Getting Started – Databases

When you’re ready to start organizing the information you’ve been able to assemble on your immediate family, you should access a searchable database where you can deposit your work. I would recommend opening a free account with FamilySearch, a nonprofit family history organization dedicated to connecting families across generations. Yes, there are other databases out there; Ancestry, Roots Magic, MyHeritage come to mind, but in order to utilize their full capabilities you need to be a paid subscriber.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the primary benefactor for FamilySearch services. They have a commitment to helping people connect with their ancestors, it is rooted in their beliefs—that families are meant to be central to our lives and that family relationships are intended to continue beyond this life.

LDS hold that all family members—those living, those past, and those future—share an enduring bond that reaches across the generations. This means that families are forever, and an important part of acting on this belief is doing family history.

FamilySearch, historically known as the Genealogical Society of Utah, which was founded in 1894, is dedicated to preserving the records of the family of mankind. Their purpose is simple—help people connect with their ancestors through easy access to historical records.

Membership is free and it does provide you with access to what is arguably the largest collection of genealogical and historical records in the world. FamilySearch strives to create and link the best and most valuable research resources t

o help people discover who they are by exploring where they come from.

Entering your information can be a bit labour intensive, but the end results can be worth every minute, and when you’ve entered your family information, FamilySearch will search through their extensive database for related entries and will notify you when a potential match exists. This is where you do need to be careful, remember the potential matches are coming from others who have entered their family data as they see it. The due diligence they may or may not have performed in validating the information they entered isn’t always evident and sometimes their conclusions regarding a family relationship may be incorrect. At this point, remember that it is better to be skeptical than all trusting. But, more on that on a later entry.

FamilySearch is located on the web at https://www.familysearch.org/en/