Family History

August 29, 2025 02:15 PM MDT
“I was impressed that the Bible had been kept safe for a reason,” William Dunbar said.
1 Min Read
July 09, 2025 03:12 PM MDT
FamilySearch is collaborating on an epic journey across the Atlantic Ocean.
1 Min Read
June 25, 2025 02:29 PM MDT
“Those six months were the most spiritual and happiest time of my life.”
1 Min Read
May 23, 2025 01:37 PM MDT
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
May 22, 2025 02:07 PM MDT
The belt is constantly moving between missionaries in the Ashby family.
2 Min Read
April 28, 2025 03:02 PM MDT
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
February 21, 2025 10:52 AM MST
A story is a gift; it connects us to our past while lighting the way to our future.
5 Min Read
February 18, 2025 02:32 PM MST
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
December 06, 2024 10:11 AM MST
The inspiring line-up includes married Olympic and Paralympic Gold-medalists who made history at the 2024 Paris Games.
1 Min Read
November 25, 2024 02:14 PM MST
Expand your family history research with a free Storied account.
1 Min Read
November 19, 2024 01:09 PM MST
“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
November 18, 2024 04:05 PM MST
These men were strangers before beginning their missions in Nauvoo.
1 Min Read
July 31, 2024 01:49 PM MDT
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
June 11, 2024 02:40 PM MDT
This activity includes all ages, requires minimal prep, and creates lasting family memories.
2 Min Read
June 07, 2024 07:34 AM MDT
Here are a few ways to help your little ones get more actively involved in your next family get-together.
2 Min Read
April 18, 2024 01:59 PM MDT
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
February 15, 2024 04:30 PM MST
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
January 10, 2024 12:52 PM MST
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
November 27, 2023 11:11 AM MST
Meaningful family traditions, like making tamales, can add light and love to your holiday celebrations in unexpected ways.
8 Min Read
October 11, 2023 06:00 AM MDT
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
October 06, 2023 07:29 AM MDT
Family history may sound intimidating, but there are a few simple ways to slip it into your spiritual diet.
6 Min Read
September 25, 2023 11:41 AM MDT
Creating a video life story of your loved one is easier than you think with this simple process and questionnaire.
4 Min Read
August 14, 2023 07:00 AM MDT
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
July 18, 2023 05:45 PM MDT
“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
May 05, 2023 06:00 AM MDT
When one woman’s mission ended sooner than she wanted, she felt her ancestors’ support in taking her next steps.
2 Min Read
April 04, 2023 07:00 AM MDT
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
March 07, 2023 10:53 AM MST
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
March 06, 2023 02:31 PM MST
In Adassa’s own words, “We’ve got a couple of Brunos in my family!”
1 Min Read
March 01, 2023 12:17 PM MST
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
February 08, 2023 07:00 AM MST
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
January 24, 2023 11:12 AM MST
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
January 12, 2023 03:00 PM MST
Earlier this week, the Church announced that family history centers worldwide will now be known as FamilySearch centers.
1 Min Read
November 04, 2022 04:28 PM MDT
“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
Fun
October 24, 2022 01:47 PM MDT
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
October 11, 2022 12:12 PM MDT
Mark your calendars: The next annual RootsTech conference will be taking place on March 2–4, 2023.
1 Min Read
June 16, 2022 02:26 PM MDT
Mark your calendars for March 2–4, 2023!
1 Min Read
May 27, 2022 03:56 PM MDT
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
May 26, 2022 09:54 AM MDT
Many people visit cemeteries on Memorial Day, but what other meaningful memories can your family make together?
1 Min Read
April 21, 2022 11:07 AM MDT
FamilySearch records have helped piece together incredible stories of early Latter-day Saint pioneers internationally.
1 Min Read
April 07, 2022 12:08 PM MDT
“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
April 01, 2022 09:19 AM MDT
Read about the heartwarming reasons why this son has been anxiously awaiting the release of the 1950 Census records.
3 Min Read
March 29, 2022 01:42 PM MDT
Dale Adams says many people—particularly women—leave almost no mark on genealogical history. He’s here to change that.
2 Min Read
March 28, 2022 11:17 AM MDT
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
February 01, 2012 05:14 AM MST
The parents and grandparents of this generation know better than anyone how quickly technology can evolve. They watched as the music record morphed into the cassette tape. After what seemed a comparatively short time thereafter, they saw the CD come to life, and before they could catch their collective breath, the MP3 player and iPod arrived. The growth of the music technology business is fairly simple to track, but technology in general is an ever-evolving phenomenon, and many people, young and not-so-young alike, have difficulty keeping up with it.
4 Min Read
January 19, 2012 02:54 PM MST
Ever been curious about where your family came from or if you are the descendant of royalty? Many people are, according to Pam Hansen of the Bandon branch of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Those people now have a wealth of resources at their fingertips as well as trained volunteers to assist them in their genealogy searches, right here in Bandon.
1 Min Read
January 17, 2012 04:27 PM MST
In my chosen hobby, good sources are a valuable treasure. In that regard I have been fortunate. While researching Tennessee LDS history, I have run across several really good missionary journals. But I have also run across several abysmal ones. They have been so bad, that I have reflected on my missionary journal and just how much better I could have made it. I wish I had been given some examples of what good journal writing was before I ever started my mission. I can't go back and do it over. Anything I write today would be a recollection, not a journal. It isn't the same.
1 Min Read
January 12, 2012 02:47 PM MST
Three leading genealogy organizations, Archives.com, FamilySearch International, and findmypast.com, announced today they are joining forces to launch the 1940 US Census Community Project. The ambitious project aims to engage online volunteers to quickly publish a searchable, high quality name index to the 1940 US Census after it is released in April 2012 by the National Archives and Record Administration of the United States (NARA). The highly anticipated 1940 US Census is expected to be the most popular US record collection released to date. Its completion will allow anyone to search the record collection by name for free online. Learn more about this exciting initiative or how to volunteer at www.the1940census.com.
1 Min Read
December 23, 2011 03:18 PM MST
FamilySearch, Archives.com and findmypast.com are joining to launch the 1940 U.S. Census Community Project to help quickly publish a free, searchable, high-quality name index to the 1940 U.S. Census after it is released in April 2012 by the National Archives and Record Administration of the United States, according to a news release.
1 Min Read
November 21, 2011 03:04 PM MST
In the October 2011 general conference, Elder David A. Bednar reiterated the words of the Prophet Joseph Smith who said: "The greatest responsibility in this world that God has laid upon us is to seek after our dead."The Sacramento California Stake took that responsibility to heart and conquered the OMNI Project 2011: "One Million Names Indexed" in October.
1 Min Read