There is some scorn directed at FamilySearch Family Tree because it is full of errors and some profiles have no sources, which makes it unreliable. The criticism is fair. I've found errors and unsourced profiles there. I've probably added some back when when I first began. However I find that using FamilySearch Family Tree is critical to my research, and think that I can and should make it better. I hope I can convince you to help. I still have plenty to do, as my fan chart shows: 7 generation fan chart Has it been years since you used FamilySearch? Please try it again soon. These days, there are record hints, improved record search, and millions more indexed records available. Merging duplicate profiles can still be tedious and yet it is worth your time. Duplicates weaken the tree, so clean and improve it, at least in your direct lines. Correctly list family members, relationships, and their presence in various records; you'll thank yourself later. It's ...

The Northwest Genealogy Conference  is the largest annual genealogy and family history event in Washington, and Arlington is not a long drive for us south King people. Some SKCGS members have been attending for years, but this was the first year for me, Valorie Zimmerman . I was excited to see that Janet Camarata had volunteered to teach the free beginner class, open to all. I really loved how she organized the material, drawing in beginners and showing them how to do quality research and documentation *from the beginning* -- which all of us wished we had done. Following the Genealogical Proof Standard from day one will save time in the end, since you can always consult your notes. There were three other attendees from our SKCGS membership and I asked each for their thoughts, takeaways and memories -- in a few sentences. My own takeaway is that I need to up my game! I have the evidence, often, but I need to write it up more often. That last step in the GPS seems diffi...