New Family History Products for European Genealogy Announced

The Family and Church History Department recently announced two new tools to assist people with genealogy work—Sweden: Finding Records of Your Ancestors, Part A and The British Isles Vital Records Index (second edition).

Sweden: Finding Records of Your Ancestors, Part A

This new workbook features easy-to-follow instructions, colorful graphics, and tear-out worksheets to assist in researching Swedish roots. The publication is designed for those who have already gathered and organized some information from their family and are ready to search public records.

The 20-page guide introduces a new strategy on how to go from one record to another, providing simple, expert advice every step of the way. It explains different types of records in Sweden and tells when and how to use them. Users will learn where to start, how to find and use Swedish records, and what unique elements to look for. It is ideal for people who have limited genealogical experience or little time to do research.

Sweden: Finding Records of Your Ancestors, Part A covers the period from 1860 to 1920. Part B, which will be available in 2003, will cover additional time periods and research strategies.

More guides in the Finding Records of Your Ancestors series will be published in 2002, including those for the British Isles, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Norway, Poland, Spain, and Switzerland. Additional guides for African-American, American Indian, and Pacific Islander research will follow. Denmark: Finding Records of Your Ancestors, Part A was released earlier this year.

British Isles Vital Records Index (second edition)

Millions more birth, christening, and marriage records from selected parishes in the British Isles, some dating back more than 450 years, are now available on compact disc. The British Isles Vital Records Index (second edition) updates and includes the British Isles Vital Records Index Resource File released in 1998. The second edition adds approximately 7.3 million birth and christening records to the index for a total of 12.3 million. Spanning an approximate time period from 1530 to 1906, this new set of 16 compact discs contains names from England, Wales, Scotland, Ireland, and the Isle of Man.

“These CDs may save families hundreds of hours of time and painstaking research. The process is as simple as typing in a name,” said Elder D. Todd Christofferson, executive director of the Family and Church History Department.

The CD set also includes the most recent version of the Family History Resource File Viewer program. Other features include a parent search, book marking, print options and GEDCOM export.

The second edition of the British Isles Vital Records Index (item no. 50126; U.S. $20) and Sweden: Finding Your Ancestors, Part A (36579; U.S. $3.25) are available through Church distribution centers or at www.familysearch.org.