FamilySearch is a world-wide tree that is free to the public and contains many rich records, that can't be found elsewhere. We love linking BillionGraves to FamilySearch because it helps people connect to other family members that may have otherwise been overlooked and will frequently allow them to figure out who is buried near their ancestors.
As you are transcribing, you can help link BillionGraves records to FamilySearch records. In order to do this you will need to set up a FamilySearch account and log in. It's free.
Click HERE to learn how to create a free FamilySearch account.
FamilySearch has a series of letters and numbers associated with each individual. These are called the Personal Identification Numbers or PID numbers.
On this record below, the PID number is highlighted in yellow. Once the BillionGraves record is linked you will be able to look up the individual on FamilySearch as well.
Below is the same individual's gravestone on the BillionGraves website. Clicking on the words FamilySearch will bring up the record if it is attached.
As you can see, these records match each other since the birth date, death date, and location are the same. If the record does not match, click the red button that says, "Reject".
Below is a gravestone for William Edward Burke Faithful born in 1820 and died in 1893. I know this is his surname since I just transcribed some of his other family member's gravestones located in the same cemetery.
I click on FamilySearch...
You will notice that after clicking on the button, a match is made with FamilySearch. As all the information matches in the boxes, I can click "accept". If I wasn't sure, I could click on the FamilySearch record highlighted in blue to see if it is a good match BEFORE accepting the record. This is a good match, so I will click "accept".
After accepting the record, perhaps I would like to look at this record in FamilySearch. Click on the name on the FamilySearch side.
By clicking on the name in blue, (highlighted in yellow above). I can pull up the record in FamilySearch. Notice the PID number highlighted again in yellow below.
If I scroll down on this record I can see William Edward Burke Faithful's family. He had two wives Sarah and Josephine. Both are buried in the same cemetery. Both also have PID numbers that can be placed in the boxes in BillionGraves. You can also look for children that match this family.
It is common to find children buried in a cemetery near their parents. These records are often overlooked in families. One of my favorite genealogical activities is to find and link these families together, especially those that had children that died between census records.
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For additional information on matching BillionGraves records to FamilySearch, click HERE.
