Nearly 236 million visitors worldwide went to FamilySearch to make family discoveries and connections in 2023.
The international family history website sponsored by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints added one billion searchable names and millions of digital images to its genealogical records online, hosted a global RootsTech event, opened more local FamilySearch centers, offered more online classes, and provided new local services for patrons to digitize their personal records and family memories.
These were among the milestones and events listed in FamilySearch’s annual year in review, which was released on Dec. 30.
Free genealogical records
Last year, FamilySearch focused on increasing record collections in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Dominican Republic, Guatemala, Luxembourg, Nicaragua and Uganda while also expanding collections in more than 70 other countries.
FamilySearch collaborated with the Libraries and Archives Canada and Ancestry to make the 1931 Census of Canada freely available online.
World’s largest family tree
Contributors added 450 million sources to help increase collaboration and accuracy of people in FamilySearch’s family tree, which allowed the world’s largest family tree to grow by 80 million people.
Digital books online
The FamilySearch Digital Library added more than 30,000 new books in 2023 to increase its collection to over 586,000 digital historical publications. Many of last year’s new additions were school yearbooks.
Additionally, Missouri’s Springfield-Greene County Public Library was added as a new contributor and scanning site for local genealogy-relevant books that are in the public domain.
FamilySearch libraries and centers
In 2023, FamilySearch changed the name of its world-renowned Family History Library in Salt Lake City and related local centers to better align with its global brand.
The newly named FamilySearch Library and its network of FamilySearch centers and affiliates help expand the access of FamilySearch’s vast resources, including discovery experiences, free individual family history assistance, and free access to premium websites.
Additionally, FamilySearch opened 510 new FamilySearch centers last year and now has more than 6,200 locations worldwide.
FamilySearch centers in Logan, Utah, and Las Vegas, Nevada, were renovated and expanded to offer more patron services.
FamilySearch center online resources can now be accessed globally in Latter-day Saint meetinghouses, including those without a FamilySearch center.
FamilySearch Help was updated to help family history researchers get answers to their ancestral questions. FamilySearch center volunteers and workers received a new resource to better assist guests and create even greater experiences. The new Learning Resources provides comprehensive learning material to help provide guests with individualized attention when using FamilySearch services.
Debbie Gurtler was named the new assistant director of the FamilySearch Library.
In June, the FamilySearch opened its Memories Preservation Center in Salt Lake City, Utah, new facilities on the FamilySearch Library’s second floor that provides patrons with free access to self-serve equipment for converting family documents, photos, home movies and other media to digital formats for preservation.
The library offered 75 free webinars last year, and it offers hundreds more on demand in multiple languages, accessible online in its Learning Center.
RootsTech 2023
For the first time in three years, thousands attended RootsTech in person in Utah, and many more participated online March 2-4, 2023. Free content and resources are available at RootsTech.org.
The three-day global family history event featured the following:
- Participants were from 236 countries and territories.
- More than 3 million participants attended in person and online.
- More than 500,000 participants made over 5.2 million common ancestor connections to other participants through Relatives at RootsTech 2023.
- Over 4,000 young adults attended in person.
In-person keynotes included:
- Jordin Sparks, multi-platinum recording artist and actress.
- Sean Astin, award-winning actor, producer, and director.
- Me Ra Koh, photographer, author, and Sony Artisan of Imagery.
- Steve Rockwood, CEO of FamilySearch International.
- Elder Gerrit W. Gong of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles and his wife, Sister Susan Gong, were the featured speakers at RootsTech’s Family Discovery Day.
Kirby Heyborne, actor, comedian, and narrator, was the RootsTech 2023 emcee and made many appearances on the main stage.
Virtual Keynotes included:
- Tuti Furlán, a popular Guatemalan psychologist specializing in the science of happiness.
- His highness Sheikh Salem bin Sultan bin Saqr Al-Qasimi
- Mona Magno-Veluz, the National President of the Autism Society Philippines
FamilySearch Get Involved
FamilySearch launched a new feature called “Your Impact” to show online volunteers how their contributions through “Get Involved” are expanding family trees and making a difference.
Workplace Award
Among its accomplishments, FamilySearch was thrilled to receive for the fifth straight year a 2023 Gallup Exceptional Workplace Award in recognition for its professional workplace culture.
