Beginning December 13, 2017, patrons visiting FamilySearch.org will see a prompt to register for a free FamilySearch account or to sign in to their existing account to continue enjoying all the free expanded benefits FamilySearch has to offer. Since its launch in 1999, FamilySearch has added millions of users, billions of various historical records, and many fun, new features like Family Tree, Memories, mobile apps, digital books, and dynamic help. In order to accommodate continued growth of these and future free services, FamilySearch must assure all its partners that its content is offered in a safe and secure online environment. Patrons creating a free account and signing in fulfills that need.
Patron sign in will also enable FamilySearch to satisfy the ongoing need for user authentication. This authentication can deliver rich, personalized discovery, collaboration, and help experiences. Simply put, signed-in visitors can access more searchable content and enjoy more personalized services.
“A large percentage of our current site visitors are not benefiting from much of what FamilySearch has to offer because they don’t realize the need to simply sign in with their free account to do so,” said Steve Rockwood, FamilySearch CEO. “They are basically arriving in the parking lot but not coming inside for the main event,” he said about website visitors who do not sign in.
FamilySearch is committed to patron privacy and does not share personal account information with any third party without a patron’s consent.
See Registering to Use FamilySearch.org for information about creating a free account.
Hate to tell you this, but this is the surest way to get flooded with bad data. Rest assured, if I’m forced to make an account, I will not provide real information about myself. I’ll just do what it takes to get to the content. There is just no good excuse on trying to force people to provide any information about themselves. Lots of people don’t like to share.
We encourage people not to use fake information. Just know that the information you use to create an account will be the information used to create your profile in the family tree (This information will not be available to any other users regardless because you are a living person). Any information you provide will not be shared with any other users or 3rd parties without your consent. I hope this helps.
We teach the Boy Scout Genealogy Merit Badge at the Riverton Family Search Library. Presently we can have 12 year old scouts search for source documents without a User ID and Password. Now it appears that we will have to have them bring permission slips from a parent to allow them to get an ID and Password. Any suggestions?
We recommend encouraging the boy scouts to create their own FamilySearch accounts prior to activities so activity time can be spent learning and using the resources on FamilySearch. If they do not already have an account, they will need their parents’ permission.
Sorry, I just found this. I agree with Alison Ensign below.
I have certain genealogy information on my computer that I have collected/integrated over the years that I am willing to share with the community/family search, However, I have other information that I must/I choose to keep private. Will Family Search or any o your various partners ever automatically upload or otherwise capture my genealogy data from my computer without my express permission? What assurances do I have relative to maintaining control over my data if I enter into one of these new accounts?
Gerald, if you do not add information you want to keep private to the FamilySearch site, FamilySearch will not access or use that information. However, be aware that if you do add names to the family tree on FamilySearch, those names of deceased relatives will be available publicly on FamilySearch’s family tree. In other words, you have control over what genealogy information you share with the site and, as a result, FamilySearch has access to. I hope this helps. Let me know if you have any more questions.
On your Create a Free Account page https://www.familysearch.org/register/, could you please add an explanatory text about the free account. I work in a genealogy library and will want to keep referring people to FamilySearch. But many people won’t bother making an account because they will assume it is a trial account and that they will be asked for a credit card number, like many other websites. It would be very helpful to have an explanation right on that page above the boxes so people understand the what and the why. Thanks.
VictoriaSmith, Excellent suggestion!
I have an account and when I sign in to search I keep getting an error message of “We are unable to display search results due to technical difficulties. Please try searching again in a few minutes.”
Raf, I recommend contacting FamilySearch support here for help with this issue.
Since the update on 13 Dec, I have had the same problem as Raf. I have not been able to use any search function for the last 3 days. I have contacted Support but this has not proved helpful. Prior to 13 Dec I have never had a problem. Starting to think that something has gone wrong when updating the site to “sign in only”
Tony, are you still having these issues?
Alison. Thank you. Searching with Safari on an iPad mini generally works now. The only thing that I cannot get to open is the view page icon at the right hand side of each individual search result. However, clicking the persons name does give a dropdown of this page. I guess it will take a while to get all the bugs out of the new system. Tony
Alison, thank you. FamilySearch Support is still working my “unable” to search issue
I am struggling to sign in on my free account..keep saying my email, username and password not correct.. thanks
Bernie, to recover a password, click here. To recover a username, click here. I hope this helps!
I am having trouble signing in also. Wrong user name, wrong password. Sent for information on both, signed in as they said. Keep getting the same comment: Wrong user name, wrong password. Help please!!
I apologize for the problems you’re facing! I recommend contacting FamilySearch Support for more help with this problem. You can contact them here.
I can get signed in fine but then nothing..
Susan, are you still having these issues?
I am not a church member. When adding some data from family search I get some 8-9 char/bums that seem to be added to my recorded. How do I eliminate that?
Louise
.ps I agree with th suggestion to ask if you are over a certain age rather than ask for your date of birth.
Louise, I apologize, but I don’t know what you mean by 8-9 char/bums that seem to be added to your record. Can you clarify?
Example. When I log in there is a short list recent searches. One of those searches shown: Anna Adelheid Henriette Hasselmann b. 1815-deceased. 9ZGJ-GJK. Those last characters are what I am referring to. They transfer to my program. I do not want nor need them in my data. How do I get rid of them?
Louise, what program are you trying to transfer your family history to? The numbers you’re referring to are FamilySearch’s ID numbers. Each person in FamilySearch’s Family Tree has an ID attached to it to differentiate the profile from others and to make searching for specific people on the site easier.
Sorry I have been in rehab due to a nasty fall. Just now saw this. I use Family Tree Maker on a laptop. The id number was downloaded to the record and I do not want it.
Louise, I recommend contacting Family Tree Maker about this. You can find their support center here.
I’ve never had any trouble with getting information using family search but since registering this week whatever I type into search just brings up a message abit technical difficulties. Why is this happening please?
Sue, are you still having these issues?
I have an LDS account, but my user name and password were hacked (or copied( while at the FHC. I had to spend time changing everything.How do I create a higher level of privacy? I want to be able to log in only when I:
1. enter user name and password
2. Enter a text number that was sent from my phone,
Searching for ronnie gravley
Calvin John Goheen born c1926 in ND lived in SD and was in WWII he also lived in KY as an adult
rtorized to click here” I felt it was not for me as I worked on Wisconsin births all day today> can you work it out for me so I can continue>