Finding a name in the tree

cantfindwan

Is there a quick way to locate an individual in the tree? Sometimes the name is buried deep into the tree and I cannot find it. Ancestry has a search button for a single person, does FamilySearch have anything similar?

Thanks

Paul W

You should place those individuals you are likely to view again on your Following list. Otherwise, there is the FIND feature, which I have been using quite successfully today. I just typed in the surname of the individual I was looking for together with his spouse's surname, and he appeared at the top of the list of results. I repeated this three times without any problem in finding the individuals concerned.

Using either method, I do not have a problem in getting to the individual I am seeking to find.

Áine Ní Donnghaile

Ancestry's search is for a person in a single tree - maybe 20,000 people if it's a very large tree. The FamilySearch Family Tree is everyone on the site. In 2019, that was listed as 1.2 BILLION people.

cantfindwan

I was looking for a person in my tree, not worldwide. Sometimes a name crops up, and I would like to find the specific branch of my family, but by the time I am into the 1600's I've lost the trail. And I usually give up.

Just a quick search of existing tree? That is why I like the Ancestry feature.

Paul W

As Aine explains, looking for an individual in a tree in Ancestry is a totally different matter from doing so in FamilySearch's Family Tree, where there is no "my tree" concept, just a one huge tree containing over a billion names. As I explained above, just use your "Following" list (assuming you have added those individuals in whom you have a particular interest) - or use FIND.

cantfindwan

Well, thanks anyway Paul.

Julia Szent-Györgyi

@cantfindwan, searching "just my relatives" is an oft-requested feature, but it's a highly non-trivial task in a shared tree. Problem one is scope: define "my relatives". Just ancestors, or all of their descendants, too? How many generations? What about multiple marriages, or in-laws? Generating such a list -- never mind searching it -- very quickly becomes astronomically expensive in terms of processor or server load.

However, there is a search feature that hasn't been mentioned yet in this thread: if you've edited a profile with a particular name, you can find it using "My Contributions".

cantfindwan

Thank you that narrows it down considerably. With that I can use ctrl F to find the name. Thank you so much for your help. I knew there had to be a better way.

dontiknowyou

If you buy a premium subscription to Puzzilla, a FamilySearch partner site, you can search any ancestry or descendancy in FamilySearch Family Tree for a specific name.