FamilySearch Research Wiki

Last updated
FamilySearch Research Wiki
FamilySearch Research Wiki Home Page.jpg
Homepage of FamilySearch Research Wiki
Type of site
Genealogy research
Available in11 languages (as of July 2014)
Owner The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
Created by FamilySearch
URL familysearch.org/wiki/en/Main_Page
RegistrationRequired for contributors
LaunchedDecember 14, 2007
Current statusActive
Content license
 Creative Commons
Written in MediaWiki

The FamilySearch Research Wiki (formerly also known as the FamilySearch Wiki or the Family History Research Wiki) is a website containing reference information and educational articles to help locate and interpret genealogical records. [1] [2] The wiki is part of the FamilySearch website and was launched in 2007. It is a free-access, free-content online directory and handbook that uses a wiki platform to organize pages. Content is created collaboratively by a member base made up of FamilySearch employees, Mormon missionaries, and the wider online community. [3] As of 2024, pages can be edited only by registered contributors who have completed training on current content policy. [3]

Contents

The site itself does not contain information about people or pedigrees, contains no photos or records, and does not accept genealogical queries. Rather, it helps users discover other websites and resources to find such information.

Content

Content on the website is organised into article pages, most of which focus on a specific place. For example, a place may be a town, county, state, province, or nation. Each place article provides guidance on the specific types of records available in that jurisdiction. Every nation worldwide has at least one article, with more extensive coverage for places in the United States, Canada, and Europe.

Content for a place article may include maps, primary repository contact information, organization dates, parent jurisdictions, internal subdivisions such as towns or counties, boundary changes, any record losses or gaps, neighboring localities, local record types, local migration routes, and other local libraries, archives, societies, or museums. Contributors may also include information about record start and stop dates, social life and customs that affected local record keeping, local record idiosyncrasies, records housed in unusual places, and tips for using the records more effectively.

Pages also exist for genealogical, historical, and surname societies. [4]

Religious doctrines, church policies, and religious images are not permitted on the Family History Research Wiki except where they directly impact genealogical research. [5]

History

Content

Starting about 1988, the FamilySearch Library in Salt Lake City, then known as the Family History Library, developed a series of "research outlines" [6] to aid volunteer staff at its many FamilySearch Center branches, who offered free research advice to visitors. [7] When the FamilySearch Research Wiki was launched in late 2007, the electronic copies of these paper outlines were transferred into the wiki.

This resulted in over 162[ clarification needed ] initial articles, of which 86 were front-page articles, with each linked to around 25 related topical sub-pages. For example, the front-page article New Jersey Genealogy was linked to the New Jersey Biography, New Jersey Cemeteries, and New Jersey Census pages. Much of the early structure and phrasing of the wiki can be attributed to these publications.

Platform

Screenshot of the FamilySearch Wiki MainPage in 2007-2008 FamilySearch Wiki MainPage 2007-2008 (cropped).jpg
Screenshot of the FamilySearch Wiki MainPage in 2007-2008

The English-language wiki was launched on December 14, 2007. [8] Initially, it used Plone software. [9]

It was soon determined that MediaWiki software would be a better platform, and in January 2008, it was moved to MediaWiki.[ citation needed ] As of 2009, moderators had been introduced on the platform. [10] In October 2011, FamilySearch deployed the wiki in 10 additional languages. [9] In 2011, a Wiki Governance Team was set up, which in 2015 was replaced by the Governance Council whose role was to oversee the direction and management of the Research Wiki. [11] [12]

In late March 2016, the wiki was transitioned to WikiMedia 1.23.10, a newer, more stable platform which required less maintenance from FamilySearch computer engineers.[ citation needed ] FamilySearch management dissolved the Wiki Governance Council in April 2021 and replaced it with a Wiki Executive Council. [13] In 2024 the Executive Council suspended the Adopt-a-Page program and the wiki Moderators program. [14] In July 2024, all users' editing rights were suspended, with contributors now required to complete training and pass a test on current FamilySearch content policy before contributing. [3] As of September 2024, it used MediaWiki version 1.39.6. [15]

