Familysearch.org--you've come a long way, baby!!

      Internet genealogy was just starting to take hold in 1998. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints decided in Aug.1998 to jump on the bandwagon. The Familysearch.org website was rolled out in May 1999 after only about 6 months on the drawing board. That was an amazing feat to get such a huge site up and going so quickly. The activity was so great the first day, that the system crashed! For the first few weeks a user was limited to website access for about 20 minutes at a time. They were then automatically disconnected so others could get onto the website. 
     This is a pretty poor image of the first website. I didn't realize I would have such a hard time finding images. Darn!

     The first version that was released in 1999 had Ancestral File and the International Genealogical Index (IGI). It was a very exciting time to be able to do research from a computer connected to the Internet. By Oct. 1999 the website had over 1.5 billion hits. In Nov. 1999, 240 million names were added to the databases, bringing the total number of names on the website to 640 million.
    The next version came out in 2001. The "cover" had a new look and a few new features were added but the insides were basically the same.I am not sure which version added the Family History Library Catalog (FHLC).  It was a great help to have the updated catalog available online. How could the website get any better?
     People grumbled because it had changed and they liked the old site better. After we all adjusted to the new look and could find our way around we could see that it was an improvement.
     There have been a couple more updates to the site and each time there are lots of grumbles and the previous site was so much better--remember--this was the site that was so awful when it was released?
Here's an image of one version. Not quite sure which year this came out.

      When I teach classes I tell the class that a new website is like when you get a new car or a new cell phone--the old one is always better until you get used to where the windshield wiper button is in the new car or where the contacts list is located on your new phone. Once you become familiar with the new gadget it now becomes your favorite!
     Here is what it looked like in 2010 when the website again was given a facelift.

    The amazing thing that happened to the website at this time--digitized images of original records were now being put up on the website.
     In 1938 the Genealogical Society of Utah started using microfilm to make copies of original records found in archives around the world. A huge microfilm vault was finished in 1965 in the granite mountains east of Salt Lake City. The conditions were ideal for storing these irreplaceable records. Here is a link to a short video about the granite vault. There are about 2.5 million rolls of microfilm stored in the vault. In June of 1966, I went on a tour of the vault and was amazed at what I saw. I never knew then how important those rolls would become in my life. Tours have not been given for many years. What an incredible experience I had and little did I know I would be one of a relatively few number who were allowed inside.
     In about 2000 it became evident that the microfilms were deteriorating and would never last as long as predicted. These rolls of microfilm were supposed to last at least 100+ years. It was about this same time when digitized images became the norm. It was decided that the rolls of microfilm would all be digitized. It was a monumental project that they figured would take about 100 years!!!!!!!!!!!!  Within just a short time, new equipment was invented that made the task must easier. They are now predicting that they will be done digitizing in the next 4-5 years!!!!!!! Not all the 2.5 million rolls of film will be digitized because many of the record custodians have not given permission for that to happen but the vast majority of the films will be digitized.
    There is no doubt in my mind that Heavenly Father had a hand in the development of the new equipment that changes a roll of film into digitized images in minutes!! This work is so important and divine intervention was needed for the work to reach new heights.
     There are more than 20 "crews" working all over the world, copying records directly into digitized images that are put up on the website within days of being copied. Over 1 million records per day are being published. It is an absolute miracle how it happens!!
         We have been told almost since we got here in August that the familysearch.org website was going to change. A few times they would even give us a date and then at the last minute they would not go forward because of a problem that was found.
     On Monday, 15 April 2013 we had our weekly devotional and the speaker was one of the people responsible for the new website. He gave us a live presentation of some of the features that were going to be in the new version. It really looked exciting and really new. He even dared announce that
the new website would be rolled out the next morning. Because the zone Len and I work in is the support group for the familysearch.org website, we were very interested in whether it really would happen. It would mean a bizillion calls would be received about the new site and "what happened to the old site? I liked it so much better and why did you have to change it?" It would be nice if we knew just a little in advance!
     On Tuesday, 16 April 2013 by 10am the new site was rolled out. Those in charge had been working feverishly for weeks getting it ready to launch and had been up most of the night with "It's a go" and "It's a no go"--off and on. At 8am, we still did not know if it was happening or not.
    Here is it's new look. We had no idea just how different it was going to be. We were as surprised and lost as everyone else!

     On the new site you can add photos and stories; use the new, awesome Family Tree! You can still search for records, look at the FHL catalog,find articles on the wiki and watch a free online course. I will be posting a few articles about the new and improved website. Take a look and see for yourself at familysearch.org.