“I was impressed that the Bible had been kept safe for a reason,” William Dunbar said.
1 Min Read
FamilySearch is collaborating on an epic journey across the Atlantic Ocean.
1 Min Read
“Those six months were the most spiritual and happiest time of my life.”
1 Min Read
At age 21, Allison was disowned by her father. Then, only two years later, she was stranded by her first husband in an unfamiliar country.
8 Min Read
The belt is constantly moving between missionaries in the Ashby family.
2 Min Read
When Geri and Grant arrived in Europe, they had a goal to find their family. Two miracles helped them find their way.
4 Min Read
A story is a gift; it connects us to our past while lighting the way to our future.
5 Min Read
I understand more deeply now that these are not “names” we “take” to the temple but people we come to the temple to be with.
2 Min Read
The inspiring line-up includes married Olympic and Paralympic Gold-medalists who made history at the 2024 Paris Games.
1 Min Read
Expand your family history research with a free Storied account.
1 Min Read
“I didn’t do it for recognition. I just enjoy doing it. I live alone, and it gives me something worthwhile to do,” she says.
1 Min Read
These men were strangers before beginning their missions in Nauvoo.
1 Min Read
The blessings given to deceased, direct-line family members are available to most users online, even without submitting a request. Here’s where you can find them.
1 Min Read
This activity includes all ages, requires minimal prep, and creates lasting family memories.
2 Min Read
Here are a few ways to help your little ones get more actively involved in your next family get-together.
2 Min Read
These 10 moments from the Book of Mormon reveal beautiful insights about temple covenants.
6 Min Read
The video, filmed before President Ballard’s death in November 2023, shows him bearing testimony at Carthage Jail where his great-great-grandfather Hyrum Smith and great-great uncle Joseph Smith lost their lives.
1 Min Read
Kristin Chenoweth, an Emmy and Tony Award-winning actress and singer known for her work in musical theater, TV, and film, is coming to RootsTech 2024.
1 Min Read
Small and simple steps to help others can have far-reaching effects, and the intention behind the service is perhaps more important than the amount of time it takes.
3 Min Read
Meaningful family traditions, like making tamales, can add light and love to your holiday celebrations in unexpected ways.
8 Min Read
I’ve become a firm believer in a gentle power that carried me through anxiety as a missionary in ways I’d never dreamed possible: family history.
6 Min Read
Family history may sound intimidating, but there are a few simple ways to slip it into your spiritual diet.
6 Min Read
Creating a video life story of your loved one is easier than you think with this simple process and questionnaire.
4 Min Read
Joseph Smith taught that “a welding link … between the fathers and the children …” must be “whole and complete and perfect” (Doctrine and Covenants 128:18). The words welding link suggest a chain. Chains are strong things. They hold under great stress and pressure.
7 Min Read
“My fourth-great-grandparents’ love story is as good as any proper romance novel, but all the more special because it connects me to my ancestors in a deeply meaningful way.”
10 Min Read
When one woman’s mission ended sooner than she wanted, she felt her ancestors’ support in taking her next steps.
2 Min Read
Read more about why FamilySearch may need to start turning to the lightning-fast speed of AI to keep up with all of the documents coming in.
2 Min Read
In his RootsTech keynote address, Sean Astin shared stories about his own family and his daughter’s deep-dive into their family’s history.
1 Min Read
In Adassa’s own words, “We’ve got a couple of Brunos in my family!”
1 Min Read
Dr. David-James Gonzales has tried to make sure he is very open and intentional with his own children in discussing their family’s physical features and embracing their heritage.
3 Min Read
Brittany Watson Jepsen—creator of the blog The House That Lars Built—and her family history–inspired home recently took center stage in a new TV episode.
2 Min Read
As I listen to ‘Love Your Lineage,’ it feels as though someone has finally opened a bolted door and welcomed me into a space that I never knew I could inhabit.
8 Min Read
Elder Gerrit W. Gong and Sister Susan Gong will be the keynote speakers for Family Discovery Day on the final day of RootsTech 2023.
1 Min Read
Earlier this week, the Church announced that family history centers worldwide will now be known as FamilySearch centers.
