking his son fishing. He does not take him to the supermarket to pick out a fish that was already caught by someone else. Instead, he takes him to the stream to catch a new fish in the wild. In the same way we search in the historical records to find someone who has not yet been found, and then we add them to the market, or family tree. (The bait is the person already in family tree.)

I am experiencing the phenomenon of moving from a scarcity of temple work to do for my ancestors, to now having such an abundance of names that I am asking family and friends for their help doing the temple work. Even after involving those I know to help me, I am left with much more work than we can possibly do. So I have been sharing the work with the temple. This means anyone attending the temple on any given day can be doing work for someone I have found. I feel that these people have waited long enough to have their blessings and I am excited to share the work.

I track the progress of my work on a spreadsheet. My husband calls it my workflow. I create columns for their Name, ID number, Temple work, Shared Work, Research, and Notes so I can keep track of my progress on each individual. I enter them on the spreadsheet in the order I discover them in my research. Information on one individual stays on one line and is condensed or coded so my mind can easily visually process the information. For instance, in the research column I use the symbol SS, to indicate that person does not have a spouse and I need to find a marriage record. Or I use the symbol SP to indicate they don't have parents.

Typically the names become grouped one family at a time, and I occasionally separate families using a colored line in the spreadsheet. This helps me visually identify families quickly, to follow or share with others. I also use different colors to highlight when my research or temple work is done, where I need to focus more attention, or names I have shared with different family members. This helps me see where I have been and where I need to go next.

Besides this I also have a program on my computer for my own pedigree and their descendants, in addition to the one on familysearch.org called family tree. This allows me to see the relationships I have to each of the people I found and enter other personal details that cannot be changed by someone else.

I hope this is helpful to someone.

Genealogy Research Help - puzzilla.org

If you want to do family history research on collateral family lines, check out  the website my husband, Bill, developed at:

puzzilla.org

Here you are able to view descendant charts of your ancestors to determine where new research needs to be done.  This website is very new and still in the development and testing phase, so many improvements or changes may be added over time.

This website also gives a link to an eight minute research video entitled, "Finding Herman" and an instructional video on how to use Puzzilla.org. Both of these videos were created early in the development of puzzilla.org and there are plans to update them. 

In order to use this site, you will also need to log into familysearch.org.  Anyone can create an account following the links. However, if you are a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints you will want to sign up using your individual membership number, which can be obtained in one of three ways:

*Ask the membership Clerk
*It is written on your temple recommend
*It is on the membership papers the bishop gives you during tithing settlement

The same user name and password is used to access lds.org, so if you already have an account there, you will not need to create another one. Just use the same log in information.

Important: Write down or remember the user name and password you set up so you can access family search in the future.


The youth in our Stake have been given a goal to find one of their ancestors by August 20, when they will attend a Stake Youth Temple Day and be baptized for the family member they have found. This challenge was first given in June, at their youth conference.  

Each ward called multiple family history consultants consisting of both adults and youth. Several training sessions have been held for the consultants. Each Sunday, during Sunday School, some of the youth and their parents are invited into a special class where they bring their computers and work side by side to find their loved ones. Progress has been very gradual, but we are beginning to see many having success.

Today, we are combining our faith and participating in a Stake fast. We are praying for the spirit of the Lord to guide the youth and their families in finding these individual names. It is thrilling to be part of this work and to feel the Lord guiding and blessing us.

If you are reading this blog post and are not a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, you may be wondering why we perform baptisms for our dead ancestors.  Some of my previous blog posts address this question; such as the St George Temple.  We believe every person born on this earth is a child of a loving Heavenly Father.  He wants everyone of us to have the same opportunity to learn of him and return to live in his presence.  

The Lord has provided prophets to teach us and the Priesthood to perform the sacred ordinance of baptism, as well as other ordinances found in the temple.  Those who died without being taught and baptized into the kingdom of God, continue to be taught in the spirit world after this life. Since baptism requires that we have a physical body, those of us still on the earth perform baptisms for them and they have the opportunity to accept or reject the work being done. Their agency is paramount. 

Our priority is for each of us to do the work for our own family. And after we have found a grandparent, we feel it is just as important to find all of their children and grandchildren, not just the one we are directly descended from. After all, don't they, and we, love all our children?

(Note: One hundred fifty-six youth came to the temple that day and performed over 400 baptisms, the majority of which were their own family names. It was a moving experience to see the baptistry completely filled by the youth and their leaders, with many more waiting their turn to enter, all the way down the hallway leading to the baptistry. A fireside was held afterward where they shared their experiences.)

