Sunset Heights Multi-stake FamilySearch Center
Staff Meeting
October 10, 2023
Welcome: Brent Gardner
Opening Prayer: Becky McClellan
Spiritual Thought: Blaine Hall
Beyond the Names, Dates and Places
Much of the research we help people with at our FamilySearch Center is to help our patrons find the names, dates and places for their ancestors. We are richly blessed with electronic resources filled with this kind of information. But President Spencer W. Kimball gave us counsel to go beyond these basic facts:
“On a number of occasions, I have encouraged the Saints to keep personal journals and family records. I renew that admonition. We may think there is little of interest or importance in what we personally say or do––but it is remarkable how many of our families, as we pass on down the line, are interested in all that we do and all that we say…
Each of us is important to those who are near and dear to us—and as our posterity read of our life’s experiences they, too, will come to know and to love us. And on that glorious day when our families are together in the eternities, we will already be acquainted.
Let us then continue on in this important work of recording the things we do, the things we say, and the things we think, [underlining mine] to be in accordance with the instructions of the Lord. For those of you who may not have already started your books of remembrance and your records, we would suggest that this very day you begin to write quite fully and completely. We hope that you will do this, our brothers and sisters, for this is what the Lord has commanded. (Ensign Nov. 1979: p.5)
Many of us have already written our own histories, but many in our families who have passed on, have not. In the spirit of what Pres. Kimball has counseled, we can write their histories for them. These will become priceless to later generations who only know them as a name, a date, and place. Indeed, it is the only way they can come alive for their posterity.
Calendar:
Tuesday, October 17, 11 am and 7 pm, Patron Class, Suzanne Adams, “Newspapers & Obituaries”
Tuesday, October 24, 11 am and 7 pm, Patron Class, Van Celaya, “What’s available on Google?”
Tuesday, November 7, 11 am and 7 pm, Patron Class, James Tanner, “The Search Page”
Tuesday, November 14, 7 pm, Staff Meeting
Wednesday, November 22, closed after 1:00 pm
Thursday, November 23-Friday, November 24, Thanksgiving CENTER CLOSED
December: No Patron Classes or Staff Meeting
Monday, December 18-Monday, January 1, Christmas break
Patron Classes
Staffing Changes
Wednesday morning – Sheri Whiting
Thursday morning – Paul Morrey (Assistant Director for Sunset Heights)
Thursday afternoon – Sharon Wiest
Patron and Staff Attendance
Staff Specialties/Interests
Needs for Substitutes
Stump the Staff Spotlight: Kathleen Wallace “GPS”
Genealogical proof standards:
- Conduct Reasonably exhaustive research
- Use complete and accurate source citations
- Conduct thorough analysis and correlation
- Resolve any conflicting evidence
- Write a soundly written conclusion based on the strongest evidence
Training: Aaron Thacker “FamilySearch Chat”
There are many big changes with the introduction of FamilySearch Chat. Aaron highly recommends we each go to FamilySearch Chat and read firsthand what is written about all the changes that are forthcoming.
Closing Prayer: Norm McClellan
NEXT STAFF MEETING November 14, 2023, 7 pm
| AREAS OF INTEREST OR EXPERTISE | |
| de Santiago, Marcela | South American Church & Civil Registration Records, Old Handwriting XVII-XIX |
| Dollahite, Mary | Unmerging |
| Ellis, Marilyn | United States, British/Scottish |
| Francis, Pam | Germany & England |
| Gardner, Sharlene | England, Wales & Spanish |
| Lloyd, Nora | Dealing with paper documents |
| McClellan, Becky | England & Spanish |
| McClellan, Norman | Latin America & Spanish |
| Rotz, Chris | Military Records, Probate Records, Digitizing Photos & Documents |
| Ryan, Mary | General Research, Chicago, Sign in steps |
| Sorensen, Lynda | Using Irfanview, Some Swedish |
| Stubbs, Joy | Some Swedish & Danish, FamilySearch Groups |
| Thacker, Aaron | Special Research, General Use of FamilySearch |
| Wallace, Kathleen | England, Some Swedish & Danish |
If you didn’t make it to this staff meeting, please look over the above list, and let us know if you have expertise and could teaching others about this subject, or if your interest is a desire to learn more about it.
Orem Sunset Heights FamilySearch Center 