Elder and Sister Bednar Speaking at Family Discovery Day 2019!

Elder and Sister Bednar to Speak at Family Discovery Day RootsTech is pleased to announce Elder and Sister Bednar as featured speakers at the popular Family Discovery Day, happening Saturday, March 2, 2019 at 9:30 A.M. MST. Family Discovery Day is a free one-day event for families and members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Learn More In addition to hearing from Elder and Sister Bednar, you will: Experience the interactive expo hall, where families and friends can create a visual family tree, recreate family history photographs, and more. Attend a selection of classes designed to teach you how to find family names, prepare them for temple blessings, and teach others how to do the same. Enjoy fun, interactive activities for families and children of all ages geared to help you discover and celebrate family traditions. Invite your family, friends, ward, and stake to RootsTech Family Discovery Day 2019  As someone planning to attend Family Discovery Day 2019, we invite you to extend the invitation to your family, friends, ward, and stake to join you at an event that promises to inspire all who attend to discover, connect, and share family stories. Watch Live Online  For those unable to attend the live event, Elder and Sister Bednar’s remarks will be streamed live on the LDS.org homepage. You can join the live stream on Saturday, March 2, 2019 beginning at 9:30 A.M. MST.

FamilySearch Awarded Silver Anvil Honors for Historic Freedmen’s Bureau Project

You might say that 25,000 volunteers were silent recipients of a 2018 Silver Anvil Award for Integrated Communications when it was presented to FamilySearch International in New York City. The prestigious honor, which was bestowed by the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA), was given because of the supportive collaboration that led to the success of the Freedmen’s Bureau Project. 

Nearly 1.8 million African-American historical documents were indexed by the volunteers, resulting in searchable online records for those hoping to find long-lost ancestors.

The Freedmen’s Bureau Project was announced by FamilySearch International on June 19, 2015 in conjunction with Juneteenth and the 150^thanniversary of Emancipation Day. Through an unprecedented collaboration with the Afro-American Historical and Genealogical Society (AAHGS), the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC), and the California African American Museum (CAAM) a grassroots effort was launched that unlocked invaluable, 150 year-old African-American records in the Freedmen’s Bureau. Previously, the microfilmed records of the original Freedmen’s Bureau records were only available to view at The National Archives and Records Administration or in a field office.

The online crowdsourcing initiative to transcribe historical documents was completed in 366 days—on June 20, 2016—with the help of civic, educational, and religious groups. At least 120 indexing events were held across the nation and in parts of Canada.

Congress established the Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen and Abandoned Lands in 1865. It assisted formerly enslaved individuals and thousands of impoverished Southern whites by providing food, clothing, medical care, legal representation and many other services. Offices were established in 15 southern and border states and the District of Columbia. Though the Bureau only operated until 1872, it provided handwritten records, including letters, labor contracts, lists of food rations issued, indentures of apprenticeship, marriage and hospital registers, and census lists.

The free FamilySearch online database allows researchers to locate individual names and access digital copies of original handwritten records. For many people, this will be a key to finding their own family history and a chance to build their own family trees.

“We want to help individuals overcome the brick wall of research,” said Thom Reed, Deputy Chief Genealogical Officer for FamilySearch International. “The indexing of these records allows many African-Americans to create a link to their Civil War-era ancestors for the first time. This effort brings to life the names of those who came before so we can honor their great legacy. The most rewarding part of the project has been seeing the benefits to the families.”

The PRSA Silver Anvil Awards, considered the “Oscar” of the communication industry, began in 1945. Each year, the organization has recognized the best public relations campaigns and the highest standards of performance in small businesses, Fortune 500 companies, not-for-profits, and major government agencies. The Silver Anvil Award is considered the most prestigious and iconic award in Communications.

RELATED:

• African American Freedmen’s Bureau Records
• FamilySearch Gives Historic Freedmen’s Bureau Database to National Museum of African American History and Culture

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 5,000 family history centers in 129 countries, including the main Family History Library in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Emmy Award-Winning Actress Patricia Heaton to Keynote RootsTech 2019

RootsTech is delighted to announce that actress Patricia Heaton will keynote at the conference on Thursday, February 28, 2019, in Salt Lake City. Heaton is best known for her role as Deborah Barone on the hit sitcom Everybody Loves Raymond (1996–2005) and more recently as Frankie Heck on The Middle (2009–2018).

