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Genealogy organization operated by the LDS Church
FamilySearch International
Predecessor
Genealogical Society of Utah
Formation
November 13, 1894
; 131 years ago
1894-11-13
Founders
Franklin D. Richards
James H. Anderson
A. Milton Musser
Founded at
Salt Lake City
Utah
, U.S.
Type
Nonprofit organization
Purpose
Family history
genealogy
kinship and descent
Location
Salt Lake City
Utah
, U.S.
Region served
Worldwide
Services
Record digitization and preservation
digital record access
genealogical collaboration tools
genealogical training
President and CEO
Steve Rockwood
Parent organization
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
Website
www
.familysearch
.org
FamilySearch
is a
nonprofit organization
and
website
offering
genealogical
records, education, and software. It is operated by
the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
and is part of the Church's Family History Department (FHD).
The Family History Department was originally established in 1894, as the
Genealogical Society of Utah
(GSU); it is the largest genealogy organization in the world.
FamilySearch maintains a collection of records, resources, and services designed to help people learn more about their family history. Facilitating the performance of
Latter-day Saint ordinances
for deceased relatives is another major aim of the organization. Although it requires user account registration, it offers free access to its resources and service online at FamilySearch.org. In addition, FamilySearch offers personal assistance at more than 6,400
FamilySearch centers
in 140 countries, including the
FamilySearch Library
in
Salt Lake City, Utah
The Family Tree section allows
user-generated content
to be contributed to the genealogical database. As of March 2023
[update]
, there are over 1.5 billion individuals in the tree and the historical records database contains over 5.7 billion digital images, including digitized books, digitized microfilm, and other digital records.
History
edit
Genealogical Society of Utah
edit
Logo of the Genealogical Society of Utah
GSU, the predecessor of FamilySearch, was founded on 1 November 1894. Its purpose was to create a genealogical library to be used both by its members and other people, to share educational information about
genealogy
, and to gather genealogical records in order to perform
religious ordinances
for the dead. It was founded under the direction of Church leaders, when the
First Presidency
appointed
Franklin D. Richards
as the first president.
10
The society published the
Utah Genealogical and Historical Magazine
from 1910 to 1940.
11
The GSU began microfilming records of genealogical importance in 1938.
12
In 1963, the microfilm collection was moved to the newly completed
Granite Mountain Records Vault
for long-term preservation.
citation needed
In 1975, the GSU became the Church's Genealogical Department, which later became the FHD. At that time, its head officer was renamed president from executive director, starting during
Theodore M. Burton
's term.
10
However, the title "President of the Genealogical Society of Utah" and other GSU titles were still used and bestowed upon department officers.
In 2000, the Church consolidated its Family History and Historical departments into the Family and Church History Department, and
Richard E. Turley Jr.
became managing director of the new department and president of the GSU. Later this decision was reversed and the Family History Department was separated from the
Church History Department
, becoming its own department.
13
In 2008, the
Vatican
issued a statement calling the practice known as
baptism for the dead
"erroneous" and directing
Catholic
dioceses to keep parish records from Latter-day Saints performing
genealogical research
14
Presidents of the Genealogical Society of Utah
edit
Name
Term
Notes
Franklin D. Richards
1894–99
10
Anthon H. Lund
1900–21
10
Charles W. Penrose
1921–25
10
Anthony W. Ivins
1925–34
10
Joseph Fielding Smith
1934–61
10
Junius Jackson
1961–62
10
N. Eldon Tanner
1963
10
Howard W. Hunter
1964–72
10
Theodore M. Burton
1972–78
10
J. Thomas Fyans
1978
10
Royden G. Derrick
1979–84
10
Richard G. Scott
1984–88
10
J. Richard Clarke
1988–93
10
Monte J. Brough
1993–2000?
10
Richard E. Turley Jr.
2000?–08
15
FamilySearch
edit
FamilySearch logo used 2006–2013
In 1998, the GSU began digital imaging of records and in about August 1998 the decision was made by Church leaders to build a genealogical website. In May 1999, the website first opened to the public as
FamilySearch
16
The beta version, released April 1, almost immediately went offline, overloaded because of high popularity.
Only a few days after the official launch, the website had received an estimated 100 million hits. To handle the load, site visitors were only given access to the site for 15 minutes at a time.
17
In November 1999, 240 million names were added, bringing the total number of entries to 640 million.
18
In 2009, the Church launched a collaborative tree known as "New FamilySearch". It was the precursor to the current "FamilySearch Family Tree", and was only available to church members.