Reception

The Family History Research Wiki receives over 100 million views per year. [16] During most months, it is typically the second-most frequently visited section (out of ten sections) of FamilySearch, its host site. As of March 7, 2016, the English edition of the Family History Research Wiki had 150,561 registered users who had contributed to the creation of over 82,858 articles. [17]

This resource has been discussed by expert authors in how-to books, [18] [19] [20] [21] [22] in periodicals, [23] [24] [25] [26] [27] [28] by instructors at genealogical conferences and classes, [29] [30] [31] [32] [33] [34] on internet sites, [35] [36] [37] [38] [39] [40] [41] and in blogs. [42] [43] [44] [45] [46] [47] [48] [49] [50] [51] [52] [53] James Tanner wrote on his blog Genealogy's Star in 2014 that the Research Wiki was "the one most valuable genealogical resource on the Web." [54] In a 2014 radio interview, the Federation of Genealogical Societies praised the wiki for its potential benefits to local research and genealogical societies, recommending that societies add themselves to the wiki's database. [55]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Genealogy</span> Study of individual descent and bloodline

Genealogy is the study of families, family history, and the tracing of their lineages. Genealogists use oral interviews, historical records, genetic analysis, and other records to obtain information about a family and to demonstrate kinship and pedigrees of its members. The results are often displayed in charts or written as narratives. The field of family history is broader than genealogy, and covers not just lineage but also family and community history and biography.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wiki</span> Type of website that visitors can edit

A wiki is a form of hypertext publication on the internet which is collaboratively edited and managed by its audience directly through a web browser. A typical wiki contains multiple pages that can either be edited by the public or limited to use within an organization for maintaining its internal knowledge base.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">National Archives and Records Administration</span> United States government agency

The National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) is an independent agency of the United States government within the executive branch, charged with the preservation and documentation of government and historical records. It is also tasked with increasing public access to those documents that make up the National Archives. NARA is officially responsible for maintaining and publishing the legally authentic and authoritative copies of acts of Congress, presidential directives, and federal regulations. NARA also transmits votes of the Electoral College to Congress. It also examines Electoral College and constitutional amendment ratification documents for prima facie legal sufficiency and an authenticating signature.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Internet Archive</span> American nonprofit digital archive

The Internet Archive is an American nonprofit digital library website founded in 1996 by Brewster Kahle. It provides free access to collections of digitized materials including websites, software applications, music, audiovisual, and print materials. The Archive also advocates for a free and open Internet. As of September 5, 2024, the Internet Archive held more than 42.1 million print materials, 13 million videos, 1.2 million software programs, 14 million audio files, 5 million images, 272,660 concerts, and over 866 billion web pages in its Wayback Machine. Its mission is committing to provide "universal access to all knowledge".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">FamilySearch Library</span> Genealogical library of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

The FamilySearch Library (FSL), formerly the Family History Library, is a genealogical research facility in downtown Salt Lake City. The library is open to the public free of charge and is operated by FamilySearch, the genealogical arm of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

FamilySearch GEDCOM, or simply GEDCOM, is an open file format and the de facto standard specification for storing genealogical data. It was developed by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the operators of FamilySearch, to aid in the research and sharing of genealogical information. A common usage is as a standard format for the backup and transfer of family tree data between different genealogy software and websites, most of which support importing from and exporting to GEDCOM format.

FamilySearch is a nonprofit organization and website offering genealogical records, education, and software. It is operated by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and is closely connected with the church's Family History Department (FHD). The Family History Department was originally established in 1894, as the Genealogical Society of Utah (GSU); it is the largest genealogy organization in the world.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Family Tree Maker</span> Genealogy software

Family Tree Maker is genealogy software for Windows and Mac that allows the researcher to keep track of information collected during research and to create reports, charts, and books containing that information. The software was originally developed by Kenneth Hess of Banner Blue Software, which was purchased by Broderbund in 1995. It passed through the hands of The Learning Company, SoftKey, Mattel, and others before coming under its current ownership. A redesigned Family Tree Maker 2008 was released on August 14, 2007. The 2009 version of the program corrected some of the errors and omissions of its predecessor, and introduced a few new features. Family Tree Maker 2010 claimed to further enhance the radical redesign and be more powerful and feature-packed with faster navigation and quicker load times.

