25 September 2020
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FamilySearch, the world's largest online family history database, has today announced that it has reached the milestone of 8 billion searchable names on its database.
FamilySearch began 125 years ago as the Genealogical Society of Utah, with just 300 hundred books of family records on its shelves.
Now, the free to use database has:
- 3.2 billion digital images
- 490,000 digital books
- a Family Tree with over a billion more user-contributed records available online
- over 1 million new records added every day
Using FamilySearch to find records for your ancestors
Of course, with 8 billion names, it can be tricky to know how to get started. The FamilySearch Wiki here is an accessible and useful starting point, with over 90,000 articles, many of which are focused on the records of a particular country.
The Wiki also features a guided research section to help you make your way through the many records in a way that works best for you, perhaps by selecting a particular country or record set.
Family connections
David Rencher, FamilySearch chief genealogy officer, said of reaching the 8 billion milestone: 'To digitally preserve and make so many names freely searchable online is impressive, but it’s the personal family connections that matter most. With each new record, there’s the possibility to find a missing link in the family tree. And that is soul-satisfying.'
Explore the site here.