Burley Idaho Family History Center/Classes and Class Schedules

Click here to view Class Calendar
"For the most up to date descriptions of the classes being offered, click on the class name in the online calendar to reveal more details. To print the handout for a class, look for the class title in Class Descriptions below. You will find the handout link there."

Class Handouts
Handouts from past classes. To see current handouts click on the class titles below.

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Class Descriptions
Ancestry.com or Hands-On Ancestry.com - Come learn how to search the site, how to use the filters and wildcards. As well as information on how to sync with Family Search (for Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints accounts only.) A must for all researchers! Intermediate. A Hands-on option is also taught- this is a two hour class where participants work within their own trees searching, attaching sources, and syncing with FamilySearch.

Ancestry DNA - Two week class to work with analysis of your Ancestry DNA results and how to use those results in solving mysteries in your own trees. This is a hands on class so you must have already done your DNA through Ancestry in order to get the full benefit of the hands on portion. Taught by Tammy Stevenson

Attaching Obituaries (and Other Challenging Sources) - Learn the ins and outs of using source linker to attach all those people listed in an obituary. Change button and effective reason statements will also be covered. All levels. Taught by Sharon Bowers.

Basic Computer Skills - Learn basic computer vocabulary and basic computer functions to use in all your family history work in this hands-on class. Beginner. Taught by Sharon Bowers

Basic Scandinavian Records Online - Norway, Denmark and Sweden all have many records online. This class will show the basics of searching all three sites. More in-depth classes for each of the sites will be made available as the need arises. Call Kathleen Hedberg for one to one help, or to schedule a class if there are enough interested for a full class.

Becoming a Findagrave.com Power User- Are you making the most of findagrave.com? Are you simply using it for your own research or are you making it better for everyone? Learn how to edit inaccurate or incomplete information, add new information, photos, stories, and documents, and create virtual cemeteries of your own family. Preferred: Sign-up for your free account before class. All levels. Taught by Sharon Bowers.

 Beginning Indexing-  Understanding the basics of online indexing. Beginning level.

Brick Walls - A powerpoint presentation giving lots of suggestions of how to work through those brick walls you might find in your research. Taught by Tammy Stevenson.

 Computer Tips, Tricks, and Shortcuts  - Work smarter, not harder! Come learn the computer tips, tricks, and shortcuts that can make using a computer so much easier. Taught by Sharon Bowers.

Discover, Gather, Connect--A Youth Family History Day Camp - A 5-day camp designed for youth ages, 11-18, to teach youth about creating family connections using familysearch.org. The workshop format allows participants lots of hands-on practice. Adding information, descendancy research, and photos and stories will be the focus of the class.

Death,Wills and Probates - This is a powerpoint presentation showing what information can be found in various death records and how to find some of them online. Taught by Tammy Stevenson

Descendancy Research -  Descendancy Research is choosing an ancestor a few generations back and researching them and all of their children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, etc. Making sure to account for all of the children and their spouses. This is often where those missing cousins are found.

 Don't Fear the Merge!  - Merging is nothing to fear if you know a few facts and tips. Come learn those facts and tips in this class. All levels. Taught by Sharon Bowers.

DNA:  Finding Your Biological Family through DNA - Taught by Susan Pelton

Evernote - A cloud based note keeping system. See how to use this service to aid in Family History. This is free and can be used on mobile devices and computers. Everything is linked automatically between your accounts on different devices. Beginner to Intermediate. Taught by Sharon Bowers.

FamilySearch: Fixing Issues - In this class we will discuss how to fix some of the problems found in trees. If you have examples and need some help with them, please bring them to the class. Topics will include-editing and adding information, merging duplicates, restoring persons, fixing relationships, detaching sources which don't belong to your family, and creating cases for issues only FamilySearch can solve.

Family Search Apps - FamilySearch has two apps- FamilySearch Family Tree and FamilySearch Memories. Learn how to use these apps to explore the family tree, edit information, and add photos, documents, stories and audio. Please have the apps already downloaded onto your phone prior to class.

FamilySearch Options - Do you know about all of the options on Family Search? Books and Catalogs. Using Family Search search options and changing the parameters. Different uses for the Source Box. Getting your own free accounts to Ancestry, My Heritage and Find My Past, or how to link existing accounts to your Family Search account. How to create a case, when to create a case and where to find your cases. Using the Consultant Planner to help with finding a place to research, or as a place for keeping your research notes. Come see what you might be missing- there's a lot more to Family Search than meets the eye!

'''Fifth Cousins, 3 Times Removed?!? Understanding Cousin Relationships''' - What does it really mean to be fifth cousins, 3 times removed? Does it mean anything at all? Come to this class and solve the mystery. We will also look at relationship apps such as Relative Finder, Relatives Around Me, and Relationship Finder. All levels. Taught by Sharon Bowers.

Findagrave.com - see Becoming a Find a Grave Power User

Google Photos: Collect, Organize, Preserve and Share - Google Photos is a powerful, free app for storing, organizing and sharing. Users can also edit and create photo projects and automatically add their photos to the app from their digital devices. Photos can be loaded directly to FamilySearch Memories from Google Photos.

 Guided Research  - "Wondering how to find the best places to search for your ancestors? Puzzling over where to begin and what to do next? Guided Research will lead you to successful results in less time and with less effort. It’s like having your own professional genealogist coaching you in a journey of discovery!" [FamilySearch Blog] All levels. Taught by Sharon Bowers.

