www.familysearch.org
"HOW TO SHARE your Family Tree View in FamilySearch:
There have been various posts lately about how one can or cannot "share my family tree with someone else". I felt a general summary of the topic would be appropriate.
Now in what I explain below - I am using the phrase "my family tree" in a general sense - simply to mean "my ancestors" - especially those that I see in my default pedigree view when I log on to FamilySearch and see the tree/pedigree view.
Now as various people have rightly pointed out - FamilySearch is a collaborative system where we all have access to all the records (for deceased people) in the massive database of billions of people. There really is no "ownership" of records for deceased people in FamilySearch. It is one single massive database where anyone can view any record and anyone can update such records - and generally speaking there is one record for any specific deceased person (assuming that any duplicate records have been merged as they should be)
(this FamilySearch database structure is not a "my database vs your database - paradigm" - as compared to sites like Ancestry.com which is)
So what is the best way for us to "share" or better said "point someone" at a specific set of family records (often the default pedigree view that we see by default) ?? In other words if we are looking at a specific family group or pedigree view and we want to share that "view" with someone else - how can we do it?
You may notice that as you navigate a family pedigree or visit a specific family group - that the web address ( called a "URL") on your browser changes slightly.
For example this is the URL that shows in my browser when I look at the pedigree view of my Father
https://www.familysearch.org/tree/pedigree/landscape/KWH7-N5T
(you can click on this link and see the pedigree view yourself of my father)
of particular note are the last few characters "KWH7-N5T"
every individual in FS has a corresponding identity number to be able to uniquely identify and to access their records. That number above is the number for my father. Every single person in FS has a similar number.
So using this number - there are at least two ways that you can share a given "view" of the database that "focuses in" on this one person.
1) One simple way (as I have done above) is to simply copy and past the entire web address (URL) that is on your browser
and then copy and paste it to wherever you wish (such as in an email to the person you want to share this link with) or in some notes document where we want to keep track of this.
2) Another option that allows you to "point" someone else at this specific person of focus - is simply to share with them what is called the PID (Personal Identification Number) - i.e. the number that I shared above of KWH7-N5T.
Anyone who has a PID can easily look up that person in the database and go directly to that person - and focus ether on their family group - or the person's family tree.
Using this link below you can do a lookup on the PID of anyone in the sytem:
https://www.familysearch.org/tree/find/id
(note the above link is on a separate tab by itself under the "FIND" option of FamilyTree.)
So in short summary, You CAN indeed share with someone the "view" that you have of your deceased ancestors in FS.
In fact if you are working collaboratively with others - it is almost critical that you know how to copy and paste URL's from Familysearch to other places - such as an email - or a post in Community etc.
Note that copying and pasting a URL is not any more complicated than copying and pasting a string of words in a word processor like WORD. Also note there are short cut keys for copying and pasting that re very helpful (of CTRL-C for copy and CNTRL-V for Paste)
There are also various videos on youtube you can watch - about things such as
copying and pasting, creating a bookmark, short cut keys, URL's and more.
I hope each of you can become adept at being able to share URL's and PID's in your research and use of community
It really makes things much easier when people share URL's - in place of just saying "I am looking at person "X" . . .
If you have any questions - please feel free to ask
knowing the basics of copying and pasting PID's and URL's can really facilitate your collaborative work with others.
One caveat of all the above - - Any LIVING persons that we have entered into FS are NOT accessible to others (for obvious privacy reason) and the above steps will not work for sharing links to living persons.
Another Caveat
The person you share the URL with - will need a FS account to be able to access the page.
@FamilySearch Tips and Tricks
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@Cass / Case Family Group
@Nanney Family Genealogy
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@JeffWiseman JeffWiseman
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Thank you. This article was helpful. I am still wondering about using a URL. For example, if I am on a family tree page of mine, and I send the URL to my son in a different state, and he puts it into his browser, will it take him straight to the page that I am looking at without him having to log into FS? Can he then make changes to the information without signing on to FS?
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yes they can go to the page
BUT They will have to log on to FamilySearch (they will need an account)
- thats the whole point of the url - its like a bookmark of the Internet.
URL's are not unique to Familysearch - every one of the billions of pages on the Internet have a URL
but just because you have a URL - doesnt in and of itself mean you can update the information at a given URL?
but anyone with a FS account - can update any record within FS.
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Well explained!
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Well said. So... I would like to know what, if anything, I can share with people that DO NOT yet have an FS account? My goal is to send them something that will get them interested enough to create an account and start sharing too.
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thats an interesting question - I will do some testing
but one quick way is to simply download an image and include it in an email.
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actually there are some links that a person can get to - without a FS account.
One example of that are items in the Memories section of FS
You can actually test this by storing various URL's/bookmarks somewhere - and then signing out of FS - and seeing which links you can get to without having to sign back in.
For example see if you can see this item while logged out. (an item from FS Memories)
https://www.familysearch.org/photos/artifacts/64417632?cid=mem_copy
one little quirk that is not readily perceived - is that when you are browsing through a memories item and then find an image you like that you want to share - and you copy and paste the URL on your browser - note that it will not by default copy the URL for that specific item - but rather the URL for the album as a whole.
To get the link for the very specific item you want to share within FS Memories album - click on the "share" link - and then click on "COPY LINK"
this is about the only way to get the the specific link for that one item by itself.
you can then share it - and the person receiving should be able to see if even without a FS account.
