The FamilySearch Research Wiki is described as a free, online genealogy and family history guide that lists websites, provides research strategies, and suggests records and resources to help you find ancestors from all over the world.
The most important thing to remember is that you will not find any references to your ancestors' names in this Wiki. It is set up to help you to find the sources that do (or at least, might) contain the name entries you are seeking. So if you need help finding records that relate to your 4ggf Fred Smith the station porter and part-time Wesleyan preacher from Longthorpe, then the best terms to search in the Wiki are probably "railway employees", "non-conformist churches" and "Longthorpe" but NOT "Fred Smith".
For places, you can out from a very specific name (such as a village or parish) by typing into the search box; or in from a general location (a whole content) by clicking on the map. Either approach can work. It depends on what you already know.
By one means or another, you will arrive at a page which aims to be the central hub linking to relevant information about the topic that interests you. The example below is of the page for a small Mediterranean country.
For places, you can out from a very specific name (such as a village or parish) by typing into the search box; or in from a general location (a whole content) by clicking on the map. Either approach can work. It depends on what you already know.
By one means or another, you will arrive at a page which aims to be the central hub linking to relevant information about the topic that interests you. The example below is of the page for a small Mediterranean country.
The number of hyperlinks is obvious in even this small image of the page. If you were researching ancestors from this location, then you would want to examine each one thoroughly. The range of information sources that can be located through this portal is astonishing.
Note that the links are not limited to datasets that are contained within Family Search. For many parts of the world, there may be very few sets of records (yet) on FS so the external links in the Wiki become even more important. If the link goes to a subscription (or other type of commercial) site, that fact is clearly indicated in the Wiki. |
One of the key characteristics of all Wiki software, is that many authors can contribute to the final form. If you have acquired expertise in a particular area as a result of your own research efforts, you may want to share it with others. You can find out how to do that by clicking on the "Want to Help?" link at the bottom of the main page.