Navigating Your Family Tree: Understanding and Utilizing Person IDs

When you explore your family tree, you might come across unique combinations of letters and numbers. These numbers are actually Person IDs assigned to each family member. Knowing how to use these IDs can be extremely beneficial for your genealogical research. This guide will explain what Person IDs are, where to find them, and how to use them effectively in your family history work.

What Is a Person ID and Where Can I Find It?

Each person in the FamilySearch Family Tree has a unique Person ID that is represented by a series of letters and numbers. These IDs help you identify and track family members across multiple sources of data, ensuring accuracy and consistency in your research.

You can find the ID number in two places:

Below a person’s name in the family tree. In the header of the person page.

How Can I Use a Person ID?

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Recents: The Recents feature in Family Tree allows you to quickly return to an ancestor’s page using their Person ID. Here’s how you can do it:

Click or tap the Recents tab on the top left side of the screen. A drop-down menu will appear with options to type or paste in a family member’s name or a Person ID. Enter the ID number. Click Go. If the ID is correct, the ancestor’s page will open.

Find: If you already know the Person ID of a specific family member, you can use it to locate the person’s page:

Tap or hover over Family Tree at the top left side of the screen and select Find from the menu options. Tap or click Find by ID and enter the Person ID number in the field provided. Then click Find. The name of the person assigned the specific ID will appear on the next screen. You can click on hyperlinked names to view the ancestor’s page.

Merge: Sometimes, you may need to merge duplicate entries in your tree. You can use Person IDs for this purpose:

Copy or write down the Person ID of the record you don’t want to keep. From the Person page of the more accurate record, scroll down and click or tap Merge by ID in the Tools section. Enter the Person ID of the record with less accurate information. Click or tap Continue. Review the profiles from both records, copy over relevant information, and clicking Continue Merge at the bottom of the screen. You will be prompted to explain why you believe these two records should be merged. Enter your reason statement and click or tap Finish Merge.

Once you have completed the process, you will have successfully merged a duplicate person by Person ID.

Explore Your Tree

Now that you know how to use Person IDs, you can visit your family tree and apply this knowledge to streamline your genealogical research. Always be meticulous in your use of Person IDs to ensure that your family history is accurate and well-organized.