Many of us know that FamilySearch partners with several commercial family history websites, but what does that really mean for us as individuals doing family history? For one thing, it means – as Latter-day Saints – we can have access to these additional sites with their billions of additional records free of charge. This could be an annual value of $900. However, you must sign up to take advantage of this opportunity for increased information and resources. (Note: Some sites may have contractual agreements with their own partners which may limit some database access, such as Fold3 on Ancestry.)
Current partners include: American Ancestors, Ancestry, Find My Past, Geneanet, and My Heritage. It’s easy to sign up, but you will need to sign up on FamilySearch for each one individually. Click here to sign up. Here’s a little bit of information about each of their partners and the geographical areas on which they focus:
American Ancestors – Largest repository of New England records, including vital and church records, town and court records, among others. Focuses on American family history from 17th century colonial New England through 21st century immigration research.
Ancestry – Billions of historical records and family trees from around the world (US, Canada, Germany, France, Italy, Sweden, Australia, Mexico, and the UK). Information such as birth, marriage, death, census, military, and immigration records. Integrates with FamilySearch family tree.
Find My Past – Specializing in the United Kingdom and its many historical colonies, with records going back to AD 875. Billions of British and Irish records (England, Scotland, Wales, Ireland, Australia, and New Zealand). Also, a large collection of US county marriage records, military records and immigration records.
Geneanet – A collection of over 3 billion indexed individuals and 600,000 online trees. Geneanet is the family history leader in France and Europe.
My Heritage – Billions of historical records from around the world, including Northern European, Scandinavian, and other records (including the global Jewish community)–records from 35 countries and 45 languages.
(Source: https://www.familysearch.org/campaign/partneraccess) –Debbie Brady