Do you have to be Mormon to use FamilySearch?

You do not have to be a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to make use of a Family History Center. Everyone is welcome to visit the centers and use their resources.

How many family history centers are there?

Family History Centers (FHCs) are branches of the Family History Library in Salt Lake City, Utah, operated by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). The centers supply resources for research and study of genealogy and family history. As of 2020, there are more than 5,100 FHCs in 145 countries.

Is FamilySearch really free?

Yes, FamilySearch really is free. Originally intended for Church members, FamilySearch resources help millions of people around the world discover their heritage and connect with family members. To accomplish this goal, FamilySearch does partner with other family history sites.

Why are Mormons so good at genealogy?

Mormons trace their family trees to find the names of ancestors who died without learning about the restored Mormon Gospel so that these relatives from past generations can be baptized by proxy in the temple. For Latter-day Saints, genealogy is a way to save more souls and strengthen the eternal family unit.

Is FamilySearch OK to use?

While some tests have incorrectly identified FamilySearch.org as being vulnerable to Heartbleed, our thorough analysis has told us there was never any threat, and FamilySearch.org is completely safe from this bug.

Is ancestry owned by the Mormon Church?

Ancestry, the online genealogy giant, has never been owned by the Church of Latter-day Saints (Mormons). It has changed ownership several times and was acquired in 2020 by Blackstone, a private equity firm.

Which is better ancestry or FamilySearch?

Ancestry boasts more than 8 billion names spread across more than 80 million individual family trees set up by their users. FamilySearch, on the other hand, only has one single family tree, but every one of its users can contribute to that tree and see all of the records.