1 Min Read
“Love Your Lineage” helps listeners discover that no matter what our background or family situation, everyone can make deep and powerful connections to their ancestors.
2 Min Read
In a clever nod to two October holidays, FamilySearch has shared photos of vintage Halloween costumes your parents or grandparents may have worn as children.
1 Min Read
Mark your calendars: The next annual RootsTech conference will be taking place on March 2–4, 2023.
1 Min Read
Mark your calendars for March 2–4, 2023!
1 Min Read
When Carine Clark was diagnosed with cancer, she grew worried about getting lost after passing to the other side. Her solution to those fears? Family history and temple work.
4 Min Read
Many people visit cemeteries on Memorial Day, but what other meaningful memories can your family make together?
1 Min Read
FamilySearch records have helped piece together incredible stories of early Latter-day Saint pioneers internationally.
1 Min Read
“A friend asked me if I felt any guilt for contributing to an enterprise that was allegedly aimed at capturing deceased souls and ‘baptizing’ them into the Mormon church.”
1 Min Read
Read about the heartwarming reasons why this son has been anxiously awaiting the release of the 1950 Census records.
3 Min Read
Dale Adams says many people—particularly women—leave almost no mark on genealogical history. He’s here to change that.
2 Min Read
The 1950 Census data is about to be released. Here are some ways you can make the most of this valuable family history record.
2 Min Read
In York, Pa., he speaks of his father living at the local YMCA. In front of Toledo autoworkers, he calls himself the “son of an automobile man.” In Media, Pa., he is the “grandson of Ambrose Finnegan,” a Scranton ad man turned gas company worker. But he is also the great-grandson, on his mother’s side, of Edward F. Blewitt, a member of the Pennsylvania state Senate. On his paternal side, he is connected to Maryland through a great-great grandfather who sold produce and a grandfather whose transition from Baltimore kerosene salesman to Wilmington oil executive earned the family a temporary taste of wealth. His family was rich in Boston, comfortable in Long Island and broke in Scranton. One relative died in World War II, and another, “Old Man Sheen,” ran shipyards in Virginia.
1 Min Read
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is "doing exactly what we have been asked to do and what we said we would do" in implementing technological barriers to prevent unauthorized name submissions for proxy baptism, according to LDS Church spokesman Michael Purdy. Purdy was addressing media reports Thursday that Helen Radkey, the researcher behind the recent spate of announcements that the names of Holocaust victims and others were being inappropriately submitted for the LDS practice of baptism for the dead, believes the new technological measures are primarily aimed at thwarting her work.
1 Min Read
In a letter read in LDS Church worship services last Sunday, the First Presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints reiterated "the policies first stated in 1995 concerning the submission of names for proxy temple ordinances" and urged "faithful adherence to these policies by all members of the church." This week, the church has introduced a "technological barrier to prevent abuse of the New FamilySearch system," according to LDS Church spokesman Michael Purdy.
1 Min Read
A technological crackdown, telegraphed by Mormon leaders, has effectively blocked the pre-eminent whistle-blower of controversial proxy baptisms from accessing the LDS Church’s database that chronicles so-called baptisms for the dead. LDS officials defend the move, saying it helps prevent overzealous Mormons and mischief-makers from violating church policy by submitting the names of prominent Jewish figures, such as Anne Frank and Daniel Pearl, both discovered on the baptism rolls in recent weeks.
1 Min Read
Last week, there were more stories about posthumous Mormon baptisms -- this time it was Daniel Pearl. Pearl's parents sent an email to the Boston Globe, in which they responded to the LDS: We appreciate your good intentions but rest assured that Danny's soul was redeemed through the life that he lived and the values that he upheld. He lived as a proud Jew, died as a proud Jew and is currently facing his creator as a Jew, blessed, accepted and redeemed.
1 Min Read
I feel fairly certain that Dornan Willett would have been shocked to learn that his years of devotion were newsworthy. I thought of gentle Willett this week as news media once again made a story out of the practice of baptisms for the dead. His example showed me some of what I think the media coverage — as fair-minded as some of the coverage has tried to be — has missed.
1 Min Read