How to respond to The Change in FHAR

[jdlessley]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but a quick and easy way to see if a member's Family Search account is linked to his/her church account is the member's account will have the "Temple" link in the row of links in the top left corner on the Family Search webpage.

Just to be clear, a Church member's Church Account and their Family Search account are separate accounts and are not linked directly. In fact, a member or nonmember can have multiple Church Accounts and multiple Family Search accounts. Changes in the profiles of any of those accounts will not affect any of the other accounts. The key that connects one Church Account to one Family Search account is the membership record number (MRN). It is the ability to have multiple Church Accounts and multiple Family Search accounts that causes confusion and difficulties for some Church members.

You are correct that if the menu item "Temple" is displayed on the Family Search menu bar then that Family Search account has a MRN registered in that user's profile. Only work done with that Family Search account will include temple information for that account holder.

Even the display of the "Temple" menu item is not a good indicator the account has been properly set up for that account holder. Always check the account profile for the correct MRN. Sometimes, and because of long ago traditions, member couples will use their spouses MRN when creating accounts.

[aebrown]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but a quick and easy way to see if a member's Family Search account is linked to his/her church account is the member's account will have the "Temple" link in the row of links in the top left corner on the Family Search webpage.

That technique is generally okay for determining if a person's account is linked to their Church membership. However, there is one case where that technique is not reliable. As I noted in my previous post, there is a setting for "Show Temple Options"; if that is turned off, you won't see the Temple menu, even if your account is linked to your Church membership. Rarely do Church members turn off that setting, but it does happen (sometimes on purpose and sometimes unintentionally). So the most reliable technique to answer this question is to go to Account Settings.

[dbyram]

I'm still confused as to the interpretation of "YTD Submitters Unit Detail". For example, our Ward November 2025 Report shows Totals: 100/438. Does that mean there have been 100 submittals by 438 members that specifically have FamilySearch accounts?

I am trying to help our ward members increase the First Four Generations of Ancestors in the Tree in the coming year (2026). Our results have been relatively flat for the last 3 years. Any help is appreciated.

Dennis Byram

[davesudweeks]

I'm still confused as to the interpretation of "YTD Submitters Unit Detail". For example, our Ward November 2025 Report shows Totals: 100/438. Does that mean there have been 100 submittals by 438 members that specifically have FamilySearch accounts?

I am trying to help our ward members increase the First Four Generations of Ancestors in the Tree in the coming year (2026). Our results have been relatively flat for the last 3 years. Any help is appreciated.

Dennis Byram

This post describes how the metric works. @aebrown works for FamilySearch.

viewtopic.php?p=252297&hilit=4+generations#p252297

[russellhltn]

I'm still confused as to the interpretation of "YTD Submitters Unit Detail". For example, our Ward November 2025 Report shows Totals: 100/438. Does that mean there have been 100 submittals by 438 members that specifically have FamilySearch accounts?

I am trying to help our ward members increase the First Four Generations of Ancestors in the Tree in the coming year (2026). Our results have been relatively flat for the last 3 years. Any help is appreciated.

I think you're confusing two different stats. From past posts, I don't think you can see the number of submissions, but the number of submitters. That is, the number of ward members who have submitted at least one name during the time period.

For the second, I think it would be a percentage (unless that stat has changed.)

Either way, you won't know who you need to work with, just where your ward stands as a whole.

[dbyram]

Our December 2025 report shows 103/441 YTD Submitters Unit Detail.
Numerator: 103 - That means we had 103 ward members who submitted a Temple name.
Denominator: 441- Does that mean 441 members with FamilySearch accounts or 441 members of our Ward?
Thanks for your help.

[aebrown]

Our December 2025 report shows 103/441 YTD Submitters Unit Detail.
Numerator: 103 - That means we had 103 ward members who submitted a Temple name.
Denominator: 441- Does that mean 441 members with FamilySearch accounts or 441 members of our Ward?

For all the statistics in the FHAR, the members counted are youth and adults. That includes every ward member who turns 12 in the year. So for your December 2025 FHAR, that means every member who turned 12 or older in 2025. When the January 2026 FHAR comes out (in early February), that number will also include the new batch of youth who turn 12 during 2026.

So with that understanding, the 103 means you had 103 youth and adults who submitted a name in 2025, out of a total of 441 youth and adult members of your ward (it makes no difference whether they have a FamilySearch account -- the denominator includes all youth and adults). For the exact definition of "submitter" see the Family History Activity Report (FHAR) Guide (must be signed in to FamilySearch to view).

[dbyram]

Thank you for responding, clarifying the YTD Submitters Unit Detail, and the link to FHAR instructions.

Dennis