FamilySearch International celebrated a variety of notable milestones in 2024, including reaching its 130th anniversary, adding 2.5 billion searchable records and images to its databases, and opening 324 new FamilySearch centers around the world.
FamilySearch is one of the world’s largest genealogical organizations, with 1.67 billion people in its collaborative online family tree and 20.5 billion searchable historical records and images. In addition to having the single largest genealogical library in the world, in Salt Lake City, FamilySearch has also established over 6,500 FamilySearch centers worldwide.
Here’s a look back at FamilySearch’s 2024 highlights.
130th anniversary
The Genealogical Society of Utah was created on Nov. 13, 1894, under the direction of President Wilford Woodruff, the fourth President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
The new organization was founded with three main goals: collecting, establishing and maintaining a genealogical library; disseminating genealogical information; and acquiring records to perform temple ordinances.
Today, the Genealogical Society of Utah is known as FamilySearch. And to witness how the organization has grown and maintained its original goals has been remarkable, said Elder Kevin S. Hamilton, a General Authority Seventy and executive director of the Church’s Family History Department.
Elder Hamilton spoke with Church News in November about FamilySearch’s impact.
“I think Wilford Woodruff would be absolutely stunned to see the reach, breadth and the work that has been done in the 130 years,” he said at that time. “It is such an exciting thing to watch, and it came from such humble beginnings — just a few books in a room with a handful of volunteers.”
Speaking of the original goals, Elder Hamilton added, “Similar objectives, similar purposes, similar strategy, just much larger and of course completely global now.”
Website’s 25th anniversary
In addition to reaching its 130th anniversary as an organization, FamilySearch also celebrated the 25th anniversary of its website FamilySearch.org. The site provides billions of genealogical records and resources free of charge to help millions of people worldwide discover their heritage and make family connections.
The website launched in May 1999, Church News reported, as a direct result of the late President Gordon B. Hinckley introducing the concept of smaller temples.
It was exciting news, but it signaled the need for significant changes in how the Church’s Family History Department processed names for temple work, said Richard E. Turley Jr., who began serving as the managing director of the department in 1996.
Speaking to Church News in November, Turley said there were 47 operating temples when he came aboard in 1996, and President Hinckley wanted 100 by the turn of the millenium.
“That required doubling the number of names being provided for temple work, and using the systems we had at the time — that would not work,” Turley said. “We had to reengineer how we did family history.”
Addressing that problem led to the development of FamilySearch.org, which Turley called “prophetically directed” and “a divinely inspired program that makes it possible for the temples to function.”
2024 RootsTech
From Feb. 29 through March 2, thousands of family historians and genealogy enthusiasts came to Salt Lake City and millions more joined online for RootsTech, the largest family history conference in the world.
The three-day global event took place in the Salt Palace Convention Center and free online. FamilySearch organizes the event each year. The theme for RootsTech 2024 was “Remember.”
This year, FamilySearch reported:
- Participants joined from 232 countries and territories.
- More than 4 million participants attended in person or online.
- More than 500,000 participants viewed 5.9 million ancestral relationships through a popular, global Relatives at RootsTech experience that will be repeated in 2025.
The Church News provided coverage from RootsTech. See below for links to articles.
RootsTech preview
- RootsTech launches video and social media campaign to promote 2024 theme ‘Remember’
- Church News podcast episode 174: RootsTech 2024 theme ‘Remember’ reaches across nationalities, religions and generations
- RootsTech 2024: Organizers offer sneak peek of what to expect at world’s largest family history celebration
- Video: A behind-the-scenes look at the late President Ballard recording experiences for 2024 Family Discovery Day
- RootsTech introduces new session scheduler, mobile app features to enhance user experience
Thursday, Feb. 29
- 2024 Temple and Family History focuses on helping those attending the temple for the 1st time
- Family history is building a family story ‘one brick at a time,’ says CEO of FamilySearch
- Ever wanted to collaborate with relatives on a FamilySearch tree? Now you can
- Ahead of RootsTech keynote, Dred Scott descendant talks unity, reconciliation and family history
- Why family comes first for comedian Henry Cho
- From Argentina to DR Congo, see the newest FamilySearch records collections in 2024
- How to get your family excited about family history
Friday, March 1
- RootsTech 2024 Impact Forum: 3 ways family history is going beyond the genealogy community
- At young adult RootsTech event, Sister Yee and Elder Hamilton share the ‘powerful’ blessings of family history
- Dred Scott descendant Lynne M. Jackson tells RootsTech audience about her journey of reconciliation
- How documenting her family story helped photographer Nancy Borowick find healing
Saturday, March 2
- RootsTech 2024 keynote speaker Kristin Chenoweth on music, family and how she wants to be remembered
- Family Discovery Day: RootsTech video features the late President Ballard’s visit to ‘sacred ground’ and family reflections
- Former BYU basketball star Jimmer Fredette and his wife show ease of preserving memories on FamilySearch with stories at RootsTech
- The priceless family history gift FamilySearch CEO Steve Rockwood received at RootsTech
- Sports, food and family: Making memories and sharing traditions at RootsTech
Young adult coverage
Other 2024 FamilySearch coverage from Church News
Read other FamilySearch coverage from Church News at the links below.
- How the FamilySearch tool Ordinances Ready is hastening and simplifying temple and family history work
- How FamilySearch’s new partnership can give users an in-depth look at their ancestors
- Podcast episode 215: Elder Kevin S. Hamilton and Steve Rockwood on 130 years of FamilySearch
- From Peru to Lithuania to Africa, how Church members around the world are using FamilySearch
- From Argentina to DR Congo, see the newest FamilySearch records collections in 2024
- How FamilySearch will help recover the names of 10 million enslaved Africans
- Ever wanted to collaborate with relatives on a FamilySearch tree? Now you can
- 1931 Canada census is now digitized and text-searchable. Here’s where you can access it
- Family Name Assist feature now available — with no family history research needed