Although Heaton has played many roles throughout her career, she is celebrated for her relatable and funny representation of what being a typical American wife and mother looks and feels like. If anyone knows personally and understands the crazy and sometimes complicated ins and outs of family life, it’s Heaton. As a wife for nearly 3 decades and a mother of 4 grown sons in real life, Heaton has had plenty of personal experience fueling her success in her iconic motherly roles.

“We’re thrilled to welcome Patricia to RootsTech,” said Jen Allen, event director. “Not only is she a celebrated actress who has personified the iconic American mother on television, but she’s also a wife and mother of 4 boys who understands and cherishes the role of family. Her message of faith, family, and supporting one another will resonate with the RootsTech audience.”

Heaton was born and raised in Bay Village, Ohio. She was the fourth of 5 children and spent much of her youth dreaming of musical theater. As a child she and her friends would memorize songs from popular musicals and act out the plays together at nearby parks. She has always had a lovely singing voice and as a child enjoyed being the center of attention.

Raised in a devout Catholic family, Heaton grew up saying grace, saying prayers and attending weekly Mass. Her father, Chuck Heaton, was a bit of a local celebrity, a respected sports writer that covered the Browns and other Cleveland teams for over 50 years. Heaton’s mother, also named Patricia, died unexpectedly at the age of 46 from a brain aneurysm when Heaton was just 12 years old. The loss was devastating, but in time Heaton found that participating in theater and singing ebbed the pain. She believes that although the loss of her mother was extremely difficult, it instilled in her an independence that has served her well in life and in her career.

Heaton attended Ohio State University and earned a bachelor’s degree in theater. Shortly thereafter she moved to New York to pursue her dream of becoming an actress. After 9 challenging years filled with acting classes, a number of small roles, and multiple odd jobs, she was ready for a fresh start and moved across the country to Los Angeles.

In Los Angeles she landed prominent acting roles, married David Hunt, and raised their family. She now believes that motherhood, and all the responsibility that came with it, only made her a better actress.

Heaton is also an author of two books. Her most recent, a recipe book, is Patricia Heaton’s Food for Family and Friends: 100 Favorite Recipes for a Busy, Happy Life, and her humorous collection of essays about life and family, published in 2003, is Motherhood and Hollywood: How to Get a Job Like Mine.

Heaton’s is a remarkable story of perseverance and ultimate success. With 18 successful sitcom seasons playing a wife and mother and many more seasons as an actual one, she has much to share about family and values. Join us at RootsTech 2019 to hear from one of the most recognized and beloved actresses in television. Learn more, or register at RootsTech.

About RootsTech

RootsTech, hosted by FamilySearch, is a global conference celebrating families across generations, where people of all ages are inspired to discover and share their memories and connections. This annual event has become the largest of its kind in the world, attracting tens of thousands of participants worldwide.

Patricia Heaton to Keynote RootsTech 2019!

Patricia Heaton to Speak at RootsTech 2019 Nobody knows family quite like Emmy award-winning actress Patricia Heaton. Known for her humorous roles as a typical American housewife in big hit television series’ like Everybody Loves Raymond and The Middle, Patricia has won many prestigious awards and the hearts of television viewers worldwide. Behind the scenes of her career as an actress—and adding some serious fuel for her decades of success—is the fact that she really is a wife and the mother of four sons. Patricia has a deep love and appreciation for family, making her a perfect fit for the RootsTech audience. Patricia will be the featured keynote speaker at RootsTech 2019 on Thursday, February 28 at 11 AM. Get ready to watch one of the most recognized actresses in the world tell her story in person—a story that perfectly illustrates what it looks like to follow your heart, exercise faith, and persist until you achieve great success. Learn More What to Expect at RootsTech 2019 In this episode of Road to RootsTech, find out what you can look forward to at the 2019 event, including Power Hour classes, the mobile app, and free boxed lunches on Wednesday. Watch the full episode here. Download the RootsTech Mobile App RootsTech 2019 content is now available in the mobile app! You can download the official conference app from the App Store and the Google Play Store. The app allows you to browse the conference schedule, build your personalized agenda, find your favorite speakers, connect with other attendees, and much more! Read our blog post and discover 10 ways the app will enhance your conference experience.

Jake Shimabukuro to Keynote at RootsTech 2019!

