FamilySearch December update of free records for genealogists

FamilySearch continues to add new records and expand or index others. The December update states it has “added 49.8 million new records to its free online archives. Some exciting additions include over 22 million additions to the United States City and Business Directories collection and over 19 million new records from the Philippines, covering civil […]

FamilySearch 130 years strong for all family historians

I remember my first visits to the acclaimed FamilySearch Library (formerly called Family History Library) in Salt Lake City. Those were followed by many extended research visits. All three of my adult children have been part of some trips there. Now I need to get back there for some specific things, but in the meantime, […]

FamilySearch Labs: AI enabled searching for all names in deeds and wills

A few hours late today resulted in some new deeds and ancestral names in deeds of other people. All the names are rarely indexed until now. Searching by name and place in digitized records was easy peasy. Thank you, FamilySearch! I have used this excellent, but not perfect, advancement a few times now and I […]

10 Million Names Family History Project of enslaved people and descendants from Africa

FamilySearch International and American Ancestors are collaborating on a project, 10 Million Names. The project seeks to recover the names and restore information to families of an estimated 10 million men, women, and children of African descent who were enslaved in pre- and post-colonial America, including what would become the United States. 10 Million Names […]

The 1931 Canadian census is fully indexed and searchable on FamilySearch!

FamilySearch Press Release today: SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH, 16 January 2024—FamilySearch, the world’s largest genealogical organization, and Libraries Archive Canada (LAC), are happy to announce the completion of the free, fully searchable index and images of the 1931 Census of Canada. This significant achievement is a remarkable resource for genealogists, historians, and anyone interested in […]

Family History Library in Salt Lake City and Family History Centers Change Names

Last fall I found out about the changes and began changing the names in my lecture handouts and PowerPoint slides. It’s now been officially announced. Today’s press release: SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH—FamilySearch announced new names for its flagship Family History Library located in Salt Lake City, Utah, and all local and regional family history centers worldwide.  The library will now be […]

FamilySearch Research Wiki reaches 100,000 articles!

A FamilySearch press release from today tells the story. I highly recommend that the FamilySearch Research Wiki becomes an integral part of your research plan.  “The FamilySearch Wiki published its 100,000th genealogical research article. The free online reference tool helps answer many common questions you might have when searching for ancestors in historical records worldwide. Each wiki […]

FamilySearch has completed digitization of millions of rolls of microfilm. Genealogists are happy!

In case you missed the news from FamilySearch that appeared a couple weeks ago, here is part of it: “It is a milestone 83 years in the making. Today FamilySearch International announced the completion of a massive project to digitize its collection of millions of rolls of microfilm containing billions of family history records from […]

FamilySearch and Ontario Ancestors New Book Scanning Project

I’m catching up on some press releases recently received. This one from FamilySearch details a new scanning project with the Ontario Genealogical Society excites me because of my own Ontario connections and those of many clients. FamilySearch and Ontario Ancestors Announce Book Scanning Project FamilySearch Canada Digital Book Initiative Ontario Ancestors and FamilySearch International announced their new book […]