Identity - My New Passion

I am the daughter of women and men who worked as farmers, coal miners, post masters, school teachers, a pony express rider and more.   I come from England, Ireland, Scotland, Denmark, and have cousins from Germany, Switzerland and more.  I have discovered that the family I come from is hard working, faithful and persistent through their trials, talented, happy and that they love their families.  I am discovering my own identity as I discover theirs.

Here are some of their stories:

Tamma Durfee

Tamma's husband Albert, died in January of 1847 when their youngest child was not yet two years old and the oldest not yet 16.  Tamma later married Enos Curtis and later John White Curtis.  Tamma's father, Edmond, was murdered by a mob at Nauvoo, Illinois when Tamma was 32 and expecting her ninth child.  Her father had been called on a mission in 1836 in Kirtland. Tamma's husband, Albert, helped build the Kirtland Temple, the dedication of which they both attended.  Their daughter Melissa died during persecution era at 7 months. Their son Orson died of a fever at seventeen.  Sylvia died at 2 years of age.  Husband Albert died of exposure.  Tamma with her 5 remaining boys and two girls started across the plains June 10, 1850.  Tamma wrote: "I have passed through all the hardships and drivings and burnings and mobbings and threatenings and have been with the Saints in all their persecutions from Huron County to Kirtland and from Kirtland to Missouri back to Illinois and then across the desert.  I write this that my children may have a little idea of what their parents passed through. I hope my children will appreciate these lives for I do feel highly honored to be numbered with the Latter-day Saints..." 

Lindsay Anderson Brady - Part of an account written by his son:

Pa was born February 8, 1868 at Fairview, the son of Warren P. Brady and Rachel Ann Cox who were the parents of fifteen children.  The three oldest were born at Union Fort, the rest in Sanpete.  That was Pioneer days.  I know they were rather poor but Grandma never said they were.  They took up a homestead, farmed, raised cows, horses, chickens, pigs and always a good garden. The children always went barefooted in the summer and soon they were big enough to help make their own.  Pa herded sheep over in Castle Valley the winter he was ten years old.  He went to school during the winters before he herded sheep but he didn't have very much schooling.  He was a real rowdy head but he had a desire to learn so he read many books while he watched the sheep.  He especially liked to read about history and politics.  He also enjoyed music.  He played the fiddle, the banjo, the guitar, the drums,the harmonica and the fife and most anything else he could get his hands on.  He didn't like just sitting  around.  He was always wanting to do something.  He loved his fiddle.  It sure helped him over many rough spots.
  

Anna Elizabeth (Libbie) Acord, my grandmother, wrote the following about her childhood:

Mother was an ambitious woman and was able to do many things. She always sang as she worked. I used to watch her wash wool. When the wool was dry, it was placed on a sheet in the middle of the kitchen floor. We would sit around the pile of wool and pick it clean from sticks, burrs, etc. Then I saw her cord the wool into batting or make it into rolls. From the rolls of wool she would spin yarn on her spinning wheel and make it into skeins, then we would wind the skeins into balls. From these balls of yarn, I watched her knit our long stockings for winter. This yarn was dyed black before the stockings were made.

I spent days watching Mother wind carpet warp on the large warping machine. She would put this warp into the big loom which she kept in the south room upstairs. I sat for hours playing house while she wove carpets, blankets, rugs, and cloth. Every room in our large frame home had a carpet. Always before the carpet was laid, the floor was covered with fresh new straw. We loved to sit on the new carpet and play games with our friends who came in to spend the evening with us. I watched Mother make quilts. The quilts were filled with the new batting she made from the wool.

Father and Mother opened what was known as the Acord House when I was about seven or eight years old. Here I had many experiences meeting new people. At that time we had only coal oil lamps for light. It was my job to keep all the lamps trimmed and cleaned. I washed many lamp chimneys each day, and in the years ahead I washed lots of dishes and helped keep bedrooms clean. I also learned to cook a little.

We used to have lots of snow. Everybody had a bob sleigh or cutter and a team of horses. The boys would fill the sleigh with warm quilts and hot bricks and take the girls for a ride down the long country roads. Reid, my boyfriend, had a nice new cutter and a good horse. Often on a nice sunny Sunday afternoon he would call for me, and we would ride to Mt. Pleasant, Moroni, Wales, Chester and back home. If there wasn't any snow, we would use his Father's new buggy and Old Sal. We also went horse-back riding and a few times took such a long trip that I thought I could never stand the ride back home, but it was fun.

We (Reid and I) belonged to the "Home Dramatic Company" and had lots of fun taking part in the different plays. We had lots of fun in the 'Old Hall'. We went to many dances and shows there. During the Christmas Holidays we attended dances or shows every night for two weeks. I used to sing in the picture shows held there. We had lots of nice home parties with our friends, played games, etc. and had good eats.

