Empty Tree?

 When you are helping patrons research in the FamilySearch Family Tree, this is one of the first questions you will want to ask. The answer may determine what to do next. Another good question is, "Were your ancestors members of the Church?"

As a helper, take a quick look at their tree:

1. Empty Tree - The patron and possibly their parents are the only people shown.
If you are helping a public patron, or a convert or the child of convert: Since the next generation or two will be living people, protected by privacy laws, the best sources of information will usually be the patron's family. I would usually help them to fill in what information they can remember, as a start. I would probably give them a printed pedigree chart and a few family group records to use when gathering information from family members. 

If the patron's ancestors were members, the patron just needs to add any living ancestors to build a bridge to them. See FamilySearch: When Your Family Tree Is Empty!

2. Larger Tree - Start with the procedures used with an empty tree. Then do some research. By now, we should be looking for dead people, so any records for them should be public. 

As their Consultant, teach them to use the research tools listed in Search Records on the right side of the personal pages. The FamilySearch link will search through the billions of records in our Historical Records databases. 

If the patron is a member of the Church help them to sign-up for a free account with Ancestry, findmypast, and MyHeritage, by taking them to https://www.familysearch.org/campaign/partneraccess/ These large commercial companies have billions of additional records that you can search for free. (Ask your patron to write down their account information, so it does not get lost.)

Encourage cautious optimism. Names can be tricky. The same name does not mean the same person if the times, places, and relationships disagree. Different versions of the name do not prove they are different people, if the times, places, and relationships match. (This is especially true of immigrants. Johannes Mueller from Hanover and John Miller from Germany may be the same person.)