Family SearchReviews 59

I enjoyed Family Search when I first started using it but it's horrendous that verified, documented family lines can be removed at anyone's whim. It just isn't worth the hassle to argue with people. I know there's a better site run by the Morman's that's more accurate and info can't be readily changed. But only members of the church have access. I would pay to have access to it but it isn't available.
I'll give 3 examples of my frustration,
1: The woman that continually changes my mother's info insisting that she died in NY and that she wasn't my mother. She died in Colorado and most definitely was my mother.
2: The person who doesn't like that my great-great grandfathers date of birth varies by 2 years depending on which record you believe and keeps deleting his info thereby erasing his entire line. I have 16 documents proving he is who I say he is and the difference in dates is between a doctors ledger of his birth and a baptismal certificate. A minor issue but he's continually deleted.
3: This one is the strangest one but I've heard other people have run into similar issues. There is a person who doesn't like that one of our family trees goes back to a King that she feels was unchristian and doesn't want him in her line. So she keeps deleting the whole line.
I've read about people who have said they've had lines erased because others don't want anyone who has been divorced in there line.

It's an ok site to find info but it's much better to use it as a resource and build your own tree through a different site.

Anyone can delete saved proof/evidence or correct lineage in efforts to hijack said lineage for themselves without any recourse for their misguided actions. They can be petty, insecure, and out right fraudulent. It doesn't matter how many times they are corrected or how much concrete proof is offered, they will continue to hijack lineages to makes themselves feel important. This is by far the single worst family tree building site on the internet. Many of them have no DNA testing to prove their claims and refuse to have their DNA tested Wil making full claims against others that have been tested and can provide incontrovertible evidence of their lineage. Then if you try to communicate with anyone about any of it, they can report you for no real offense and the site will terminate your profile. This site is entirely for fake people who stand on other peoples lineage wile posing.

I have been using the website since it first came out. They keep trying to improve it. Some changes I love, some not so much. I love that they allow me to see their historical records that they are constantly adding to for free, no charge. They give me record hints. They are hints that a computer identify as a possible match. Most match, some do not. I love that I can add all my sources I find, both from this site and from other websites all in one place.
The purpose of FamilySearch is to have one big family tree. Unfortunately, there are people who make mistakes. To help stop mistakes, add documentation in sources. Still having people making changes that are not correct, try using Collaborate and add a note and check the Alert Note box. This adds a warning across the details page where people edit information.
You can make your contact information private by clicking on your name in the top right corner of the page and click on Settings. You can mark most setting private by clicking on the edit pencil and change your settings to private. You can also turn off notifications. Check out the Settings to make them to your liking.
You should always use another software program like Roots Magic to keep track of your own personal information or use another site like Ancestry where you can make your own personal tree private. This site is intended for people to work together on the world-wide tree.
FamilySearch has other website that they partner with such as Ancestry, My Heritage and many, many others. These partner sites often share their information with FamilySearch such as Ancestry sharing Find A Grave and Newspapers. FamilySearch also shares their information with other sites.
FamilySearch does not police their website. If there is an error, they expect the users to make the corrections by clicking on the Edit icon that looks like a pencil and making the correction themselves. If you do not know how to use the site, click on the Help icon, a circle with a question mark inside it, in the top right of the screen and learn how to use the website.

Content on their site violates copyright and intellectual property laws, because members can scan and post material (current magazine articles, for example) no matter who wrote it or how recently it was written. My own work was scanned and put on their site, and I tried in vain to have Family Search remove it. Hours spent on the phone ended up with me being told I would have to track down the individual who illegally scanned and uploaded my work, to ask that person to take it down, rather than Family Search protecting themselves and upholding the rights of historians, authors, artists and researchers around the world by simply removing the article (plainly taken from a recent publication).

Information about myself isn't even accurate and I can't search further back than my own father; making the entire website utterly useless.

