25 September 2020
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FamilySearch, the world's largest online family history database, has today announced that it has reached the milestone of 8 billion searchable names on its database.
FamilySearch began 125 years ago as the Genealogical Society of Utah, with just 300 hundred books of family records on its shelves.
Now, the free to use database has:
- 3.2 billion digital images
- 490,000 digital books
- a Family Tree with over a billion more user-contributed records available online
- over 1 million new records added every day
Using FamilySearch for Scottish ancestors
Of course, FamilySearch has millions of records for anyone with Scottish ancestors, which are free to search and use. There are church and court records, immigration and emigration records, directories, biographies and many more.
Explore the Scottish FamilySearch Wiki here to get started.
Family connections
David Rencher, FamilySearch chief genealogy officer, said of reaching the 8 billion milestone: 'To digitally preserve and make so many names freely searchable online is impressive, but it’s the personal family connections that matter most. With each new record, there’s the possibility to find a missing link in the family tree. And that is soul-satisfying.'
Explore the site here.
Keen to explore your family history? History Scotlands digital guides can help you find your ancestors and learn about their lives, showing you how to use Scottish family history records in your research. Click 