Access to Ancestry.com is restored at a few Family History Centers

Geoff Rasmussen

20 Dec 2007

from Ancestry.com:

Provo, UT – December 19, 2007 – FamilySearch and The Generations Network, Inc., parent company of Ancestry.com, today announced an agreement that provides free access of Ancestry.com to patrons of the Family History Library in Salt Lake City and the 13 largest regional family history centers effective today.

With this new agreement, full access will be provided to more than 24,000 Ancestry.com databases and titles and 5 billion names in family history records. In addition to the Family History Library, the following 13 regional family history centers have been licensed to receive access to Ancestry.com:

Mesa, Arizona
Los Angeles, California
Oakland, California
Orange, California
Sacramento, California
San Diego, California
Idaho Falls, Idaho
Pocatello, Idaho
Las Vegas, Nevada
Logan, Utah
Ogden, Utah
St. George, Utah
Hyde Park, London, England

“We’re excited for our patrons to receive online access to an expanded collection of family history records on Ancestry.com,” said Don Anderson, director of FamilySearch Support. “Ancestry.com’s indexes and digital images of census, immigration, vital, military and other records, combined with the excellent resources of FamilySearch, will increase the likelihood of success for patrons researching their family history.”

The Generations Network and FamilySearch hope to expand access to other family history centers in the future.

FamilySearch patrons at the designated facilities will have access to Ancestry.com’s completely indexed U.S. Federal Census Collection, 1790-1930, and more than 100 million names in passenger lists from 1820-1960, among other U.S. and international record collections. Throughout the past year, Ancestry.com has added indexes to Scotland censuses from 1841-1901, created the largest online collection of military and African American records, and reached more than 4 million user-submitted family trees.

Free access is also available at Brigham Young University Provo, Idaho, and Hawaii campuses, and LDS Business College patrons through a separate agreement with The Generations Network.

“FamilySearch’s Family History Library in Salt Lake City is one of the most important physical centers for family history research in the world, and we are happy that patrons to the Library and these major regional centers will have access to Ancestry.com,” said Tim Sullivan, President and CEO of The Generations Network, Inc., parent company of Ancestry.com. “We’ve enjoyed a ten-year working relationship with FamilySearch, and we look forward to continued collaboration on a number of family history projects.”

Comments (23)

Why not make it free to everyone as the LDS church has made Family Search free to everyone? Besides, the price for Ancestry.com has become too high for poor people trying to do thier genealogy. Thanks.

I have been an Ancestry user for some years now, they keep on hiking the price, at this point I have decided not to subscribe this year.The cost is Outrageously high, Instead I can use the public Library system on line from my home and link to their HeritigeQuest data base, it has all the census on line at the comfort of your home.. all you need is an active library card.. Now if you still need Ancestry data-base you then can go to the Library personally and its all Free.

Please include Orlando, Florida We need it
Thanks,
Chris Young

I believe in addition to all the LDS Centers that originally “lost access” to ancestry.com the Connecticut Society of Genealogists also suffered the same fate. To date I do not know of any CSG plans to reinstate/buy back their subscription. Lets face, Ancestry is a business and it is all about the $money$.

Ancestry Library Edition was offered free at Michigan libraries(via the web at mel.org or a specific database) until the current budget year forced its cancelation. Some individual libraries which could justify the cost have continued its free availability (necessary to be at the library). I personaly use the service at St. Clair Shores and Mt, Clemens. Other communities could well offer this service. Suggest one makes local inquiry about the availibilty in your area.

Your letter states that patrons of the libraries listed has free access to Acenstry.com. Do you have a service where anyone can access the information from their home over the internet instead of having to visit the library? If you want to provide this service world wide then this is the way to go.Please advise.
Thanks, William

I feel so bad that Ancestry.com has not been restored to the “little” Family History Centers as well. One of the reasons I subscribed was because of my use at the Auburn, CA FHC. Our FHC users dropped appreciably – and I can’t say that it was because we lost Ancestry.com, but then again, maybe I can.
Hope there’s hope for the little guys.
Thanks,
Sheryl R. Frank

Even tho I have Ancestry.com at home, it is sometimes more convenient to use the Library’s, especially when requesting microfilm, etc.

Check your local library! For example: In Vancouver, WA; although Ancestry.com isn’t offering itself for free here, it is a service the public library provides its patrons for free.

So much for those of us in the east, which incidentally is where over 50% of our families originated.

Why so many Cali sites? What about Ft. Wayne?

Why not some “small” towns that have a small library. Those of us that live in these areas and cannot afford a subscription would still like to search the records.

That’s interesting. The local FHC’s info leaflet makes a big deal out of free access to Ancestry, and it’s not on this list. Does that mean that it used to have free access, and now does not?

What about the East Coast? There is alot of history on the other side of the US.

Ancestry at a cost to each FHC? How? Some FHC’s have very few members while others have several hundred. Would have to be a baulk offer, say all FHC’s @ $5 each, paid by LDS then levied from each branch funds.

Yes what about Australia??

Wouldn’t the Hamilton,Ontario,Canada Library qualify to have this service? It serves a huge area and would also reach out to the Northwest of New York state.