Seems like FamilySearch does not care how accurate or truthful the information posted on their site is. Provided rebutting evidence from a superior court, certified county records and diocesan records refuting the illegitimate claims to no avail. Tried to delete information, but that one other individual keep reposting the false info. One of the entries could result in an illicit attempt to extort money from my parents' estate. Irony is we never posted anything on this site, it was disseminated from another site we had used. In short, be very careful about anything you post on the internet.

So much great information available, from the records that are ready to be attached, to the collections that are available to search through. Such a wonderful resource.
As with any resource, check the actual image against what is on the record page. Sometimes it doesn't match up or the transcription for a location is in the wrong country for example.
Regarding the one big collaborative tree, again, validate the source citations to be sure of relationships and ensure that conflation isn't occurring.

I was told by Family Search directly that anyone can post any article or info they want even if you have documentation to disprove it. Beware before making a tree! They don't warn you of this until you have an issue. And they will NOT allow you to remove your tree! Major flaws!

Because it is free site everyone can add a bit of genealogy. If it matches other ancestry they will alert you. Records can often go back into the 1400s and earlier. Its a great rabbit hole to go down.

This used to be a good place to find genealogical records, now it is useless, people can change your tree to whatever they want with no documentation of any kind you have members who are sealing records even though they are wrong. Tried searching my French Canadian family name with no results! How can that be since they lived there for close to 200 years!

Please do not enter or try to update your family tree on Family Search. Anyone can enter conflicting information you have uploaded, even though they may not have any relationship to the family members or may not know anything about them. There are countless errors in my tree entered by others, There is only certain information that can be changed. Once the other erroneous information is there, you can't change it or delete it. Also, it's very difficult to navigate the website. I scheduled a 20 minute chat with Family Search and the information given to me was incorrect on how to upload a file. I called the help phone number and the directions given to me was completely opposite from the original. Don't waste your time. Use Ancestry.com instead. That way you have total control over your tree.

FamilySearch (FS) is a collaborative FREE Family-tree site, meaning we share one big tree, unlike other sites where you can create your private family tree, and can then share details with others with ZERO DRAMA, no histrionics.
PROBLEM on FamilySearch: Since it's free, it may attract the real power hungry crazies. I've run into 3 really nasty & very petty Wannabe POLICE of Genealogy, one's sent me 7 nasty messages, and has written nasty stuff all over my grandmother's page with a lot of bragging how she's a master genealogist, former High position in "Family History" in her last town, and tried to threaten me with her son is a programmer at FamilySearch, on & on. I NEED a BLOCK button for this person spamming me with hate mail, or vindictively vandalizing my relatives' pages.
The other Hilarity, is this site is not backed by DNA testing, so these folks are making petty fools of themselves without scientific evidence. In 5-yrs, a lot of the pointless squabbling will be replaced with new computing advances & DNA testing.
FS Interfaces for finding and adding information and documents are awkward and not very handy. It's a lot easier to use the OTHER sites to find and add the info, THEN upload it to Family Search--but this launches the few crazies into meltdowns, spamming and vandalism.
I've reported the abusive nutty behaviors to corporate, but NO RESPONSE.

I began my tree years ago and all was well for a while. No longer so. As it's a public domain anyone can post on your Family Tree without support or evidence, and tell outright lies under assumed names. Case in point, an LDS member and vindictive divorcee of my brother, using bogus names posted inserted, changed, and lied about various deceased family members whom she had never known. She also sunk so low as to report as a Source, "I was at his funeral". The funeral of her 2 year old grandson. She was not, and all in attendance would state same. However, FamilySearch accepted this post.

My other complaint is "we found a new relative" emails I receive. Most if not all are totally false, being persons not at all related to my family. Yet accepted as gospel by FamilySearch. Trying to verify or delete via their so called Support is a total waste of time.

I've been to the Library in Salt Lake City. A wealth of information and worthwhile. But the FamilySearch function now stinks. I'm thru with it.

Why the hell is God listed as an ancestor? More ludicrously, why is the "Big Bang"? What is going on?

