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FamilySearch.org

Is This Your Business?
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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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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%

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CNB Raymore, MO

Unlike most genealogy, once you upload your family tree gedcom, it won't display the gedcom and you will have to manually enter all the information. I was told there was software that is compatible, but I couldn't find it and the person I spoke to did not recommend a specific program. It is useful to help discover ancestors, but you have to exercise caution as I found this website will list multiple matches. For instance, my maternal grandfather, whom I have solid documentation on from Luxembourg to his death in Ohio, showed some matches, but most of the people had his information incorrect. I also found people listing children from mothers that were older than 50 years of age. The problem with free websites and even pay websites are folks that aren't using logic and source documents to verify their ancestors here. I'm not even sure that the thousands of source data contained in my gedcom uploaded to this site. Great to help start, but please use discretion when using this website. I would recommend building your tree in software and check to see if it will link to multiple genealogy sites to help with verification. I finally gave up when I realized that when I was comparing my family tree to others that it didn't populate the tree on Family Search I had started and that it was actually causing problems with other folks family trees. The site contents are not that easy to understand in comparison to others. I got my initial start on Ancestry years ago, but due to high cost, decided to only use it as needed in the future. I would recommend Ancestry and others over Family Search, but do recommend Family Search to help in identifying individuals, just exercise caution before adding people from this website to your database.

7 years ago

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Peter Hudson

Probably the best site for research, but the worst for building an on-line tree. The good bit is the IGI (International Genealogical Index), a database based on microfilmed records from all over the world. The bad bit is its attempt to build a world tree. The site encourages you to create your family tree with them, but your tree is not yours! Anyone can modify it with accurate or completely inaccurate information, trees are even open to vandalism. Trying to keep your tree the way you want it is an impossible task. Another word of warning; anything you add to your tree cannot be removed and is visible to anyone visiting the site (apart from items attached to individuals entered as living). Beware too of information added by LDS members, a good deal of this is speculation with no basis in fact. So, a great site for reserch (with a little caution), but one to be avoided for family tree building!

11 years ago

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Devanie Ririe, ID

www.familysearch.com is a wonderful website. But very frustrating at times. You have to know about Pandora Hope Chest... try to understand how to download it and make it work. You also have to pay for it. I would think more people would enjoy doing more family history if the website its self had those tools to search for baptisms and confirmations that need to be done, instead of scrolling through tons of names. Awesome program though!

10 years ago

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Gayle Owens Burris Rowlett, TX

When entering my info this site put in my great grand-father with incorrect info (first and last name the only correct things) without giving me a chance to accept or edit anything. I don't trust them.

11 years ago

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Bill Jones Payson, UT

I like ancestry.com the best for their search soft where. Findpast is second because most odf the names I need are there. There search software is not very good. Familysear h is good for sending names to the temple.

11 years ago

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Linda Paulsen

I was using another place to work on my family search and they were getting too expensive. I saw this place and thought I would try it. I will give a review after I get started.

11 years ago

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Lorraine Kalispell, MT

Recently I helped a young LDS missionary do family history research. that is when I found out that the non -LDS Family Search user has a lot less access to records the LDS members do. How very disappointing!

11 years ago

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Review Source

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Rocio Diaz Tallahassee, FL

This service is catered towards a specific audience, Caucasian Americans. This is not an inclusive service and did not work for me and my family since we are not of Caucasian-American origins. Would not recommend.

4 years ago