If you have ancestors who lived in the US, you will be happy to learn about yesterday’s news.
In celebration of Family History Month, FamilySearch International and GenealogyBank announced an agreement to make more than a billion records from historical American obituaries searchable online.
According to FamilySearch spokesperson Paul Nauta, this collection will be the largest, and most significant, online U.S. historic records access initiative yet. Mr. Nauta said, “It will take tens of thousands of online volunteers to make GeneablogyBank’s vast US obituary collection more discoverable online.”
In a statement, FamilySearch said, “The tremendous undertaking will make a billion records from over 100 million US newspaper obituaries readily searchable online. The newspapers are from all 50 states and cover the period 1730 to present.”
The completed online index will include 85 percent of US deaths from the last decade alone.
GenealogyBank has more than 6,500 historical US newspapers and growing, spanning over 280 years. The death notices in these publications go beyond names and dates.
GenealogyBank vice-president Dan V. Jones said, “Obituaries, unlike any other resource, have the ability to add incredible dimensions to an individual’s family history research. They contain a wealth of information including facts and details that help capture the legacy of those who have passed on.”
Information about online volunteering is available at FamilySearch.
Learn more on the FamilySearch Blog.
