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FamilySearch.org

Is This Your Business?
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815 User Reviews

Author: Kalicia Bateman

LAST UPDATED: February 17th, 2022

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The Good

  • Features
  • Free membership
  • Mobile app
FamilySearch.org is a top-notch site which has many features integrated to make family research easier. These include:
  • Access to census records (1790-1940)
  • SSDI database
  • Family tree building (with several layouts to view and print data - traditional pedigree, fan and dependency)
  • Free membership (upon signing up with a membership, users can determine the level of privacy which they want as far as allowing other members to connect to them and contact them via email)
  • Access to obituaries, newspapers and books
  • Multiple language platforms
  • Comprehensive blog with educational and informative articles on family history
  • Helpful WIKI to guide research
  • Ability to upload images, documents and create life sketches of family members to bring their records to life
  • Data protection - when duplicates or errors are found, members email their notes through on onsite system with their information corrections and documentation to try and reduce duplicates and correct errors
  • Puzilla.org (run by FamilySearch.org) gives additional opportunities to research dependency and find cousins (also free)
  • Mobile app allows for quick additions on the run
  • Volunteer opportunities for all to help digitize (index) records from home to increase the digital databases available
  • Huge network of Family History Centers (worldwide) at which to receive free help from other genealogists
  • Social Media presence with helpful tips - Facebook, Twitter and Google+
  • YouTube Channel with instructional videos
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The Bad

  • Web freezes
Our review team noticed that when adding family members into their family trees (especially when importing them from another member's tree), the page can freeze up and needs to be reloaded by clicking another link and then going back into the tree page. This seems to happen during the times which internet traffic is higher. While not a full crash, this can become frustrating when working on building your trees. The developers obviously worked hard to make the site user friendly. There is a learning curve to its use and it is not always intuitive.
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The Bottom Line

Our review team is confident in recommending FamilySearch.org for anyone wanting to begin their family history research or to expand the branches of their family tree. This site is well-planned and offers access to records which other sites charge (sometimes hefty fees) to access. Having so many venues for personal help, not only with the functionality of the site (technical), but with the research itself make this site a real bargain - indeed a treasure even.
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User Reviews

Star Rating

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4.8

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815 Reviews

Review Breakdown

5 grade

80%

4 grade

16%

3 grade

2%

2 grade

1%

1 grade

1%

Sentiment Criteria

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Quality

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Service

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jill Concord, MA

I find the ability of others to add incorrect info to my tree areal issue with other site only the creator can change.My ggf never cam to this country but someone added a headstone and date of 1945 .Also I do not want to remember my ggp by their headstones but so one went in and added all their headstones pics. I have found the site useful just like to be able it to be MY tree Let me decide who can add to it.

11 years ago

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J.L.Davis Akron, OH

Your site is well-organized. There needs to be way of telling which John Smith are talking about-perhaps birthyear after name? There were a couple time when instead of 20 yrs for generation were twice as many. Even in lg fams unlikely.. I know US too big for local history, but if same property went from county A to county B in 1840, needs to be way for reader to put that in as aside. Thank you!

11 years ago

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Brownie Ellis Mackie Conroe, TX

I use Family Search, but I've never quite mastered the voluminous information on the site. And I like to do "quick" searches, so the Family Search agenda with its huge lists of people with the same names and disregarding my "dates" and "places" for my search person don't always help me find what I'm looking for. I prefer to use Google. Google narrows the search down to closer matches.

11 years ago

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Alice Fisher Salt Lake City, UT

This was the very first genealogy search site I used. This was back in the early 90's. I really liked using it, but eventually moved to using ancestry.com more. I have always thought this site was easy to use. I found out several months ago that the international info features were no longer there unless a fee was paid. I also don't like that we cannot see info that might be helpful just because we are not LDS.

11 years ago

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Judy Braunwald-Lenahan Morristown, NJ

Very interesting site and I use after I have confirmed information either in personal or other public records as there are so many people keying information that some have duplicate LDS numbers. When I correct at least I know that MY basic information is correct for those checking for information. I have found many additional records to aid in my family search. I have just ordered my 1st microfilm and am excited to find additional information.

11 years ago

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Linda Nebrich Beilein Alden, NY

I love family search.org but I have run into a very unique problem with my data. A person I shared my data with made changes and uploaded all my work to the site as his. He did not verify his entries and changed some mine that were verified. I don't know how to get this problem corrected and I called Salt Lake Several times to no avail. The site is fabulous and I hope no one else's work has been corrupted as mine has.

11 years ago

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Brittney Anderson Provo, UT

Family death is a great free resource but it can be a little messy. It would be nice if there was a way to lock things but still have a public copy people could edit. It’s frustrating when you think you’re making progress and then someone deletes things.

7 years ago

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alison cramp

Good site to create a family tree but you need to join to get any more information ... they do not offer monthly payments, only yearly; in which does not suit me.

9 years ago

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Alyssa Boren American Fork, UT

Sometimes the website is very confusing with the directions they give. It glitched a lot and so I made a lot of mistakes and it took a long time to undo them. I like how they have so many different family charts I can make

7 years ago

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Zachary Clement Lindon, UT

I like that family search is free, but it seems like most of the times I use it, the server is really slow. It also has public trees, so anyone can edit your information, which can be a good or bad thing

8 years ago

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Margaret Pederson Willmar, MN

I love the fact that family history is free but I always forget my passord and username. My problem, not yours.

11 years ago

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Lesta Bell Feldkamp Overland Park, KS

The advantage to this site is its cost. I can come and go and not worry about loosing track of where I am.

11 years ago

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Hannah Barth Tallahassee, FL

FamilySearch.org is very interesting to see possible ancestors. However, I'm afraid it is not reliable if anyone change make edits.

4 years ago

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Gerald Wallace Gillmore West Branch, MI

This is an excellent site to use in conjunction with other Genealogy Sites and documentation.

11 years ago

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Seth Managua, MN

To say the least, it’s free, easy to use, and they linked with ancestors.com so it’s like a two for one.

6 years ago

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Brady Hanson Orem, UT

Family Search is fun to use and fairly simple to understand. It's fun to see how you are related to different people.

8 years ago

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Jami Howell Farmington, UT

It's verification process it not very thorough. It does have great visuals to see my ancestors.

7 years ago

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Diana Seely North Las Vegas, NV

love it use it

11 years ago

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