Historical Site in Dallas - JFK

A sad day in history.  The place where President John F Kennedy was shot, while passing Dealey Plaza in Dallas, Texas.  I felt the sadness and shock, even as a young child.

This car is where the President's limousine was when the shots were fired, from the orange brick building,
 6th floor window, just above the tree line on the far right.  The grassy knoll is on the left.  Dealey Plaza is on the right.

Sixth Floor window of the bookstore,
from which Harvey Lee Oswald shot JFK.

In visiting this site, I was surprised to realize how close everything was.  The pictures make the distance between the roads and buildings seem greater, but in fact, everything is within a few feet of each other.

View from the grassy knoll, just below the bookstore.

Birmingham - Historical Significance

In Birmingham Alabama, I visited areas of historical significance.  It was moving to be reminded of the things I have witnessed in my lifetime, and the efforts by many who have struggled for greater freedom.

Baptist Church next to Kelly Ingram Park
A gathering place for Civil Rights Leaders and those who marched

Kelly Ingram Park, Central to the Civil Rights Movement

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Plack Honoring Freedom Riders

Erie Pennsylvania - A Bit of Personal History

While visiting the Maritime Museum at the Erie lakeshore, I viewed displays about the Ship "Niagara", and the role it played in the War of 1812.  Since then, I have discovered that my husband's ancestor, Frederick G Williams, at one time helped pilot that ship!  The ship is still in operation, but was not in port when I visited.  Within the museum, a group of artisans are making a small replica.  They have been working on it for two years, and plan to have it ready for formal display sometime in 2012, marking 200 years since the battle.

Newel K Whitney Store -

Newel K Whitney Store

My visit to the Newel K Whitney store, in Kirtland, Ohio, was an emotional experience.  Traveling with my husband on a recent business trip to Erie, Pennsylvania, I discovered Kirtland, was only a little more than an hour away.  I ventured out for the first day of our trip and drove, by myself, over to see some of the most important places of the latter-day restoration of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Janice, Newel K Whitney store

I followed the signs guiding me to the LDS visitor center, and was met by a wonderful couple serving a mission there.  They proceded to give me a personal tour of several restored buildings.  One of the buildings we entered was the Newel K Whitney Store.  Here the Prophet Joseph Smith was led by inspiration, and greeted Mr Whitney, "Newel K Whitney, you are the man.  You have prayed me here, now what do you want of me?"

Bill in the room where the School of the Prophets was held

Within the walls of this modest store, many revelations were received.  The vision of the first latter-day temple was given, and many more sacred events occurred.  This building sustained the lives of those who had dedicated themselves to serving the Lord.  It held the first Bishop's storehouse, where goods were distributed to those in need, and where the Prophet and his family found refuge for a period of time.  The seeds of the kingdom were planted here, and the school of the Prophets was held.  In all reality I was standing in a temple.  A few days later, Bill and I returned to visit together.

What I learned, while sitting in the School of the Prophets, is that a temple can exist anywhere the Lord needs to do his work.  And what makes a place a temple, is not the place itself, but the spirit and the work done within that place.  After all, didn't Moses speak with God on the top of a mountain?    So, I ask myself, what can I do to make my own home a place where the spirit can dwell, and where I, and anyone who enters, can receive revelation from Heaven?

Kirtland Ohio Temple

Kirtland Ohio Temple

The Kirtland temple stands as a monument to the dedication and sacrifice of the early saints.  It is evidence of their willingness and desire to worship the Lord Jesus Christ.  There they obtained power and knowledge from on high, that sustained them through every trial, and continues to sustain their descendants today.  I tried to imagine the heavenly manifestations that were recorded, on the day of dedication.  I thought of how they must have felt.

Window and Original Door of Kirtland Temple

One of the elements I loved about the temple structure, was the large windows, and the natural light that pours through from every side of the room.  One question remained on my mind, however, and that is "Why are the rooms of this temple so different from other temples that were built from that time on?"  Later, in my travels, I discovered part of the answer.

Old Meeting House, Boston MA

When we arrived in Boston, and I toured the Old Meeting House, where seeds of democracy were planted, my jaw dropped open.  The interior of the building is similar in multiple ways to the Kirtland temple.  Large windows let in natural light, and white pews are topped with wood railings.  I realized that this Old Meeting House was also a sacred building, where powerful thoughts of freedom contributed to a society where the gospel of Jesus Christ could be restored, without being wiped off of the earth, like it had throughout other centuries of history.  Similar architecture is also found in the Old North Church, where the lantern was lit to warn of the British troops.

Old North Church, Boston MA

The Kirtland temple is also different from other latter-day temples, because it is not currently owned by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.  Therefore, anyone can enter.  Although I appreciate that it is being preserved by it's current owners, it lacked the care and spirit I am accustomed to experiencing, when I enter our buildings.