With over 200 million visits to FamilySearch.org in 2023, we are happy so many people worldwide were able to use FamilySearch's free services to make inspiring family discoveries and connections. Whether you came to FamilySearch last year to find more about an ancestor, document your family research, discover more about your family name, or something else, we hope you have found something to enjoy!
This last year, FamilySearch increased its free genealogical records offerings to over 13 billion searchable names and 5 billion digital images. We hosted another global RootsTech event with some amazing classes and keynotes, many of which are still available online, and the FamilySearch Library, through regular webinars, added many free online classes to the Learning Center.
Other updates from this last year included new local FamilySearch centers, new personal record preservation services in Salt Lake City, Utah, and global updates to the FamilySearch site.
If you haven't seen these updates yet, it's not too late! Most of the additions made in 2023 are still available to you. Learn more about them below, in this year-in-review.
Free Genealogical Records
If there’s one thing we know well at FamilySearch, it’s that people crave free access to online records that can help them find out more about their ancestors. In 2023, we focused extra effort on increasing record collections from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Dominican Republic, Guatemala, Luxembourg, Nicaragua, and Uganda. Of course, we continued to expand other collections as well in many more countries around the world. We also collaborated with the Libraries and Archives Canada and Ancestry to make the 1931 Census of Canada freely available online.
The Collaborative FamilySearch Family Tree
Do you know much about your grandparents and great-grandparents? How about more far-flung ancestors? The world’s largest family tree grew this year by 80 million more people. This means there are many more ancestors for cousins and relatives to discover.
Contributors also added 450 million sources that help increase collaboration and the accuracy of people in the tree. Have you checked recently to see what new names, sources, and memories have been added to your family lines?
FamilySearch Digital Books Online
Who doesn’t like free books? The FamilySearch Digital Library added over 30,000 new books in 2023 and now offers more than 586,000 books that include family histories, genealogy texts, maps, and more. The books are full-text searchable—which can really help you discover who—or what—you’re seeking. Many of the 2023 additions were school yearbooks. In addition, the Springfield–Greene County Public Library in Missouri was added as a new contributor and scanning site for local genealogy-relevant books that are in the public domain.
FamilySearch Library and Centers
In 2023, FamilySearch changed the name of its world-renowned Family History Library and local centers to better align with its global brand. The newly named FamilySearch Library and its network of FamilySearch centers and affiliates continued to expand and improve their offerings of free resources, including discovery experiences, free individual family history assistance, and free access to premium websites.
FamilySearch opened 510 new FamilySearch centers in 2023 and now has over 6,200 locations worldwide. FamilySearch centers in Logan, Utah, and Las Vegas, Nevada, were renovated and expanded to offer more patron services. In addition, center online resources can now be accessed in Latter-day Saint Church meetinghouses globally, including those without a FamilySearch center. This will significantly increase the availability of FamilySearch resources to individuals worldwide.
In 2023, FamilySearch center volunteers and workers also 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.
At the FamilySearch Library in Salt Lake City, Utah, Debbie Gurtler was named the new assistant director. The library also opened its Memories Preservation Center, a free service for guests to bring their personal and family photos, documents, and video and audio files, and convert them to digital formats that can be shared and preserved for generations. (Contact your local FamilySearch center to see what memory preservation equipment might be available near you.)
The FamilySearch Library also offered 75 free webinars this year, and it offers hundreds more on-demand classes in multiple languages, accessible online in its Learning Center.
RootsTech 2023 Quick Facts
This last year's RootsTech inspired and entertained participants from all over the world. Millions more continue to enjoy the free 2023 content online year-round at RootsTech.org. Here's a fun summary of how the world's biggest genealogy conference looked in 2023:
- More than 500,000 participants made over 5.2M common ancestor connections to other participants through Relatives at RootsTech 2023.
- Participants were from 236 countries and territories.
- More than 3 million participants attended in person and online.
- Over 128,000 hours of livestream video and 70,000 hours of on-demand content were watched.
- 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
Kirby Heyborne, popular 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 of the Philippines
While much of the RootsTech 2023 content will be available online for a while, classes are refreshed over time with new content, and some videos (such as keynotes) may not be available as long as others. Now's a great time to watch RootsTech 2023 videos you might have missed or rewatch your favorites!
Other FamilySearch 2023 News
Exceptional Workplace Award 2023
As a company that tries to help both its employees and users have inspiring, uplifting experiences, FamilySearch was particularly happy this year to receive the 2023 Gallup Exceptional Workplace Award for the 5th year in a row. The honor is awarded to companies who make employees the center of their business strategy by listening to them, measuring results, and consistently trying to improve the workplace.
New and Updated Features on the Site and in the Apps
Every year, FamilySearch engineers are hard at work improving the many experiences available on FamilySearch.org and the FamilySearch apps. Here are some of our favorite updates from this year and a link to see others featured on the blog.
Come and Visit!
All the great advancements from this last year are ready for you to try out personally. Whether you have a FamilySearch account already or wish to make one, we hope you'll visit soon and make some great family discoveries.
At FamilySearch, we care about connecting you with your family, and we provide fun discovery experiences and family history services for free. Why? Because we cherish families and believe that connecting generations can improve our lives now and forever. We are a nonprofit organization sponsored by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. To learn more about our beliefs, click here.