Personal Ancestral File (PAF) was a free genealogy software program provided by FamilySearch, a website operated by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It was first released in 1983, last updated in 2002, and formally discontinued in 2013. It allowed users to enter names, dates, citations and source information into a database, and sort and search the genealogical data, print forms and charts, and share files with others in GEDCOM format. PAF also linked images and other media files to individual records.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Citizendium</span> Online encyclopedia founded by Larry Sanger

Citizendium is an English-language wiki-based free online encyclopedia launched by Larry Sanger, co-founder of Nupedia and Wikipedia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">FamilySearch Center</span> Genealogical centers operated by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

FamilySearch Centers (FSC), formerly Family History Centers (FHC), are branches of the FamilySearch Library (FSL) in Salt Lake City, Utah, operated by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The centers supply resources for research and study of genealogy and family history. As of 2024, there are more than 6,316 FSC in 149 countries.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wayback Machine</span> Digital archive by the Internet Archive

The Wayback Machine is a digital archive of the World Wide Web founded by the Internet Archive, an American nonprofit organization based in San Francisco, California. Created in 1996 and launched to the public in 2001, it allows users to go "back in time" to see how websites looked in the past. Its founders, Brewster Kahle and Bruce Gilliat, developed the Wayback Machine to provide "universal access to all knowledge" by preserving archived copies of defunct web pages.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Trove</span> Australian online library database aggregator

Trove is an Australian online library database owned by the National Library of Australia in which it holds partnerships with source providers National and State Libraries Australia, an aggregator and service which includes full text documents, digital images, bibliographic and holdings data of items which are not available digitally, and a free faceted-search engine as a discovery tool.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WeRelate</span>

WeRelate.org is an American wiki genealogy website that provides genealogy tools and data. WeRelate is a non-profit and is funded by tax-deductible donations and is managed by unpaid volunteers. WeRelate had over 2 million person pages by March 2011 and claimed to be the "world's largest genealogy wiki".

Findmypast Online genealogy service based in the UK, owned by DC Thomson

Findmypast is a UK-based online genealogy service owned, since 2007, by British company DC Thomson. The website hosts billions of searchable records of census, directory and historical record information. It originated in 1965 when a group of genealogists formed a group named "Title Research". The first internet website went live in 2003.

GenealogyBank.com is an online subscription genealogical service that provides access to records useful in family history research. GenealogyBank is one of the largest collections of digitized U.S. newspapers, dating back to 1690. In addition to digital newspaper archives, GenealogyBank also offers other online genealogy resources including the Social Security Death Index, obituaries, government publications, and historical books.

archive.today is a web archiving website founded in 2012 that saves snapshots on demand, and has support for JavaScript-heavy sites such as Google Maps, and Twitter. archive.today records two snapshots: one replicates the original webpage including any functional live links; the other is a screenshot of the page.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WikiTree</span> Genealogy website

WikiTree is a genealogy website that allows users to research and to contribute to their own family trees while building and collaborating on a singular worldwide family tree within the same system. WikiTree is free for the user and financed via advertisements displayed to unregistered users. WikiTree is owned and hosted by founder's company Interesting.com, Inc.