Hands-On Memories - Bring the photos, stories and documents you want to add to FamilySearch. Bring any questions you have. Ask questions as you work on adding your own memories to the FamilySearch Family Tree.

How I Do Research - This will be a hands on two hour class. As a class we will work through a family with Tammy, each person recording everything on forms as we go along for the first 45 minutes. For the remainder of the time, you will work on your own family lines using the same forms to make sure everyone is comfortable in continuing their own research on their own. Taught by Tammy Stevenson.

''' Is there a Research Trip in your Future? -''' A research trip can be a day trip to a cemetery or an extended trip to a location. Whatever it is, to be successful, you need to do some pre-planning. Come learn how pre-planning and bringing the right tools can help you be more successful than you even imagined. Taught by Sharon Bowers. All levels.

 Jump Start  - This class is an introduction to FamilySearch and basic computer skills. It is taught in a workshop format where a skill is taught and then class members are given the opportunity to work on that skill using their own tree. Come learn how to use FamilySearch with us. Skills taught include maneuvering in the FamilyTree, tree views, standardization, how to read a record, using source linker, merging duplicates, ordinances ready, partner sites, RecordSeek, etc. Beginners.

 Make your Photos Stand Out - Learn how to edit your photos using ''Windows 10's powerful yet easy-to-use photo-editing tools. Everyone has access to the computers at the Burley Family History Center which are equipped with Windows 10 features. This class will teach you how to straighten and crop your pictures, as well as control color and exposure, and fix red eye. Bring some of your less than perfect images on a flash drive to work with. Taught by David Badger''

Military Records - This is a power point presentation listing the major wars and what records were created by each of them. Also a 14 page handout with listings of where to find those records, a lot of online options available. Taught by Tammy Stevenson.

Newspapers.com - As a premium family history site, newspapers.com can be used at any family history center. This class will answer the following questions:   How do I use newspapers.com? How do I know which newspapers are on-line? What is the best way to search newspapers.com? How do I clip the article I want? All levels. Taught by Sharon Bowers.

 Ordinances Ready & ??? - Learn how to use Ordinances Ready for finding persons needing Temple work. As this only take a few minutes, various over topics will also be discussed as indicated on the calendar. This can be done on the computer or FamilySearch Family Tree app. Please have the Family Search Family Tree downloaded to your cell phone or mobile device before the class. All levels. Taught by Tammy Stevenson.

Personal History Workshop - Want to get started on your personal history? This class will get you started and help keep you going. Meeting once a month, you will leave each workshop with 2-3 stories written. Learn different approaches to writing your history. This class can also help you write a history for one of your ancestors. All levels. Taught by Sharon Bowers.

 Using PDFs in Family History  - What is a PDF? Why should I use a PDF format? Can I create my own PDF files? Can I combine single page documents into one PDF file? What about adding a story to a picture? Come learn everything you need to know about using PDFs in your family history work. Intermediate. Taught by Sharon Bowers

 A Walk through my Research Process  - Live demonstration of Sharon's research process. All levels. Taught by Sharon Bowers.

Wikis - One of the most underutilized options for learning about records, where to find records and which records to use. A hands on class learning how to search and navigate through the Wiki. Intermediate. Beginner. Taught by David Badger.

What is a Digital Will and Do I Need One? - What will happen to your FamilySearch and Ancestry accounts when you are gone? What about your other electronic accounts? Come find out what digital wills are, if you need one, and how to go about getting one. All levels. Taught by Sharon Bowers.

What's New in FamilySearch since March 2020? - There have been many changes to FamilySearch since Covid. This class will begin a series of classes that will continue until all the changes are covered. Topics will be covered in this order:  Memories, Following, Ordinances, Latest Changes, Account Settings, Labels, Places, Records, Help, Communities, Guided Research, and Miscellaneous. All levels. Taught by Sharon Bowers.

Whoo's in my Tree? - A class geared for young children. Classes on Me, Mom, Dad, Grandma, Grandpa. Need not be taken sequentially. These classes are offered at the same time as other classes for adults. Taught by Trina Winn.

'''Whoo's in my Tree? (Adults)''' - Come grandparents, parents, teachers and leaders. Learn how to invite children to feel the spirit of family history through listening, sharing and recording memories. Take home specific ways to help children interact with their family tree. Taught by Trina Winn.

Working With Unindexed Record Sets - Many of the free historic records on FamilySearch.org can't be found with a basic search. This class explains how to navigate unindexed image sets and use advanced search features to find the records you're looking for. Taught by Sharon Bowers.

Writing Good Reason Statements - Are you at a loss when it comes to writing good reason statements when you attach sources? This class will give you statement templates for vital records, census records, and military records. All levels. Taught by Sharon Bowers.

Youth Family History Day Camp - see "Discover, Gather, Connect--A Youth Family History Day Camp"

New Group Class Requests - We are not scheduling a lot of classes during the evenings. This will allow Young Men, Young Women, Relief Society, or families to arrange special classes for their groups. If you have a group that would like a special class, contact Tammy 208-431-4504 or Sharon 208-670-4400 or your ward temple and family history consultant. You may also contact the Burley Family History Center to reserve the basement classroom for your group to work together on your own projects. We have 20 computers in the basement with full access to the portal (all the free websites available only at Family History Centers). People may bring their own devices. It's more fun working together and sharing our discoveries!