How do I attach a Source when helping an unrelated friend?
How do I attach a Source when helping a friend? My friend's PC is broken and for now, building a Group Tree doesn't work for us. Here's an example for one name/family:
Elisabeth (no maiden name) MV9W-T6W had a child Mary Ann Coton MV9W-T81 with Thomas Coton MV9W-TDL as shown on Research Help for Thomas & Elizabeth Coton mentioned as parents in England, Warwickshire, Parish Registers, 1535-1972 when Mary Ann was Christened in 1781.
I can calculate dates & make assumptions about birthplace and death/burial place to standardize everything for Thomas & Elizabeth. My friend has original document fragments/family records which may allow us to extend the pedigree & the family groups back into the 1500's and forward into the 1800's.
I cannot simply Review and Attach because this is not my personal Family Tree, so what steps should I take beyond entering what I know on the person's page details/vitals?
Thanks for any help anyone can give, Best wishes, Mary
Best Answer
-
@maryellenstevensbarnes1 You might try using the Help Others ability on FamilySearch.
Helper Sign‑In is a permission‑based feature that allows one FamilySearch user to assist another with their Family Tree account. It is available to all users, including moderators, but only when the account owner has enabled Helper Access and provided their Helper Number and birthdate (month/day).
Helper Sign‑In does not grant elevated privileges. The helper can only see and do what the account owner can see and do. Privacy protections remain fully in place, and living individuals in private trees are not visible to helpers. All actions performed while using Helper Sign‑In are logged under the helper’s own username.
This feature is intended for teaching, troubleshooting, and guided assistance—not for accessing accounts without explicit permission.
Helper Sign‑In allows one FamilySearch user to temporarily access another user’s account with limited, permission‑based access, using a Helper Number and the person’s birthdate.
It is designed for:
- Family history consultants
- Tech‑support helpers
- Friends or relatives assisting someone
- Anyone helping a user who cannot navigate the site easily
1
Answers
-
@maryellenstevensbarnes1 said:
I cannot simply Review and Attach because this is not my personal Family Tree, so what steps should I take beyond entering what I know on the person's page details/vitals?
What leads you to say that you can't Review and Attach a source record? Family Tree is one world tree for everyone (it's not anyone's "personal Family Tree"), and there's no reason you can't attach records, do merges, and make any other appropriate updates to Family Tree that you determine through careful research and relevant documents are needed. You would not only be helping your friend by doing this, but you would also be improving that part of Family Tree for many others who are certainly related to this 18th Century English family.
However, the suggestion from @sc woz to use the Helper function is certainly worth considering. If you use that, then the changes you make as a Helper will be credited to your friend, so they will appear in the friend's list of "My Contributions" and other FamilySearch users will see the updates as having been done by her. You just need to decide if it's more appropriate for collaborators to contact her or you for these changes.
2 -
@sc woz and @Alan E. Brown Thank you both for answering both of my questions. Its okay with me that my friend gets all the credit, that's what friends do 😊
0