Using a site like FamilySearch, TopTenREVIEWS Bronze Award winner, for research is nice because the underlying philosophy is different than other genealogy search sites. It has nothing to do with making money. The people behind FamilySearch believe that families are meant to be a central part of life, which is why they have been gathering, preserving, and sharing family records for over 100 years. They offer what they find for free to the public. Supported by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, FamilySearch is the largest genealogy organization worldwide with over 4,000 family history centers worldwide, including the well-known Family History Library in Salt Lake City, Utah.
FamilySearch information is free but the trade-off is that it is not the same in every case as paid sites. For instance, the site does not offer as many digital images of documents as some other sites, but they are currently working on digitizing the billions of genealogical records stored in library vaults.
One of the perks of working with FamilySearch is the in-person help available. That's rare from genealogy search sites, and the brick and mortar offerings from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints are pretty extensive. Members and non-members alike have free access to the church's Family History Libraries around the world. These libraries are the largest of their kind, and contain a plethora of research options, avenues and resources, as well as trained volunteers to assist you. The libraries house over 2.4 million rolls of microfilm, microfiche, and books, serials, and other periodicals.
You can access all the library information through FamilySearch.org. All resources on the site are free including family tree and pedigree downloads; more importantly their comprehensive library and database collections offer a strong foundation for online genealogy. FamilySearch offers:
- Complete search capabilities
- Access to pedigree resource files
- An array of research articles
- Ability to share research online
- Research assistant program
- Interactive help center
- Access to the International Genealogical Index
As you search for and use FamilySearch you may hear about New FamilySearch, another genealogy search tool from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. There is a great deal of overlap between the two – FamilySearch and New FamilySearch – at least in terms of their database collections. The difference is that New FamilySearch is mainly used by church members and offers much more information about religious ordinances, but the general public may benefit from some of the information there. Researchers who do not belong to the church can go through a short application process to gain access to New FamilySearch. While databases are similar New FamilySearch offers access to more research that has been contributed by church members. This may offer names and dates that might be of interest genealogists in and outside of the church.
FamilySearch’s unique share feature allows you to preserve your family history in the Pedigree Resource File and share it with people around the world. A copy of the genealogy files will be preserved in the Granite Mountain Records Vault near Salt Lake City. You can also have your records made into a CD or shared online.
Information and resources contained on FamilySearch are the most extensive and comprehensive of their kind. Users have access to lists of genealogical data including the Ancestral File. The Ancestral File database is a collection of genealogical information taken from pedigree charts and family group records submitted to the Family History Department since 1978. It contains over 36 million names.
The International Genealogical Index database contains approximately 600 million names. An addendum to the International Genealogical Index contains an additional 125 million names. These names have been patron-submitted or extracted from thousands of original birth, christening and marriage records.
The Pedigree Resource File database contains over 80 million names that are linked into a family’s personal history. Recently 300 million names have been added to the huge database. The names have been extracted from original sources and may not have been included in any online collections before. Users can also benefit from the specific collections FamilySearch has to offer, including the African American collection and the Hispanic collection.
FamilySearch is broad enough that it would be of interest and useful to people of all nationalities. FamilySearch’s record index is a key feature for international searches. FamilySearch volunteers are in the process of indexing millions of rolls of microfilm containing vital records and census information. These projects span the world, including active projects in the U.S., England, Wales, Ireland, Germany, Mexico and elsewhere.
FamilySearch has the largest and most organized resource section for doing actual research from records. It also includes links to several other resources for help in your research.
FamilySearch offers a list of helpful websites with a keyword search to assist in finding what site is most pertinent to what you’re looking for. The following categories are offered:
- Census and Lists
- Court and Legal Records
- Cultural and Religious Groups
- Family Histories and Genealogies
- Key Genealogical Sites
- Land and Property Libraries
- Migration
- Military
- Royalty and Nobility
- Surname and Family Organizations
- Vital Records
Many of these categories can be narrowed down by state or country. For example, if you click on the census and lists tab, you are taken to a list of countries or states. You only have to choose the country or state you seek.
FamilySearch also has the Research Wiki feature. The FamilySearch Wiki has over 36,928 pages fashioned for learning about records, and methods that can help make genealogy search less difficult. It is written by community members trying to create an online-library of ancestor discovery topics.
FamilySearch makes research relatively easy. Simply enter the name of the person you are seeking and if any information is available, the appropriate links will appear on your screen. At times it can be difficult to know which record to search. However, the site does offer a research guidance feature that helps you quickly identify which record collections to search first. The feature also gives names and addresses where you could find records.
The process itself is easy. You simply enter the name of the person you are researching. You can choose to search all resources or you can also narrow your search down by choosing which database to search. These are some of the options available:
- Ancestral File
- Census
- International Genealogical Index
- Pedigree Resource File
- U.S. Social Security’s Death Index\
- Vital Records
- Search Family History
If any information is available, the appropriate links will appear on your screen. The search results screen lists all the records that match your search. You then scroll through the list until you find what you need.
The service offers a FAQs page and help index for quick reference. The index is listed in alphabetical order to make the search easy. There is also an email where you can email support questions, notify of problems, and give feedback.
FamilySearch is an excellent site that is free to use with huge database resources for researching names and extensive information, including articles, research guidance, the Research Wiki, forums, and online classes. All of these tools are available to help you with your research. This site can be used in conjunction with other genealogy search websites.
