August 2006 Ensign - The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

PHOTOGRAPH BY ROBERT CASEY
76
Church’s FamilySearch.org
Reaches Seven-Year Mark
By Abbey Olsen, Church Magazines
FamilySearch.org, the
largest provider of free
family history resources
and genealogy
records in the world, has
helped millions of people
find their ancestors and preserve
their family history
since it first launched seven
years ago in May 1999.
“Seeking to understand
our family history can change
our lives,” President Gordon
B. Hinckley said during a
press conference to launch
the site in 1999. “It helps
bring unity and cohesion to
families. There is something
about understanding the past
that helps give our young
people something to live up
to, a legacy to respect. We’re
grateful to be able to make a
significant contribution to
that” (“News of the Church,”
Ensign, Aug. 1999, 74).
FamilySearch.org allows
users to search numerous
databases for records of
deceased ancestors, access
millions of microfilmed
records stored in the Granite
Mountain Records Vault,
download free Personal
Ancestral File (PAF) family history
software, learn how to
get started on family history,
and share their genealogy
with other family members.
Steve W. Anderson, marketing
manager for
FamilySearch, notes that
many new databases, record
collections, research guides,
and other resources have
been added to the Web site
since its launch.
When FamilySearch.org
was first launched, nearly 400
million names were available
in the site’s searchable databases.
At its seventh anniversary,
the number is more than
one billion names. The site’s
capacity to serve more
patrons has also increased
since its launch.
FamilySearch.org receives
more than 100,000 visitors a
day and has more than one
million registered users.
“Many thousands of
patrons are new, and in just
minutes they are able to find
information about their ancestors
that they have never been
able to find before,” Brother
Anderson says.
Paul Nauta, manager of
public affairs for FamilySearch,
says that “FamilySearch.org’s
primary objective is to improve
access to the Church’s
genealogical holdings.”
Brother Nauta says he has
Millions of people worldwide have used FamilySearch.org since it was launched seven years
ago in 1999.
heard countless success stories—and
has one of his
own—of using the genealogical
resources available on
FamilySearch.org. His paternal
grandfather came from
Italy to the United States.
After his grandfather’s death,
Brother Nauta and his siblings
lost contact with that
side of the family. About a
year after Brother Nauta
posted his genealogy online,
a university student in Italy emailed
him: “Hey, I saw your
genealogy . . . and we’re
related! Would you like to
know more?”
Through this contact
Brother Nauta discovered
more about his ancestors and
their roots in Italy. He has
since had the opportunity to
visit the town and his newfound
relatives in Italy. He
said of his Italian cousins, “It
was like I had never not
known them.”
Brother Nauta, who
attends family history conferences
around the world and
often hosts a booth at these
conferences, says many people
have come by the family
history booth, saying, “You
can’t help me with my family
history—it’s a lost cause.”
But within 20 to 30 minutes
of searching on Family
Search.org, they have discovered
information about their
ancestors. “People just sit
there and cry with joy to be
connected with their ancestors,”
he says.
A number of new features
are slated for addition to
FamilySearch.org as the
Church continues to help
people around the world discover
their heritage and unite
their families. ■