I love the record hints.

For a free genealogy resource website it's quite amazing. It provides access to billions of records not just images but also searchable records that have been indexed. My most used feature is the Record Hints which uses the information I've inputted into my tree and cross checks it with FamilySearch's searchable records data base. This feature has found so many of my ancestors. With 2 records hints I found 8 new ancestors (being Portuguese, the Portuguese parish records do hold lots of information so that helped too). I also use MyHeritage which has a similar feature but I've found the Record Hints on FamilySearch to be more accurate, at least for my family. Plus it's free.

I love that not only does FamilySearch.org give quite accurate record hints, it only gives you access to search through so many records. I am able to help friends this way search for their family anywhere in the world as FamilySearch.org holds so many records worldwide.

The website does not accept the verification code it sent to me. I tried to use it within 5 minutes of receiving the message! No help whatsoever.

I have found Family Search (not my only source) very helpful. On my mother's paternal side, I had completed research back several generations. One of the FS contributors, was able to take my research and trace her lineage information back to the 1700's on her grandfather's side. I was able to verify what was offered via my own research the tracing backwards through known people. Very grateful for the major lift on ancestors.

As a long time researcher of my personal family records, I know that this takes a ton of time. I try to get more than one source on most data points (unless it's an obvious correct data point). I haven't had any data lost (I am sorry to hear some have). I do print out every record I find.
Family Search has also found several photos I had no knowledge of. Amazing!
I have been blesseed with great support from Family Search.
I do recommend family geneaology researchers use more than one source for breakthroughs in your research. I have even found information in area libraries with genealogy centers: 1) one library had a book on Polish immigration records. It led me to a traditional spelling of a Polish great grandfather's name (Josef vs Joseph) and another data point which led to a link back to Europe; 2) in another local rural library, I discovered little index boxes with obituaries attached. I was delighted to find the obituary and burial location of my paternal grandmothers father. 3) One of my aunts went to a Wisconsin library where she was able to resolve a question on her mom's birth year, finding a legal birth record which she shared with me. I've also gone to county offices for records as well as out of state offices.

I'm afraid today we rely too heavily on online resources. Even after decades now of researching, I'm still learning something new all the time. Good luck to all!

I want to let everyone here know-this is not me. This is a person who stole my identity and is harssing people while pretending to be me. I just spent an hour with FS support, and had to listen to the support person explain to me over and aover and over that this didn't happen and I got frustrated because-just like always, calling for support is a big fail. The two women I spoke with just don't want to offer any sort of assistance> I'm reporting it to cyber crimes FBI. Second woman kept arguing with me, trying to explain how this is NOT possibly happening. I offered to send her the screenshot, she argued that it's not possible to create a screenshot of the webpage. She also told me NOT to send her the screenshot. She didn't want to see it She gave me a headache. I hung on on her when she wouldn't stop arguing. This began four years ago. It has taken away any pleasure I once had doing geneaology. This has been a constant for four years. Each time, it's reported, Family Search support claims it's not true

I have put in my family members and had a nice tree started. Worked on it for days and many hours. One day someone came along and removed my family and inserted people I don't even know. I tried to fix it. I was frustrated and sent that person who kept changing everything messages about it. She replied to me and was very rude. I asked who her boss was. Never replied. I ended up sending a copy of what she said to me to the Family Research email. They have never replied. I find this site useless if you really want to see 'your' real family tree. I will add this, my mothers side of the family immigrated here and they use varied names. Example they would put something on the census that was not perhaps their legal names, etc. These people can't grasp that I guess. I fully enjoyed this endevour when I first started but not any more. I checked my account this morning and they have made no corrections. SO what's the point? If they decide who our families are it serves zero purpose.

Familysearch is run by the same silly people who operate FINDAGRAVE. If you enjoy bickering with non family members over great great great Aunt Tillie having 5 kids instead of 4 go for it. Some people r tuned into havoc and general foolishness.