19
The system was an attempt to combine multiple genealogical submissions to FamilySearch's databases into one single tree, but it did not allow users to edit information that they had not submitted. It also was difficult to add sources to individuals in the tree or determine what was the correct information among multiple submissions. By April 2011, plans were in place to redesign the database into a more collaborative platform.
20
In 2011, the FamilySearch website received a major redesign. The previous site had allowed users to only search one database at a time, but the new version allowed sitewide searches of multiple databases. It also included the addition of more databases as well as some digitized and indexed microfilms.
21
On 16 November 2012, it was announced that the new Family Tree database would be available to all users of New FamilySearch, and that the New FamilySearch database would eventually be phased out.
22
On 5 March 2013, it was announced that Family Tree would now be available to everyone, whether or not they were members of the Church.
23
24
On 16 April 2013, FamilySearch completely revamped the site design generally, with new features and a changed color scheme. Some of the new features include an interactive fan chart and some printing capabilities, as well as the ability to add photos to Family Tree.
25
In February 2014, FamilySearch announced partnerships with
Ancestry.com
findmypast
and
MyHeritage
, which includes sharing massive amounts of their databases with those companies, and members of the Church receiving free subscriptions with these companies. They also have a standing relationship with BillionGraves, in which the photographed and indexed images of graves are both searchable on FamilySearch and are linked to individuals in the family tree.
26
27
At the end of 2015, FamilyTree had 1.1 billion persons added by 2.47 million contributors.
28
In August 2017, FamilySearch discontinued distribution of physical microfilm to its family history centers due to large-scale availability of digital images of those films and planned digitization of remaining films.
29
In May 2018, FamilySearch added and digitized its 2 billionth record.
In September 2020, FamilySearch announced that it now includes 8 billion names, 3.2 billion digital images, and 490,000 digital books, with over 1 million new records each day. 7 billion names from almost every country were added within the last 10 years.
30
Activities
edit
RootsTech
edit
Main article:
RootsTech
Since 2011, FamilySearch International has organized an annual family history and technology
conference
called
RootsTech
. It is held annually in the
Salt Palace Convention Center
Salt Lake City, Utah
. The conference is attended by professional and amateur genealogists, technology developers, and members of the Church. In 2014 there were nearly 13,000 people in attendance. As of 2020, it is the world's largest family history and technology conference in the world.
31
It is the successor to three former conferences: the Conference on Computerized Family History and Genealogy, the Family History Technology Workshop
32
and the FamilySearch Developers Conference.
33
Website
edit
Historical Records
edit
The main service of the FamilySearch website is to offer access to digital images and indexes of genealogical records. These images can be searched along with a number of databases. While access to the records is always free, some records have restricted access, and can only be viewed at a FamilySearch Center, at an Affiliate Library, or by members of the Church.
34
35
FamilySearch.org also contains the catalog of the
FamilySearch Library
in Salt Lake City, Utah. The library holds genealogical records for over 110 countries, territories, and possessions, including over 2.4 million rolls of
microfilmed
genealogical records; 742,000
microfiche
; 490,000 books, serials, and other formats; and 4,500 periodicals.
36
FamilySearch Family Tree
edit
FamilySearch FamilyTree (FSFT) is a "one world tree," or a unified database that aims to contain one entry for each person recorded in genealogical records. All FamilySearch users are able to add persons, link them to existing persons or merge duplicates. Sources, images, and audio files can also be attached to persons in the tree.
37
There are also several features specific to the membership of the Church, facilitating
temple
ordinance
work. In keeping with an agreement with Jewish groups and to prevent abuse, performing ordinances for Holocaust victims or celebrities results in account suspension until the researcher proves a legitimate family connection to the subject of their search.
38
FamilySearch allows users to input same-sex marriages or other unions.
39
Indexing projects
edit
Main article:
FamilySearch Indexing
Searchable indexes of the records on FamilySearch are created by volunteers of the
FamilySearch Indexing
program. To ensure greater accuracy, each batch of records is indexed by an indexer and is then checked by a more experienced indexer. Indexing volunteers need not be members of the Church. FamilySearch is currently working with genealogical societies all around the world to index local projects.
At the end of 2010, 548 million vital records had been transcribed and made publicly available through the FamilySearch website.
40
In April 2013, FamilySearch Indexing completed their goal to offer 1 billion indexed records online.
41
Education
edit
FamilySearch offers free lessons on FamilySearch.org to help people learn how to find their ancestors. The topics range from basic research to training on specific record types and are designed for both beginners and experienced researchers. Most of the classes come from research consultants in the Family History Library in Salt Lake City, but FamilySearch is also collaborating with partners such as the
Mid-Continent Public Library
in Independence, Missouri, to record and post classes.
