Do More With Your Family Tree

Here is the most recently updated tutorial on FamilySearch integrations. The content below may slightly outdated.

Preserve the hard work you’ve already invested into FamilySearch in a Permanent Archive.

Permanent is working with FamilySearch to seamlessly integrate your Family Tree. Connect your FamilySearch account to create private Permanent Archives for any members of your family tree, import their Memories and build their digital legacy.

This feature is currently in beta. Any information imported from your FamilySearch account at this time will be accessed from a backup copy that FamilySearch automatically saves. Changes made to your FamilySearch account may take a few days to be backed up and made available our integration.

Getting Started

To begin, log into your FamilySearch account through Permanent’s Apps section. This can be found on the left-hand side under “My Files”. In Apps, you will see a button on the right-hand side with the FamilySearch logo that says ‘Sign In with FamilySearch’.

You’ll be redirected to FamilySearch to enter your credentials. This does not allow Permanent to access private information or to alter your content in any way. We will simply be able to connect your Permanent account with your list of Persons and, once you’ve chosen to import them, their public Memories.

Once you’ve signed in, you will be sent back to Permanent and can begin importing your Family Tree.

Importing Persons and Syncing Memories

When you choose the “Import Family Tree” option, a popup will appear to allow you to select the Persons in your Family Tree for whom you wish to create Permanent Archives. Currently, only 15 Persons can be imported at a time, however you can continue importing new Persons by repeating this process. You do not have to import all the Persons in your Family Tree.

As you are selecting Persons you should take note of the option to import Memories as well. Selecting this option will add any Memories associated with the selected persons in FamilySearch directly into the Apps section of their Permanent Archives, once they’ve been created. The hard work you’ve already invested into FamilySearch will be preserved in Permanent.

You can add Memories to any of the archives you’ve imported at any time by syncing your Family Tree, which I will touch on later in this blog post.

Once you’ve finished importing your selected Persons, we will begin creating Permanent Archives for them with any memories associated with them. This may take a few minutes to complete and will happen in the background so that you can continue to use your Permanent Archive while you wait.

Accessing your Family Tree in Permanent

When the import process completes, you will notice new Permanent Archives in your account. You can find them in your Archive Selector. Hover over or click on your current Archive’s profile picture on the top left-hand side above My Files to open it.

A menu will appear that displays all the Permanent Archives for which you are the owner or member. To switch to another Archive, all you have to do is click on it.

Each Archive is separate from one another and has a unique set of files, shares, app connections, members etc. When you switch to one of your imported Archives, you will find the corresponding Memories you’ve imported from FamilySearch in the Apps section in a folder titled “FamilySearch”. From here, you can move them in that Archive’s My Files section to curate and share.

Keep in mind that it may take time to process images once you import them into Permanent, so if they don’t show up right away, check back later. You will also find any identifying information about the imported Persons in that archive’s profile section.

Building their digital legacy

Now that Permanent Archives have been created for all the Persons you imported from your FamilySearch Tree, you can upload any additional content you wish to preserve in those archives. We store all file types from documents to photos and videos and even audio files. You will also be able to add any metadata you wish including names and descriptions as well as dates and locations.

In these Permanent Archives, you can capture the depth and richness of their lives, even the ones who are still with us.

Unless you choose to share this content with others or to add members to your Permanent Archives, everything you upload is privately stored and cannot be altered by anyone. However, should you wish to work together on your shared history, we make it easy.

Share and collaborate

You can collaborate with others on your new Permanent Archives to add memories and create a curated history by making them members.

You will find the Members section of your Permanent Archive in the left-hand navigation bar. From here, you can add the email addresses of anyone you want to access this Permanent Archive. If they don’t yet have a Permanent account, no problem. We will send them an invitation to sign up and join your Archive.

You always control what level of access a member has and can alter permissions and remove or add members at any time.

If one of the Persons you import is still living or you’d like someone else to have a Permanent Archive you create, you can gift it to them. Simply make them the owner of the Archive in the Members section.

We have created a whole guide on how to collaborate with others here.

If you want to provide access only to specific files or folders, you can share with other users. Whatever you share remains privately stored in your Archive and you control what level of access others have to it.

Learn more about the ways that you can control access to your files and Archives here.

Syncing memories to your family tree

Please note, synced changes from Permanent to FamilySearch will not be available on FamilySearch while the integration is in beta.

The work you do in a Permanent Archive doesn’t have to end here. You have the option to sync the files, titles and descriptions you add in a Person’s Permanent Archive to your Family Tree in FamilySearch.

The option to sync will appear in Apps – under the FamilySearch section in the right hand tool bar – of every archive you have created through your FamilySearch Family Tree. We only have the ability to connect to and sync the archives of Persons you imported through the FamilySearch integration.

Add any files you wish to appear in your FamilySearch Family Tree to the “FamilySearch” folder in the Apps section of your desired Archive. Remember, every Permanent Archive has a separate set of files and connected apps. So, the changes made in the Archive you’re syncing will only affect the Person it was created for in FamilySearch.

When you select the “Sync” button, any new files from Permanent will be added to the corresponding Person in your Family Tree, as well as any changes to titles or descriptions. It may take a few minutes for us to update your Persons in FamilySearch.

It’s important to note that Permanent supports some file types that FamilySearch does not. Most image, PDF, text and audio files will sync to your Family Tree in FamilySearch. Any other files will not appear in your Family Tree but will be safely stored in your Permanent Archive.

The sync option also allows you to add new Memories from FamilySearch to a Person’s Permanent Archive. If you didn’t import Memories when you created a Person’s archive or you have added new Memories that you want to preserve in Permanent, the Sync option will add them to the “FamilySearch” folder in their Apps section.