Don’t Miss Jake Shimabukuro at RootsTech Salt Lake City! Music has a special way of connecting us to our families—this is especially true for ukulele master, Jake Shimabukuro. From the time he was small, the ukulele has been a symbol of his connection to his family, his home, and to the Hawaiian culture he was raised in. Jake has been strumming the ukulele since the age of four, but by the time he turned fourteen, it was clear that he was playing the four-stringed instrument in unprecedented ways. In 2005, years after playing in two different bands and winning multiple Na Hoku Hanohano awards—the Hawaiian equivalent to the Grammy—Jake became an internet sensation when a video of him playing his own version of George Harrison’s love ballad “While My Guitar Gently Weeps” went viral. Since that time Jake’s records have repeatedly topped the Billboard World Music Charts and he continues to tour the world playing his beloved ukulele for people from all walks of life, from poor and underprivileged schoolchildren to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. Jake will be the featured keynote speaker at RootsTech 2019 on Saturday, March 2 at 11 AM MST. Don’t miss this opportunity to hear Jake’s inspiring story and listen to this one-of-a-kind ukulele master musician play the instrument like you’ve never heard it before. Register Today 5 More Reasons to Attend RootsTech 2019 With an inspiring lineup of keynote speakers and over 300 classes to choose from, there’s something for everyone at RootsTech. Here are 5 reasons you won’t want to miss out on the world’s largest family history conference.

Free Family History Library Classes and Webinars for February 2019

The FamilySearch Family History Library in Salt Lake City, Utah, has announced its free classes and webinars for February 2019. Classes focus on beginning skills using the free FamilySearch Family Tree, such as attaching sources, adding memories, and learning how to merge duplicate information correctly. Some classes are offered in Spanish. Participants can attend in person or online. See the calendar below for the complete list of classes. No registration is required.

FamilySearch.org and Family Tree Classes will be offered every Tuesday at 10:00 a.m. MDT throughout the month of February.

If you are unable to attend a class in person or online, most sessions are recorded and can be viewed later online at your convenience at Family History Library classes and webinars. Online classes are noted on the schedule as webinars. Webinar attendees need to click the link next to the class title at the scheduled date and time to attend the class online. Those attending in person simply go to the room noted. Invite your family and friends.

All classes are in mountain daylight time (MDT).

DATE/TIME	CLASS	WEBINAR | ROOM
Saturday, 2 February, 1:00 P.M. MDT	Navegando, agregando, editando, y estandarizando lugares y fechas	Webinar | Main Lab
Tuesday, 5 February, 10:00 A.M. MDT	Attaching Sources to Family Tree	Webinar | Main Lab
Tuesday, 12 February, 10:00 A.M MDT	Adding Memories to Family Tree	Webinar | Main Lab
Saturday, 16 February, 1:00 P.M. MDT	Buscando a lo máximo en FamilySearch	Webinar | Main Lab
Tuesday, 19 February, 10:00 A.M. MDT	Merging and Correcting Relationships on Family Tree	Webinar | Main Lab
Tuesday, 26 February, 10:00 A.M. MDT	Submitting Names for Temple Ordinances on Family Tree	Webinar | Main Lab

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 5,000 family history centers in 129 countries, including the main Family History Library in Salt Lake City, Utah.

What's Coming from FamilySearch in 2019 

SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH (7 January 2019), The popular, free genealogy website, FamilySearch.org, announced its 2019 plans to enhance its record search and Family Tree search capabilities and introduce new interactive discovery experiences. FamilySearch is a global leader in the growing Family History market segment, serving 12 million users worldwide.

In addition to over 300 million additional historical records and images for family history discoveries, look for the following new offerings in 2019.

1. Online Interactive Discovery Experiences 

For the first time, fun discovery experiences that have been available only at life-sized, interactive kiosks in select FamilySearch venues will also be available on FamilySearch.org in 2019. Making these three discovery experiences available online will expand the reach of the activities to more patrons globally.

• All about Me

Have you ever wondered about the origin and meaning of your name or what events happened in the year you were born? The All about Meexperience will allow you to discover these fun things about yourself and also about your ancestors.

• Picture My Heritage

This simple and fun experience lets you insert yourself digitally into traditional clothing related to your heritage. On Picture My Heritage, you can save your custom photos or share them with friends and family.

• Record My Story

Priceless stories and memories from you or family members can be recorded on Record My Storyand added—by text or audio—to FamilySearch.org or downloaded to another source.

