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Search an ancestor on my tree

Kaja Madison Korenke
Kaja Madison Korenke ✭
June 24, 2021 edited December 28, 2023 in Family Tree

Hi,

I have been using Family Search for years. what I have noticed is that there does not seem to be a way to search for a specific ancestor in your family tree. I typically go to the "Family Tree" dropdown menu then click "Find" (image below). Then I put in my ancestor's information, like name, birth, death, etc. The only thing is I get a whole bunch of names. When I know that for example, I only have one ancestor named Bob Ross who was born in 1873. Is there a way to search through only my Family Tree and not the whole Family Search system for an ancestor? I have done genealogy that branches several places and it would be helpful to find the exact person I am looking for.

Thank you,

Kaja

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Best Answer

  • NidaFL
    NidaFL ✭✭✭
    June 25, 2021 Answer ✓

    When you get too many search results, you can limit the search parameter by adding family members, father, mother, or spouse. Of course adding places and even approximate dates is

    1

Answers

  • McConnellCurtisWilliam56
    McConnellCurtisWilliam56 ✭✭✭
    June 24, 2021

    Kaja,

    The best way to do this is to Find by ID if you know the person's ID number. An ID number (identification number) is a string of letters and numbers that uniquely identifies a record in Family Tree. ID numbers consist of 4 characters, a hyphen, and 3 more characters. For example: K8LL-TGB. Family Tree ID numbers never contain these letters: A, E, I, O.

    An ID number:

    • Shows on all tree views, on person cards, and on the Person page
    • Usually appears near the person's name
    • Is automatically assigned when a new record is created
    • Does not provide information about the person or the source of the information
    • Does not change for a given record

    This article describes just how to do that.

    https://www.familysearch.org/help/helpcenter/article/how-can-i-find-a-deceased-person-in-family-tree


    0
  • Chai
    Chai mod
    June 24, 2021

    Hello Kaja,

    If your Tree is very large, and you often get lost in it, you can use another free program from BYU Tech LaB called Virtual Pedigree. This will show you your Tree back as far it will go.

    Then you just click on the person you want and it lets you choose to see the person in FamilySearch website.

    https://virtual-pedigree.familytech.byu.edu/login/


    I find Virtual Pedigree very useful

    hope this helps, enjoy your research

    1
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