New England Historic Genealogical Society (NEHGS)
Announces a Multi-Year Collaboration with FamilySearch
The Two Leading Nonprofits in the Family History Industry Announce
a Sharing of Online Resources for the Benefit of Millions of Constituents
A New, Redesigned Website by NEHGS at AmericanAncestors.org
Offers Millions of New Records and New Names -
Giving NEHGS Members Access to More Records than Ever Before
February 17, 2015—Boston, Massachusetts—New England Historic Genealogical Society (NEHGS) and FamilySearch, the family history arm of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, today announced a multi-year collaboration between the two nonprofit organizations and a sharing of online genealogical resources, establishing a milestone in the growing international family history industry. In a database exchange program, the two leading nonprofits in the global genealogy business will now make available millions of new records containing billions of new searchable names to their many constituents.
Under a multi-year agreement, FamilySearch will provide NEHGS with more than 2 billion records from its global historic record collections and its online Family Tree. These records will be added to the newly upgraded website of NEHGS—at AmericanAncestors.org—and a forthcoming online family tree experience. The searchable and browsable records to be added to the NEHGS website include U.S. federal census transcripts (1790–1930); civil registrations for Italy, Germany, Scotland, and the Netherlands; English birth, christening, marriage, and death record transcripts dating from the fifteenth century through the twentieth century; and a panoply of census records, birth records, marriage records, and death records for states across the U.S.
In turn, members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints will have access to hundreds of millions of records on AmericanAncestors.org through online affiliate accounts. In addition, NEHGS will provide millions of new records to FamilySearch from its holdings, including unique cemetery records from around the U.S. and Canada, historic tax records, early American military records, early New England marriage records, historic newspapers, and original scholarship from NEHGS published books.
“FamilySearch and New England Historic Genealogical Society keenly understand the importance of collaboration in family history,” said D. Brenton Simons, President and CEO of NEHGS and AmericanAncestors.org. “That is why our two organizations are teaming together to help provide high-quality solutions and experiences for the family history community.”
Founded in 1845, New England Historic Genealogical Society is America’s oldest and most respected resource for family history research and the largest genealogical society in America today. Although the institution’s name says “New England,” the organization is national in scope and provides expertise and research materials through AmericanAncestors.org in nearly all aspects of family history, from seventeenth-century colonial New England, New York, Pennsylvania, and Virginia through twenty-first century immigration research.
“Our founders recognized 170 years ago that family history would become important to all Americans,” added Simons. “For that reason, AmericanAncestors.org is a hub and treasure trove for family historians. We really do have something for everyone.”
Dennis Brimhall, FamilySearch CEO, said the collaboration will provide indispensable assistance to Latter-day Saint family historians by consolidating resources and providing a breadth of information unavailable elsewhere.
“By partnering with AmericanAncestors.org, we’re making an unprecedented scope of data available and accessible to some very eager consumers of historical materials,” said Brimhall. “We expect the ease of access to New England records will prove very encouraging to novice genealogists, and downright exciting to more seasoned enthusiasts.”
The NEHGS website, AmericanAncestors.org, is one of the world’s most visited family history websites and it is the most visited genealogical society website in the country—serving more than a million visitors a year. In addition to billions of searchable names, the site offers an online learning center with courses available for genealogists of all levels. The site features historical content from the vast library and archives of NEHGS and an online store offering the award-winning publications of NEHGS.
About American Ancestors and New England Historic Genealogical Society
The founding genealogical society in America, New England Historic Genealogical Society (NEHGS) was established in 1845. Today it has a national collecting scope and serves more than 75,000 constituents through an award-winning website, www.AmericanAncestors.org. Since 1845, NEHGS has been the country’s leading comprehensive resource for genealogists and family historians of every skill level. Today NEHGS provides constituents with worldwide access to some of the most important and valuable research tools anywhere.
American Ancestors is the public brand and user experience of NEHGS, representing the expertise and resources available for family historians of all levels when researching their origins across the country and around the world. NEHGS’s resources, expertise, and service are unmatched in the field and their leading staff of on-site and online genealogists includes experts in early American, Irish, English, Scottish, Italian, Atlantic and French Canadian, African American, Native American, Chinese, and Jewish research. Expert assistance is available to members and nonmembers in a variety of ways. The NEHGS library and archive, located at 99 - 101 Newbury Street in downtown Boston, is home to more than 28 million items, including artifacts, documents, records, journals, letters, books, manuscripts, and other items dating back hundreds of years.
About FamilySearch
FamilySearch International is the largest genealogy organization in the world. FamilySearch is a nonprofit, volunteer-driven organization sponsored by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Millions of people use FamilySearch records, resources, and services to learn more about their family history. To help in this great pursuit, FamilySearch and its predecessors have been actively gathering, preserving, and sharing genealogical records worldwide for over 100 years. Patrons may access FamilySearch services and resources free online at FamilySearch.org or through over 4,600 family history centers in 130 countries, including the main Family History Library in Salt Lake City, Utah.
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