FamilySearch, formerly the Genealogical Society of Utah, celebrated its 125th anniversary yesterday. Through the years, the non-profit, volunteer-driven organization has become the largest genealogy organization in the world.
What began as a humble state family history society over a century ago, today has become the largest genealogy organization in the world. When the first members got together, they would have had no idea that their organization would one day help millions of genealogists.
“What started out as a small conservator of genealogical books has morphed today into a full complement of free online services in 10 languages, including a collaborative family tree, billions of searchable historical records, the ability to digitally preserve family memories (stories, photos, audio files, and documents), online help, and ever-expanding partner relationships,” said Stephen Valentine, senior vice-president of FamilySearch International.
The Genealogical Society of Utah was established on November 13, 1894, under the direction of Wilford Woodruff, the fourth president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
The purpose of the society was to help its members (who were predominantly immigrants from Europe) to gather genealogical records from their homelands so they could remember and build their ancestral connections.
FamilySearch began microfilming historical records in 1938. Sixty years later, in 1998, it started digitizing the microfilm.
Steve Rockwood, CEO of FamilySearch, said the organization has not been alone on its journey. He credits success and longevity to the involvement of a growing community of partners — innovative tech companies, archives, governments, societies, and other entities.