2. Family Tree and Friends, Associates, and Neighbor (FAN) Relationships

The free FamilySearch Family Tree will give users the ability to record other relationships to an ancestor beyond immediate family members, when applicable, such as friends, associates, and neighbors (FAN). This function will aid research by allowing users to record information about other people living in an ancestor’s household as noted in a historical record, such as boarders or staff.

FamilySearch will continue to develop site experiences that enable families to connect with their ancestral homelands near and far. FamilySearch.org will also provide more help throughout the site to make it easier for visitors to accomplish key tasks in a few simple steps.

3. Updated Find Capability

The FamilySearch Family Tree search capacity will be significantly updated to provide faster and better results. Another innovation will allow search engines such as Google to present names and limited facts from the Family Tree to online search queries without the searcher being signed into FamilySearch.org. This feature will enable millions of people searching for their ancestors online to discover the vast, free services FamilySearch offers them.

4. Memories

Millions of people use FamilySearch Memories to record, preserve, and share their family photos, historical documents, and stories. In 2019, users will be able to record audio remembrances related to a photo they have uploaded. Memories will also give users the capability to organize items in an album according to their interests or needs.

5. RootsTech London 2019

The first international version of the highly successful RootsTech family history conference will be held in London on October 24–26, 2019, at the ExCel London Convention Center.

The RootsTech London 2019 convention will not replace the annual conference in Salt Lake City (held on February 27–March 2, 2019) but will be an additional RootsTech event. Registration for RootsTech London opens in February 2019.

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 5,000 family history centers in 129 countries, including the main Family History Library in Salt Lake City, Utah.

FamilySearch 2018 Genealogy Highlights

Salt Lake City, Utah (4 January 2019), FamilySearch International, global leader in helping individuals discover their family history, published its annual at-a-glance summary of its efforts in 2018. A key FamilySearch initiative is to simplify family history and increase discovery experiences for beginners. In 2018, FamilySearch published hundreds of millions of new, free historical records online, provided personal, interactive learning opportunities, opened new facilities, and created more effective search experiences at FamilySearch.org.

FamilySearch has the largest collection of genealogical and historical records in the world and 5.8 billion of those are now searchable online. True to its mission to connect families, FamilySearch published its two billionth digital image of historical records online and continues adding records at a rate of over 300 million new records and images yearly. Over 300,000 online volunteers clocked in over 11 million hours to help index 122 million new records, making them easy to search for an ancestor's name.

FamilySearch published significant new collections from the War of 1812 and World War I. Military records are a treasure trove of largely underutilized record collections. They can help uncover details about soldiers and their families and lives. Another significant collection published was the complete archive of Ellis Island and Castle Garden Records online. Today, more than 100 million Americans have at least one ancestor who came through Ellis Island.
The popular, free FamilySearch Family Tree had 1.6 million contributors for the year, who added 28 million new people to the global tree. The total number of searchable people is now 1.21 billion. Users also added 241 million sources to their ancestor pages.

New tools make online searches easier with an array of devices. The powerful FamilySearch Family Tree mobile app now has over 90 percent of the functionality of FamilySearch.org's Family Tree feature.

FamilySearch's vision includes creating a bond, linking the present to the past, and building a bridge to the future. Part of that process is to create fun, interactive experiences that link people to the past. FamilySearch's innovation experiences are now showcased at Revolution Place in the Museum of the American Revolution, a popular new tourist attraction in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Four interactive displays immerse visitors in an experience of 1770 Philadelphia when the American Colonies struggled with the quest for independence.

August of this year, David Rencher, AG, CG, FIGRS, and chief genealogical officer of FamilySearch, was also made director of the Family History Library in Salt Lake City. He is working with FamilySearch development teams to increase patron success at the library and more than 5,000 local centers worldwide. During the year, 72 new centers were built to increase user access. In January 2018, a new 8,000 square foot FamilySearch center opened in Lehi, Utah, and ground was broken for a new Ogden Utah FamilySearch Center.

RootsTech 2018 was a huge success, providing up-to-date information on resources and search techniques. Over 125,000 attendees participated in person and online. Throughout the year, lectures have been rebroadcast and posts of information have appeared on the RootsTech Blog.

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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 5,000 family history centers in 129 countries, including the main Family History Library in Salt Lake City, Utah.