How do you use the LDS geneaology website?

Question

I tried looking for an ancestor, but all I found was the social security information about him, and nothing about his parents, siblings, etc. How do I access this information?

Answer 1

Finding your family history is like putting together a puzzle. I also noticed that the LDS site was not very comprehensive. I have just a few suggestions for you. First, ask all your family members about all they know about their ancestors. I had been searching for over a year before I talked to family about it, and they were able to give me clues like where someone was buried that helped my search. I also used a variety of websites. I signed up for the 14 day free membership at Ancestry.com and found social security death records and census records. After my free membership expired, I found the US Genweb project to be invaluable, providing transcripts of birth, marriage, death, tax and cemetary records. www.usgenweb.com
There is also a website that has partial census records.
www.us-census.org/
Another site I found helpful was a message posting site. www.genforum.genealogy.com/ I connected with two distant cousins on this site. :)

You really have to look for some of this information, but dont get discouraged. I had a hard time finding some of my relatives, but stumbled onto them after I discovered the census has spelled their name wrong, and I was looking for West Virginia when West Virginia didn't exist(was just Virginia until after 1861) so dont get too stuck on details and be prepared to keep looking. Good luck to you!

Answer 2

People do have misconceptions about the LDS files/ website. They do not have a massive database of "everyone" in the world. They DO have the largest collection of filmed records, which are things like court files, land records, so forth. A family 'tree' is something that you or I would put together, and many church members will submit those files for others to use. Another item they have is the entire 1880 census transcribed, which helps locate family in that year. Ancestry.com has the original census images (not transcribed), but they are not free, unless your library offers it. Many libraries do.
Another original offering are extracted church records, many of these from overseas. That won't help you, unless you have done some interim work and know where to be looking.
With the ssdi info, your ancestor is deceased. What you get from there, is the date and place of his death. Assuming you knew none of those things... this enables you to send for his death certificate and (if you choose), his original application for the ss card itself. This has personal data about his place of birth, so forth and can be of enormous value. Or.. you can work around it.
If grandpa/ gr grandpa was born prior to 1930, you should be able to pick up the trail in the census. 1930 is the most recent open for searching, but goes back to 1790. The amount of info VARIES, and yes, it also can have errors. Any record can..so always get as many as you can to compare data.
My favorite recommendation is www.cyndislist.com. This is a huge collection of sources for research, including a great beginner section. I tend to get frustrated when people want the "best" research site.. my belief is that you need AS MANY sites as you can find, to increase what you will find.
In short.. there may not be more about this person. I really hope you will repost with details of what you have (don't include living persons). Please try to include an estimated date and location. One or more of us will come back with what we find. Keep posting as you go along, since the resources and such change. The FUN of this is to look at a problem (how can I find ), and the success of finding the solution.

Answer 3

The web site has several useful resources, but it is pretty limited unless you can get back to 1880 or have a well researched family. The Social Security information is helpful if you write to the SS and request a copy of the person's application.

I suggest you find a local family history center. Volunteers can help you check census records and other sources. The web site can help you find one.

Answer 4

The site is www.familysearch.org. On the opening page, you can enter the person's name, etc. and click the search button below, or click the Search tab above--which opens a new window. On this second page, if you want EXACT matches as to spelling, etc. , just enter the person's name (they do not search for middle names, by the way), and click search at the bottom. If any matches are found, it will list "All Resources",
"Ancestral Files", "Census listings" (birth year in brackets, like <1880>), "International Genealogical Index" (IGI), "Pedigree Resource File", the "US Social Security Death Index", "Vital Records Index", and any "Family History" websites--in a box at the right side of the screen with the listings at the left. Census listings will be from the US, Great Britain, Canada, Scotland, etc.; the IGI will say something like "IGI/North America-over 25" and this can mean anywhere from 26 to over 2000 listings by year,sometimes going back to the 10th century or before, and it will be listed by area of the world--North America, South America, Oceania, Great Britain, etc. This site is VERY extensive, so you must be sure not to match one person's birth year with the wrong set of parents, for example. For this answer, I searched for GEORGE WASHINGTON. It had over 25 in the Ancestral File (earliest was 1608); over 25 in the 1880 US Census, 1881 British and Canadian Censuses; over 25 in the IGI/British Isles, 3 in the Caribbean Islands, 6 in the Southwest Pacific, and at least 2000 (if not more) in North America from 1632 forward; over 25 in the Pedigree Files; over 25 in the SSDI; and 7 web sites. Once you have found the correct one, look to see if "Marriages" is shown (or "Parents"). If so, it will say "Family" at the right, and clicking on this link will show the husband's details, wife's and any/all children (or it will say "None" if no children were submitted). There is usually info about the person who submitted the info to the site, such as their name, etc. and tell what Disk or Microfilm roll everything is on if you want to download it.
If there are no matches at all, it will tell you this as well.

Answer 5

There is a disconnect in the site's data. Most of the parent, sibling and spouse information is for people who died before 1920. (Not all, but most.) The Social Security Death Index has people who died after 1960, mostly.

What you'd have to do is find out your ancestors' parents from his
birth, marriage or death certificates;
obituary;
funeral home or cemetery records;
SSN application.

You might find his parents on the LDS site; you might have to repeat the paper steps above to get to his grandparents.

One hint - if you ARE looking for someone who died before 1920, don't put in everything you know. Name, birth year (with a 5-year range) and birth place country are usually enough, if he is there. Don't fill in the parents' names.

Narrow it down if you get a gazillion hits.

Answer 6

The LDS web site covers a load of information but not the SS numbers, as a matter of fact I have never found anyone who would have one. ???

Answer 7

As i grew to become into rereading your submit, i found available grew to become into one greater situation I forgot. there is usually a family contributors member who holds the family contributors history. That individual may be the final individual you're able to assume to have the guidance. i'm an occasion of this. I carry the guidance for countless branches of my family contributors. As an in elementary terms newborn who grew to become into raised without understanding my kin, i'm the final individual every person ought to think of of contacting to ask for guidance. i grew to become into given the guidance on considered one of those branches by means of a great aunt who had an single in elementary terms newborn. i could be very stunned if her era knew the quantity of guidance she accrued. in simple terms with the aid of fact evidently on the floor that the guidance you seek for is misplaced would not unavoidably advise that's. sturdy luck on your seek.

Answer 8

If you can afford it, you can also take a trip to utah and use the genelogical libery in UT for free as well, maybe they can also help you there, the libery is HUGE.
http://www.utah.com/mormon/family_history.htm