References

  1. ↑ "FamilySearch Wiki:Introduction". FamilySearch.org. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Archived from the original on 2015-09-10. Retrieved 6 March 2016.
  2. ↑ "FamilySearch Wiki:About Us". FamilySearch.org. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Archived from the original on 2015-11-25. Retrieved 6 March 2016.
  3. 1 2 3 "FamilySearch Wiki:Editing the Wiki | Editing Rights for ALL Contributors - Suspended July 1, 2024". www.familysearch.org. Retrieved 7 September 2024.
  4. ↑ "Category:Societies". www.familysearch.org. Retrieved 8 September 2024.
  5. ↑ FamilySearch Wiki:Purpose and Appropriate Topics in Family History Research Wiki (accessed 6 March 2016).
  6. ↑ "Utah Research Outline" (PDF). Family History Library. 3 June 2001.
  7. ↑ Family History Library, Family History Publications List (Salt Lake City: Family History Library, 1995), 1-4.
  8. ↑ Revision history of "Main Page" in Family History Research Wiki (accessed 6 March 2016).
  9. 1 2 "FamilySearch Wiki:Non-English versions of the wiki". FamilySearch.org. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Archived from the original on 24 June 2014. Retrieved 7 September 2024.
  10. ↑ "FamilySearch Wiki:Moderator". www.familysearch.org. 2 September 2009. Retrieved 7 September 2024.
  11. ↑ "FamilySearch Wiki:Wiki Governance Council: Revision history". www.familysearch.org. Retrieved 7 September 2024.
  12. ↑ FamilySearch Wiki:Wiki Governance Council in Family History Research Wiki (accessed 7 March 2016).
  13. ↑ "FamilySearch Wiki:Wiki Governance Council: Difference between revisions". www.familysearch.org. 30 April 2021. Retrieved 7 September 2024.
  14. ↑ "FamilySearch Wiki:Moderator". www.familysearch.org. Retrieved 7 September 2024.
  15. ↑ "Special:Version". www.familysearch.org. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Retrieved 7 September 2024.
  16. ↑ James L. Tanner, Some Observations on the FamilySearch.org Research Wiki in Genealogy Star blog, January 4, 2016 (accessed 9 March 2016).
  17. ↑ Statistics Archived 2016-03-07 at the Wayback Machine in Family History Research Wiki (accessed 7 March 2016).
  18. ↑ Michael Dunn, A Beginner's Guide to Online Genealogy [ permanent dead link ] (Avon, Massachusetts: Adams Media, [2015]), 60.
  19. ↑ Matthew L. Helm, and April Leigh Helm, Genealogy Online for Dummies (Hoboken, NJ: Wiley Publishing, Inc., [2008]).
  20. ↑ Debbie Kennett, DNA and Social Networking: A Guide to Genealogy in the 21st Century (Stroud: History Press, 2011), 171. (accessed 9 March 2016). Described in a list of wikis.
  21. ↑ Dana McCullough, Unofficial Guide to FamilySearch [ permanent dead link ] (Cincinnati, OH: Family Tree Books, 2015), 216-20. Chapter on Wiki.
  22. ↑ James L. Tanner, Guide to FamilySearch Online (Mesa, Ariz.: Bookmark Graphics, 2011). From reader review: "I found the section on FamilySearch Wiki to be extremely helpful. This portion of the book is worth the price all by itself."
  23. ↑ "Civil War and the FamilySearch Research Wiki," Crossroads, 6, no. 2 (June 2011).
  24. ↑ "FamilySearch Research Wiki, Overview," Searchers and Researchers, 33, no. 2 (summer 2010).
  25. ↑ "FamilySearch Wiki as a Research Tool," Voices of the Past, 9, no. 1 (March 2013).
  26. ↑ "FamilySearch Research Wiki," Sedgwick County Genealogy News, 13, no. 4 (December 2009).
  27. ↑ "FamilySearch Research Wiki Description and User Tips," Echoes (The), 12, no. 6 (November 2013).
  28. ↑ "Research Using FamilySearch Wiki," Genealogy Updates for VGS / Village Genealogical Society Newsletter, 2, no. 4 (April 2012).
  29. ↑ What Is a FamilySearch Wiki??? (Rexburg, ID: BYU Idaho, Fall 2011) (accessed 9 March 2016). Lesson outline.
  30. ↑ Calaveras Genealogical Society’s Spring Social in MyMotherLode.com (accessed 9 March 2016). Lesson topic announcement.
  31. ↑ Jamie Lee McManus Mayhew, Understanding the FamilySearch Research Wiki Archived 2016-03-11 at the Wayback Machine 10 page .pdf lesson. (California, 2015) (accessed 9 March 2016).