As a volunteer at a FHC in Australia I know for a fact that many of our patrons went on to subscibe to ancestry.com as I have for over 2 years. It is frustrating not to be able to help people find the information they are seeking.
Please may we have it back.
Janet

Please, if some FHCs are allowed or licensed, why not everyone? If it is the money, which I suspect it is (as is all things) then let us know how much per FHC. Thank you.

Nothing in Canada??

It would be nice too if ancestry would FINALLY release the index for the Druins. Last spring they said it would be by the end of 2007 — everyone is still waiting……and waiting….and waiting!

Good to see they came to their senses,thats how I was introduced to Ancestry as was a lot of others and became a subscriber

What about in Australia???

T
TX

17 years ago

Why not make it free to everyone as the LDS church has made Family Search free to everyone? Besides, the price for Ancestry.com has become too high for poor people trying to do thier genealogy. Thanks.
JJ
Jennie Jimenez

17 years ago

I have been an Ancestry user for some years now, they keep on hiking the price, at this point I have decided not to subscribe this year.The cost is Outrageously high, Instead I can use the public Library system on line from my home and link to their HeritigeQuest data base, it has all the census on line at the comfort of your home.. all you need is an active library card.. Now if you still need Ancestry data-base you then can go to the Library personally and its all Free.
CY
Chris Young

17 years ago

Please include Orlando, Florida We need it
Thanks,
Chris Young
D-
Dave - Groton, CT LDS #649

17 years ago

I believe in addition to all the LDS Centers that originally “lost access” to ancestry.com the Connecticut Society of Genealogists also suffered the same fate. To date I do not know of any CSG plans to reinstate/buy back their subscription. Lets face, Ancestry is a business and it is all about the $money$.
CG
Clair Grant Keough

17 years ago

Ancestry Library Edition was offered free at Michigan libraries(via the web at mel.org or a specific database) until the current budget year forced its cancelation. Some individual libraries which could justify the cost have continued its free availability (necessary to be at the library). I personaly use the service at St. Clair Shores and Mt, Clemens. Other communities could well offer this service. Suggest one makes local inquiry about the availibilty in your area.
WR
William Roby

17 years ago

Your letter states that patrons of the libraries listed has free access to Acenstry.com. Do you have a service where anyone can access the information from their home over the internet instead of having to visit the library? If you want to provide this service world wide then this is the way to go.Please advise.
Thanks, William
SR
Sheryl R. Frank

17 years ago

I feel so bad that Ancestry.com has not been restored to the “little” Family History Centers as well. One of the reasons I subscribed was because of my use at the Auburn, CA FHC. Our FHC users dropped appreciably – and I can’t say that it was because we lost Ancestry.com, but then again, maybe I can.
Hope there’s hope for the little guys.
Thanks,
Sheryl R. Frank
FR
Floyd Riggle

17 years ago

Even tho I have Ancestry.com at home, it is sometimes more convenient to use the Library’s, especially when requesting microfilm, etc.
SK
Sheryl K

17 years ago

Check your local library! For example: In Vancouver, WA; although Ancestry.com isn’t offering itself for free here, it is a service the public library provides its patrons for free.
JL
Jack Lamphier

17 years ago

So much for those of us in the east, which incidentally is where over 50% of our families originated.
C
Carol

17 years ago

Why so many Cali sites? What about Ft. Wayne?
AN
Ann Nollsch

17 years ago

Why not some “small” towns that have a small library. Those of us that live in these areas and cannot afford a subscription would still like to search the records.
DM
David Marriott

17 years ago

That’s interesting. The local FHC’s info leaflet makes a big deal out of free access to Ancestry, and it’s not on this list. Does that mean that it used to have free access, and now does not?
MW
Mary Walker

17 years ago

What about the East Coast? There is alot of history on the other side of the US.
PB
Peter Blades

17 years ago

Ancestry at a cost to each FHC? How? Some FHC’s have very few members while others have several hundred. Would have to be a baulk offer, say all FHC’s @ $5 each, paid by LDS then levied from each branch funds.
SF
Susan from Australia

17 years ago

Yes what about Australia??
JC
Joyce Collins

17 years ago

Wouldn’t the Hamilton,Ontario,Canada Library qualify to have this service? It serves a huge area and would also reach out to the Northwest of New York state.
JB
Janet Billington

17 years ago

As a volunteer at a FHC in Australia I know for a fact that many of our patrons went on to subscibe to ancestry.com as I have for over 2 years. It is frustrating not to be able to help people find the information they are seeking.
Please may we have it back.
Janet
NB
Nancy Becker

17 years ago

Please, if some FHCs are allowed or licensed, why not everyone? If it is the money, which I suspect it is (as is all things) then let us know how much per FHC. Thank you.
SH
Syd Hughes

17 years ago

Nothing in Canada??
S
Sal

17 years ago

It would be nice too if ancestry would FINALLY release the index for the Druins. Last spring they said it would be by the end of 2007 — everyone is still waiting……and waiting….and waiting!
RL
Rollie L Bray

17 years ago

Good to see they came to their senses,thats how I was introduced to Ancestry as was a lot of others and became a subscriber
RF
Ron from Australia

17 years ago

What about in Australia???