In 2007, it was decided to start a
FamilySearch Research Wiki
to help FamilySearch users and others researching genealogy and family history to find and share information on data sources and research tips. The first version of the wiki was built on the
Plone
wiki software product, but it was soon discovered that
MediaWiki
software was much more suitable, so in January 2008 it was moved to the MediaWiki platform. In the intervening years it was rolled out in other languages, and as of July 2014 it was available in 11 languages.
42
The other language wikis are found via links at the bottom of the wiki homepage. The wiki in English had over 79,500 articles and over 150,000 registered users as of July 2014.
43
Facilities
edit
FamilySearch Library
edit
Main article:
FamilySearch Library
FamilySearch operates the FamilySearch Library in
Salt Lake City
Utah
. The library was built in 1985 as a successor to previous libraries run by the Genealogical Society of Utah. The library is open to the public and has a large collection of international genealogical materials, including microfilm, books, and digital materials. The library's catalog and many of their digital materials are located at the FamilySearch website.
Granite Mountain Records Vault
edit
Main article:
Granite Mountain (Utah)
FamilySearch stores copies of their records in a dry, environment-controlled facility built into
Granite Mountain
in
Little Cottonwood Canyon
, near
Salt Lake City
Utah
. The storage facility is known as the Granite Mountain Records Vault. The vault stores over 2.4 million rolls of microfilm and 1 million microfiches.
FamilySearch Centers
edit
Main article:
FamilySearch Center
FamilySearch operates over 6,300 FamilySearch Centers in 140 countries around the world as of 2023. The centers are branches of the FamilySearch Library, often located in meetinghouses of
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
. Their purpose is to help people with their genealogy and provide access to and help with genealogical materials and software provided by FamilySearch.
See also
edit
Latter Day Saint movement portal
Baptism for the dead § Genealogy and baptism
GEDCOM
Immigrant Ancestors Project
List of Mormon family organizations
Personal Ancestral File
References
edit
"About FamilySearch"
FamilySearch
. Retrieved
August 2,
2019
Nauta, Paul G. (July 1, 2015).
"FamilySearch International Appoints Steve Rockwood as President and CEO to Replace Dennis Brimhall Who Retired"
FamilySearch Blog
. Retrieved
August 2,
2019
"World's Largest Family History Event Held in Utah"
RootsTech
. February 2, 2016
. Retrieved
August 4,
2019
Stephen T. Rockwood is the managing director of the church's FHD and president and CEO of FamilySearch International, representing the close connection of the two organizations.
Davis, Erik (July 1, 1999).
"Databases of the Dead"
Wired
. Retrieved
August 3,
2019
The article refers to the "Family History Department" of the LDS church as the entity behind the creation of the original FamilySearch website.
Noyce, David (August 3, 2017).
"Mormon genealogy library unveils a fun new way to discover your roots"
Salt Lake Tribune
. Retrieved
June 26,
2019
"FamilySearch Company Facts • FamilySearch Newsroom"
www.familysearch.org
. Retrieved
September 24,
2024
"Find a Family History Center and FamilySearch Affiliate Libraries"
FamilySearch
. Retrieved
August 3,
2019
"FamilySearch Company Facts"
Company Facts
. Retrieved
June 27,
2019
"FamilySearch Adds 2 Billionth Image of Genealogy Records"
FamilySearch News Releases
. April 23, 2013
. Retrieved
August 3,
2019
Allen, James B.
; Embry, Jessie L.; Mehr, Kahlile B. (1995),
Hearts Turned to the Fathers: A History of the Genealogical Society of Utah, 1894-1994
, Provo, Utah:
BYU Studies
Brigham Young University
Meyerink, Kory Leland (1998).
Printed Sources: A Guide to Published Genealogical Records
Salt Lake City, Utah
: Ancestry, Inc. p.
710
ISBN
9780916489700
Pugmire, Genelle.
"LDS Church celebrates 120th anniversary of Genealogical Society, now FamilySearch"
Daily Herald
. Archived from
the original
on August 3, 2019
. Retrieved
August 3,
2019
T, Justin.
"Breaking News: Changes in Family and Church History Department Organization"
Juvenile Instructor Blog
. Archived from
the original
on October 6, 2015.
Muth, Chad (May 2, 2008).
"Vatican letter directs bishops to keep parish records from Mormons"
Catholic News Service
. United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Archived from
the original
on May 13, 2008
. Retrieved
May 5,
2008
"Biography - Richard E. Turley Jr."
Church Newsroom
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
, March 12, 2008
, retrieved
November 20,
2008
"Sowing Seeds for Family Trees"
Wired
. Reuters. May 24, 1999
. Retrieved
August 3,
2019
Toone, Trent (March 28, 2017).