However clicking any of the other links on the page - will probably result in the person being redirected to the signon page.
@Ancestor Treasures
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Excellent explanation, @Dennis J Yancey Let me add a simple re-cap to the two questions asked.
1. Only Memories can be viewed without logging in.
2. In order to view any individual in Family Tree you must log in, even if clicking a weblink to get there. (Remember that a FamilySearch registration is and always will be free.)
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Yes, but couldn't you also do a "screen shot" of your tree that you are looking at, and then paste it onto a word document, or send it as a photo to someone else? They would then just be able to see a still shot of what you were looking at, but not be on FamilySearch at all.
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That would be one way to get someone interested who does not have a FamilySearch yet. (by sending them a screen shot of someone in their ancestry, or your own tree.
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Joe, you could absolutely send a screenshot of a page. You could also 'print' a chart because it creates a pdf format chart with all the information. Both of these are perfectly acceptable, however, they are both static and whoever receives them would not be able to move up and down through the connected tree that exists in FamilySearch Family Tree.
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there are way so many details that you just can't capture in a screen shot - and it is a static image - and doesnt reflect updates since the screen shot - nor does it allow for any interaction with the user. But YES - it is a way of sharing the info as seen on the screen - if that is your main intent - great - but it surely has many limitations.
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Note that "Memories" and "Stories" are also public on the Internet. (Read the disclaimer and policy you checked.) You can do a Google search for them by name and probably find them online. They are not just visible in FS/FT. Of course, you also see everyone else with that same name!
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can you provide any specific examples of google searches pointing to FS memories???
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I guess im just a bit confused as to what you are trying to point out to us.
Raw genealogical data for living persons is not public but private.
Memories and stories in FS are public - but you cant just assume that means they are indexed by Google. I am not certain of the current status of google indexing memories. I know there have been discussions between FS & Google.
here is an article that cautions people about uploading memories items for living people
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In my "caveat" I was referring to Familysearch Family Tree database records for a living person - they are private and only accessible to the person who entered them.
normally you should avoid posting memories items for living persons - unless it is your own photo and you just dont care that people see it.
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You are correct on policy for living people. No disagreement. I was not focused on just living people but photos and stories in general.
Guess I wasn't clear or maybe my comments were not relevant. My mistake in either case. My point was since photos and stories are "public" in FS (anyone with an account can see except for those on living people), anyone (with a FS account) can download and post photos and stories from FS in other places online. In that way, you MAY find that photos or stories posted in FS become more "public" on the Internet. I've found photos that I've only put into FS on the Internet. I don't "assume" every photo has been "indexed by Google" just pointing out that anything "public" in FS can become public in other ways and you may be able to find it with a Google or other Internet search engine.
FYI - I liked your discussion on ways to share. Keep up the good work.
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To share data from FamilySearch with a person that does NOT have an account and does NOT wish to create one; then use a URL that looks like this one:
I think this presents a non-current copy of the "real" FamilySearch database and might be somewhat older than what people with an account will see.
I added death details for person L55C-RY1 a few minutes ago and it does not yet appear on the above page; but should eventually be there.
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That link is great! I din't know about it.
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Although the fake sample document image should go away. It's confusing. (or label with "example image")
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Richard, which link or document image are you referring to?
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The link mentioned by "fbax"above-
https://ancestors.familysearch.org/en/L55C-RY1
One can share information with non-users.
There is a "decorative" image of documents on that page that I was complaining about. (minor complaint)
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actually I thought about this issue not being able to share "my view" of the FT I created, and the best thing that can be done without affecting the rules of "ownership", is to be able give access to a registered member as "viewer". In other words, instead of me sharing my user ID and password so someone else can see "My Tree", you would give that other user access to "my view" who would have no option to edit or create or change anything. I spent a lot of hours filling up my family tree and it doesn't make sense that other person will be spending some other time, adding or creating the same person that I had already "created" to just see "his/her view" like mine. It is just a suggestion that actually would work for user purposes. Thank you
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keep in mind the rules of "ownership" as you allude to them - only apply to living people
everyone who is deceased - can be viewed by us all.
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Me - a newbie to this forum so apologies if Q "silly" or answered before but your " everyone who is deceased..." collides with a FT statement in a reply to another Q that said "... even if person would be older than 110 years old ... FT does not assume person is deceased.."; Whilst 110 would be exceptional as an age - last I heard someone 121-123 has just passed away, unless FT users take the trouble to update their entries then a large proportion of entries will remain "Private", perhaps for ever.
A further observation: The present CV19 pandemic is cutting a swathe thro many populations but there is no searchable list of recent deaths(that I am aware of) that would enable updates to the FT to be feasible/timely or even automated.
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Im not sure I understood everything you said
but there are plenty of sources for recent deaths - but wasnt sure where you were going with that . . .
Legacy:
Findagrave
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as to deceased - "deceased" in the context of what I was referring to - was anyone who is MARKED as deceased in FamilySEarch Family Tree.
as you point out though
various people who are deceased have not yet been marked deceased in FS FT and as such their record remains private - until they are marked as deceased
(but the person entering them as living in the first place - you would think - would then in turn mark them as deceased after they die)
FS does not attempt to systematically convert any record from living to deceased. that is the responsibility of the person who entered the record for a living person in the first place.
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