FamilySearch Revealed 2020 Genealogy Highlights

FamilySearch International published its year-in-review, highlighting some of its exciting 2020 achievements. Each year, the global nonprofit helps millions of people make fun, free, personal and family discoveries online. In 2020, FamilySearch expanded its discovery experiences to 30 languages and added over a billion new searchable names from historical records worldwide that helped people to take advantage of global pandemic constraints to make more family connections.

Contributors added nearly 100 million relatives to the FamilySearch Family Tree in 2020 for a total of 1.3 billion people to the world’s largest collaborative – and free – family tree. Users also added 300 million sources from their family records or hints generated by FamilySearch from its growing online record collections. These sources help strengthen the genealogical soundness of ancestor pages.

FamilySearch published a billion new searchable names from historical records in 2020 despite constraints from a pervasive global pandemic. These new records mean a billion new personal and ancestor discoveries are now easier to find.

In 2020, FamilySearch significantly improved its search experiences. The surname search was improved, and you can now search using alternate names. You should also check out expanded search enhancements made to the Genealogies feature.

FamilySearch introduced its Explore Historical Images feature, which became an overnight user favorite. It helps searchers find records yet to be indexed. These images were previously discoverable only through the FamilySearch catalog online. Over 4.3 billion images became readily available at your fingertips in 2020 through this feature.

FamilySearch added significant new records to Norway, Brazil, France, Germany, Fiji, American Samoa, and Puerto Rico collections, plus much more for other locales. And thousands were able to discover their pilgrim ancestry in the new Mayflower collection.

Visitors to FamilySearch.org increased 17.8% to 207 million visits. Visitors searched the growing historical record collections and FamilyTree, built their own trees, added family members, subscribed to the FamilySearch blog, and volunteered in growing numbers.

Related Articles at FamilyTree.com:

FamilySearch Added Over 28 Million New Indexed Records

FamilySearch Now Available in 30 Languages

FamilySearch Updated its Genealogies Search Page

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