In a press conference on Monday, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints announced the official launch of the FamilySearch Internet Genealogy Service at: www.familysearch.org
Features on the site include:
A new search engine that hunts for specific names and relationships throughout the Church's online database. It also searches for surnames among thousands of smaller genealogical Web sites already on the Internet that have been evaluated by Church volunteers.
The Family History Library Catalog (In beta testing). According to the May 24 press release, "the Church began in 1894, more than a century ago, to gather significant records. With the adoption of microfilm technology in 1938, it became possible for the Church to film records all over the world. [They] have worked with churches and governments in more than a hundred nations to gather and preserve this priceless part of the world's heritage—the records of its diverse people. The vast collection at this library is due in part to this painstaking process of microfilming over many decades. Microfilmed copies of most of these records can now be examined by anyone who wishes to see them at Family History satellite libraries throughout the United States and in many other nations." With this new Internet access to the library's catalog, users from all over can see what family history centers have to offer and plan their research time in these centers more effectively.
Over 17,000 Collaboration Lists. This allows users to share information via the Internet.
International Genealogical Index (IGI). The IGI is an international, personal name database (though it is called an index) of birth, christening, and marriage information about persons now deceased. The database contains hundreds of millions of records that have been researched and extracted from thousands of original records.
Ancestral File. "Ancestral File is a lineage-linked database that contains significant genealogical information on more than 15 million persons. First released in 1989, Ancestral File offers genealogists a way to share their findings about their ancestors with others. . . .The key feature of Ancestral File is its ability to link individuals to their relatives. A researcher can enter the name of a person and, if that person is in the database, learn the names of any ancestors and/or descendants who are also in the database."
(From The Source: A Guidebook of American Genealogy, edited)
GEDCOM files can be submitted to help preserve your family's history.
During the eight-week test period, the FamilySearch site drew over 200 million hits. An article in the "Deseret News" states, "Over the weekend preceding the announcement, the site was logging 30 million hits each day." Its popularity has been evident to anyone who tried to access the site in recent days—many searches or attempts to enter pages resulted in "Server too busy." But once the initial frenzy dwindles down, with the advanced technology used in the creation of the site, it promises to be an invaluable research tool for family historians throughout the world.
For more information about the new site, visit:
FamilySearch.com
"LDS Genealogy Online: New Web Powerhouse is Formally Launched" by Steve Fidel, Deseret News, 24 May 1999
http://www.deseretnews.com/dn/view/1,1249,100003428,00.html
"Family Tree Site Felled" (BBC News, 25 May 1999)
http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/
sci/tech/newsid_352000/352050.stm
Ancestry Daily News
