Dates: Tuesday, February 24th OR Thursday, February 26th

Location: Family Search Center

Address: 4195 Camino del Rio S, San Diego, CA 92108

Website: https://www.familysearch.org/en/centers/san_diego_california

Cost: Free!

Walking: Plenty of seating at computers while we learn, some walking around the center.

This week we are heading to the Family Search Center to learn about genealogy! We will be given access to their databases and genealogy tools. Read on to learn more about our location and genealogy in general. 

Family Search Center History

We are visiting a local Family Search Center in San Diego, but this center is part of a world-wide network of genealogical search sites. Family Search collaborates with more than 10,000 organizations in over 100 countries. The center was founded in Utah as The Genealogical Society of Utah in 1894 to help members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints trace their family trees. As the collection grew, they embraced more technology to aid people in their searches. In 1938, microfilming began for church and government archives. 

In 1964, the Family Search centers began opening local family history centers. Currently, there are more than 5,000 locations across the globe. By 1999 Family Search developed a website to help people in their searches for family history. By 2020, the website received an average of 400,000 visitors a day to learn more and conduct archival searches. 

Microfilm was used up until 2002 when document capture switched to be 100% digital. That same year, the 1880 United States Census became the first publicly searchable record collection. By 2013, FamilySearch.org topped 1 billion (yes, with a B) indexed records. In 2018, that number jumped to more than 2 billion!

From the Family Search website: 

“The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints provides FamilySearch free of charge to everyone, regardless of tradition, culture, or religious affiliation. FamilySearch resources help millions of people around the world discover their heritage and connect with family members. We help people discover their family’s history through our website, mobile apps, and in-person help at over 5,000 local family history centers.”

To learn more, you can visit www.familysearch.org . 

So why do people want to search for their ancestors and map out their family trees? It is certainly not a new phenomenon! The word “genealogy” comes from the ancient Greek work for “the making of a pedigree” and refers to the study of families, family history, and tracing of family lineage. We find examples of genealogy in all nations in all periods in which there was the language to do so.

Genealogy can be divided into 3 stages:

• Oral tradition - before written records, oral traditions were vital for passing down history and lineage. Most often, it was a recitation of names in a family line, sometimes with important events sprinkled in. Long before specific records of births and deaths were recorded, many leaders could use oral accounts of their lineage for many generations. 

• Written tradition - after the invention of writing, genealogies were recorded in poems and histories, as a continuation of the oral tradition. Of course, family lineage and links to rulers or important figures was still based on the word of the writer or communicator. Much of the lineages focused on the pedigrees of royal and noble lines. These became very important in determining claims to European thrones. Very few working people in medieval Europe or other places were concerned with their family lines enough to write it down beyond recording family names in a religious text like their family Bible. 

• Modern genealogy - as more people became interested in tracing their family history, beyond establishing royal bloodlines, more people began to categorize and catalog records not necessarily related to their own families. Better record keeping and now digitization makes it easier than ever to trace family trees and learn about ancestry. 

At the start of the United States, genealogy was actually not very popular! It was closely associated with social elitism and rejected by the new citizens striving for greater measures of equality. But as 4th of July celebrations began to take shape after some time, it became a way of preserving local and proud histories. In 1940, the American Society of Genealogists was established. By the 1960s, they set standards for genealogical practice. Today, digital records and the internet have made genealogy searches more accessible than ever before. 

So people have been tracing family lines and creating family trees for centuries. But why should you do it? And how? 

For some inspiration, check out this 8 minute video about the importance of keeping family history alive:

Ok, so you’re ready! You’re going to look into and map your family history! But, where do you even start? You know your information, and probably your parents. But what do you need? Where to start looking? It start to feel overwhelming before even started. Luckily, there are a lot of friendly genealogists that want to help! Check out this 30 minute video that provides advice on creating a checklist as a planning tool and guides you through some basic records information: 

Ok, now you’ve got a plan! If you want to utilize the Family Search Center resources on our visit, our hosts recommend setting up a free account prior to our visit. 

For a serious research trip (probably on a day other than our tour day), you can check out the tips and tricks offered here: 

https://www.familysearch.org/en/blog/visiting-family-history-library

Can’t wait to see you on our trip this week to learn more! 

https://www.britannica.com/topic/genealogy/Early-written-records

https://www.loc.gov/free-to-use/genealogy

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Genealogy

https://genealogypals.com/genealogy-history-discovery-and-why-it-matters/