Sunset Heights Multi–stake FamilySearch Center
Welcome: Rod Cuthbert
Opening Prayer: By Invitation
Spiritual Thought: Pam Francis
When we served a couple’s mission on the island of Tortola, the main island in the British Virgin Islands, we heard of a storage of all the old records. They were kept in the oldest building on that island. It was built by the English, but now the lower part is the Post Office, and the above rooms contained all the old records of the sailing ships that brought visitors and slaves to work in the cane fields. These documents would contain the genealogy information of those living on the island.
We contacted the Salt Lake Genealogy Department to send someone to get permission to microfilm these documents. We met the couple, and they were to arrange for the permission. After the meeting they stopped by to tell us of the results. All had gone well—they were in full in agreement—until they were told the Church asked to be recognized for their work and especially when they asked to be in the photo to announce that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints would be responsible for doing all the work to preserve their records.
All of a sudden, negotiation broke down and their approval was withdrawn. The couple doing the negotiating had no idea how proud these people were, and any association publicly announced would bring great harm to their careers. The Church was only barely tolerated and those who were baptized were abandoned by family and friends. How could this couple know this culture? We were all devastated.
This was in 2007 and since then Tortola was hit by the first hurricane in thirty years. I have to find out if that building is still standing and find SOMEONE who can negotiate successfully with the authorities. I know the Lord will find a way to have the ancient records recovered for people who have no other resources to find their ancestors. I also testify of this.
Calendar:
Tuesday, April 16, 11 am and 7 pm, Patron Class, Kathleen Wallace, “Genealogical Proof Standard (GPS)”
Tuesday, May 7, 11 am and 7 pm, Patron Class, James Tanner, “ Unleashing the Power of AI for Your Genealogical Research”
Tuesday, May 14, 7 pm, Staff Meeting
Tuesday, May 21, 11 am and 7 pm, Patron Class, Lynda Sorenson, “Irfanview—an Easy Way to Work with Pictures”
Monday, May 27, Memorial Day CENTER CLOSED
Tuesday, June 4, 11 am and 7 pm, Patron Class
Tuesday, June 11, 7 pm, Staff Meeting
Tuesday, June 18, 11 am and 7 pm, Patron Class, Kathryn Grant, “Fixing Sticky Problems in FamilySearch”
Staffing Melanie DeLange, Cherry Hill, Tuesday evenings
Needs for Substitutes
Building Emergencies Facilities Contact Number 801-222-3130
Missionaries in the Center
The policy is that missionaries are only to use the Center during regular shift hours. The staff should monitor their use of the Auxiliary Room and have a staff member with them. Make sure that they all sign into the Center and that the computers and fan are turned off when they leave. Do not share the passcodes with them.
Training: Aaron Thacker,
RootsTech New Tech Preview
1. Full text search
-using keywords to find anything on a record or image
-even before indexed!
-use quotation marks for exact phrases
-Experimental, so only 2 collections available so far
2. Family group trees
-we are already familiar with family groups but this is a new type
-these new family groups allow you to share living profiles with close family members, including photos and sources
-group members will all see same IDs for any other group members
3. AI search
-ask a question and it will search all FamilySearch resources
-show example: “what happened to the 1890 us census” or “how to do Irish research”
4. Together
-a new app by FamilySearch
-Stories tab gives a portal for family groups to share information and memories
-My Story tab gives you prompts for writing your life history by asking specific questions and gives you a place to store it all
-Temple tab gives you access to ordinances ready, your reservation list, your completed ordinances list, your appointment list, submit names to the prayer roll, information about the temple, and it even gives you a place to record your temple experiences
-Activities tab currently gives access to 44 FamilySearch Activities like Compare-A-Face and Famous Relatives
5. Profile quality score
-gives you a quality score for specific profiles in Family Tree and recommendations for how to improve the profile for a higher score.
-demonstrate using my great-grandma Elsie’s profile
Closing Prayer: By Invitation
NEXT STAFF MEETING May 14, 2024, 7 pm
Orem Sunset Heights FamilySearch Center 