Creating new FamilySearch account

As long as they enter their Membership number at the time of account creation, then the initial tree that is created for then will use membership records as far back as possible to link to deceased persons already in Family Tree.

When I first signed in to FamilySearch after Family Tree came into existence, the system used my membership record to create a profile for me. Then since my membership record was linked to my parents and spouses, all of whom were Church members, it created living profiles for each of them. Then because each of my parents' membership records was linked to their parents, the system linked them to each of their parents. All 4 were deceased at that point, and so they had deceased profiles in Family Tree. All that happened automatically, and it gave my tree a great start. This system will even create profiles for direct relatives who aren't Church members (if they are listed on their membership record), but that's the end of the line -- it obviously can't go beyond them to their parents.

A simpler way for most people is to sign in to FamilySearch their first time using their Church Account. That eliminates the need to create a separate FamilySearch account, and guarantees that their FamilySearch account will be linked to their membership number without having to look it up or link it separately.