"How technology revolutionized family history work in recent decades"
Deseret News
. Archived from
the original
on March 29, 2017
. Retrieved
August 4,
2019
"640 Million Names Added to Familysearch Site"
Ancestry Magazine
. Ancestry Inc.: 9 January–February 2000.
"Updated FamilySearch.org to Bring New Features Under One Roof"
Church News
. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. July 16, 2010
. Retrieved
August 5,
2019
New.familysearch.org, which replaced TempleReady last year and includes the Family Tree feature, will be integrated into the updated site.
"The Case for moving to "Our Tree" : A FamilySearch White Paper"
(PDF)
. FamilySearch International. April 2011.
Crume, Rick (June 9, 2011).
"Inside the New FamilySearch.org"
Family Tree Magazine
. Retrieved
August 5,
2019
permanent dead link
Green, David (November 16, 2012).
"Family Tree Now Available To new.familysearch.org Users"
FamilySearch Blog
. Retrieved
August 5,
2019
Wright, Matt (April 12, 2013).
"Family Tree is Available to All Users"
FamilySearch Blog
Lloyd, R. Scott (March 11, 2013).
"FamilyTree: New FamilySearch Service Promotes Collaboration"
Church News
. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
. Retrieved
August 5,
2019
"FamilySearch launches redesigned website"
KSL News
. April 18, 2013
. Retrieved
August 5,
2019
Brimhall, Dennis (February 26, 2014).
"FamilySearch Partnerships: Some Questions and Answers"
FamilySearch Blog
. Retrieved
August 3,
2019
"MyHeritage Partners With FamilySearch To Add Billions Of Historical Records To Its Genealogy Database"
Tech Crunch
. October 15, 2013
. Retrieved
August 5,
2019
Sagers, Diane (December 29, 2015).
"2015 Year in Review: FamilySearch Grows as World's Foremost Family History Resource"
FamilySearch Blog
FamilySearch (May 30, 2017).
"Microfilm Distribution to Be Discontinued on August 31, 2017"
FamilySearch Blog
. Retrieved
August 3,
2019
Improving search results and indexing additional records is on-going work, as is improving international resources for those living in countries outside of the United States.
"FamilySearch Hits 8 Billion Searchable Names in Historical Records"
FamilySearch News Releases
. September 24, 2020
. Retrieved
September 25,
2020
Toone, Trent (November 12, 2020).
"Trent Toone/4 keynote speakers announced for RootsTech's first virtual conference"
Deseret News
. Retrieved
February 14,
2021
"Family History Technology Workshop"
. Brigham Young University. Archived from
the original
on August 3, 2019
. Retrieved
August 3,
2019
"Conferences and Workshops"
ce.byu.edu
. Retrieved
August 1,
2018
"What are the image restrictions in Historical Records?"
FamilySearch Help
. Retrieved
August 3,
2019
permanent dead link
Tanner, James (August 27, 2017).
"Restricted Records on FamilySearch.org"
Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: Genealogy from the perspective of a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
. Retrieved
August 3,
2019
"About the Family History Library"
. FamilySearch.org. Archived from
the original
on February 6, 2007
. Retrieved
March 11,
2010
Morton, Sunny (February 15, 2019).
"The World's Largest Shared Family Tree"
FamilySearch Blog
. Retrieved
August 3,
2019
Jensen, Derek P. (March 7, 2012),
"Mormon church blocks whistle-blower's access to baptism data"
The Salt Lake Tribune
archived
from the original on October 21, 2013
"FamilySearch completes project to allow same-sex family trees"
Deseret News
. Retrieved
December 10,
2019
"FamilySearch Volunteers Have Indexed Over 500 Million Records"
FamilySearch Blog
. February 1, 2011.
Connolly, Courtney (April 22, 2013).
"Thanks A Billion"
FamilySearch Blog
"FamilySearch Wiki:Non-English versions of the wiki"
FamilySearch Research Wiki
. Retrieved
August 3,
2019
"Statistics"
FamilySearch Research Wiki
. Retrieved
August 3,
2019
Notes
edit
The Catholic Church's concern was that ostensibly faithful deceased Catholics being posthumously baptized into another religion without their consent (or their family's consent). They sought to curtail any further efforts by Mormons to identify deceased Catholics for proxy baptism.
External links
edit
Wikimedia Commons has media related to
FamilySearch
Wikidata
has the property:
FamilySearch person ID (P2889)
(see
uses
Taylor, Rebecca M.
"A Century of Genealogy"
The Friend
, March 1994.
"Genealogical Society: A century of steady growth and development"
Archived
August 2, 2019, at the
Wayback Machine
Church News
, November 1994.
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