  32. ↑ David Flint, pcclub.org Family History Research Wiki Archived 2016-03-11 at the Wayback Machine 2015 .pdf lesson handout.
  33. ↑ Scandinavian Genealogical Research Resources Archived 2016-03-19 at the Wayback Machine Santa Clara County (Calif.) Historical and Genealogical Society lesson outline (accessed 9 March 2016).
  34. ↑ Donald R. Snow, FamilySearch Catalog, Books, and Wiki Genealogy class notes of 17 May 2015 (accessed 9 March 2016).
  35. ↑ FamilySearch: Oswego County Archived 2016-03-11 at the Wayback Machine in Ainsworth Memorial Library Genealogy (Sandy Creek, NY) (accessed 9 March 2016). Recommendation for local Oswego County research.
  36. ↑ American-French Genealogical Society expands research resources with a page on FamilySearch Research Wiki in American-French Genealogical Society (accessed 9 March 2016).
  37. ↑ Free Mormon Genealogy in Ancestor Search (accessed 9 March 2016). Short basic description of this wiki, on a list among others.
  38. ↑ Nancy Hendrickson, Toolkit: Wikis 101 Archived 2016-03-11 at the Wayback Machine in FamilyTreeMagazine 20 April 2010 (accessed 9 March 2016). Discusses four online wikis.
  39. ↑ Hints & Tips Twelve: How to Get the Best Results from FamilySearch Archived 2016-03-11 at the Wayback Machine in Society of Genealogists (England) (accessed 9 March 2016). Discussion of Wiki among others.
  40. ↑ FamilySearch Partnership Archived 2016-03-11 at the Wayback Machine in TNGenWeb Project (accessed 9 March 2016). 2010 announcement re Wiki.
  41. ↑ FamilySearch.org Archived 2016-04-02 at the Wayback Machine in Mary’s Genealogy Treasures (accessed 9 March 2016). Wiki takes a large section of this aggregator site menu.
  42. ↑ #NGS2014GEN English Research and the FamilySearch Wiki in Ancestry Insider blog, 9 May 2014 (accessed 9 March 2016).
  43. ↑ Diane Haddad, FamilySearch Research Wiki Archived 2010-10-28 at the Wayback Machine in FamilyTreeMagazine Genealogy Insider blog, 24 October 2010 (accessed 9 March 2016).
  44. ↑ James L. Tanner, Have I mentioned the FamilySearch Research Wiki Recently? in Genealogy Star blog, 4 September 2014 (accessed 9 March 2016). Blog describes and praises it.
  45. ↑ Leland Meitzler, The Updated Tennessee Page on FamilySearch Research Wiki in GenealogyBlog, 16 August 2010 (accessed 9 March 2016).
  46. ↑ James L. Tanner, How to Search in the FamilySearch Research Wiki Archived 2016-03-11 at the Wayback Machine in In-Depth Genealogist blog, 18 August 2012 (accessed 9 March 2016).
  47. ↑ Marian Pierre-Louis, Research Help for Unfamiliar Locations - FamilySearch Research Wiki in Legacy Family Tree News blog, 19 January 2012 (accessed 9 March 2016).
  48. ↑ Newberry Library, FamilySearch Research Wiki Update Archived 2016-03-11 at the Wayback Machine in Newberry Library Genealogy Blog, 24 January 2014 (accessed 9 March 2016).
  49. ↑ Blair Archival Research, Genealogical Research and the Wiki Archived 2015-09-05 at the Wayback Machine in The Passionate Genealogist blog, 19 March 2012 (accessed 9 March 2016).
  50. ↑ Randy Seaver, FamilySearch Research Wiki, Videos, Getting Started Just Two Clicks Away Now in Genea-Musings blog, 19 April 2013 (accessed 9 March 2016).
  51. ↑ Shanna Jones, Genealogy Corner… FamilySearch Research Wiki in Senior Sampler Genealogy Corner blog, 3 November 2011 (accessed 9 March 2016).
  52. ↑ Jacqueline, Family Search Wiki in South African Family History blog (accessed 9 March 2016).
  53. ↑ Pat Richley-Erickson, Record Selection Tables at FamilySearch Wiki in Worldwide Genealogy blog, 3 December 2015 (accessed 9 March 2016).
  54. ↑ James Tanner, Have I mentioned the FamilySearch Research Wiki Recently?, September 4, 2014 in Genealogy's Star blog (accessed 7 March 2016).
  55. ↑ The FamilySearch Research Wiki and Your Genealogy Society Archived 2016-03-09 at the Wayback Machine in "mysociety" on "The Voice" (Federation of Genealogical Societies) (accessed 7 March 2016).
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