FamilySearch was founded in 1894 as the Genealogical Society of Utah. It is without question, the most useful website for genealogy research on the planet, and it is totally free.
In 1999, the FamilySearch website was launched. In 2020, it had over 400,000 visitors per day. Probably its most well-known feature is the ability for users to search for records online. There are over 2 billion records and 1 billion images to search through. The records have been indexed by thousands of volunteers. Currently, there are 3,165 record collections to search.
Start a search via the Search Historical Records page, which can be found at: www.FamilySearch.org/search. On that page, you can start a basic search which includes a first name, last name, a place, and a year.
A more advanced search is enabled by clicking on the More Options link, which displays a page that allows for the entry of an Alternate Name, the person’s sex, and the following additional options:
- Life Event: such as Birth, Marriage, Residence, or Death and the year range and place of the event
- Family Member Names: such as Spouse, Mother, Father, or Other Person
- Record Options: including Location, Type, Batch Number, and Image Group Number
The results are then displayed and can be further dissected by adding more detailed criteria.
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