Let’s Get Real with Stephen Jones
Let’s Get Real with Stephen Jones

Why the World Is Flocking to FamilySearch | Elder Kevin S. Hamilton | E0048

December 4, 2025

AI Summary

5 min read

Why the World Is Flocking to FamilySearch

FamilySearch, the Church's free genealogy service, attracted 8.5 million new subscribers in 2024—and 98% of them were not members of the Church. They came from nearly every country on earth, including China, Russia, and North Korea. When asked why they do it, they typically say something like: "I really don't know. Other than I want to connect. I want to belong. I want to be part of a family."

What FamilySearch Actually Is

FamilySearch is not a niche tool for Latter-day Saint genealogists. It is a global platform with "probably the world's largest database" of genealogical records, built over 130 years since the 1890s. The Church has teams of camera crews digitizing paper archives around the world—birth certificates, death certificates, marriage licenses, christening records. Using artificial intelligence, they convert those images into searchable digital records and can even build family trees automatically, recognizing relationships like father, mother, and children.

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What you'll learn

  • 1 Why the World Is Flocking to FamilySearch | Elder Kevin S. Hamilton | E0048
  • 2 (00:00) **FamilySearch's Global Reach** - Elder Hamilton introduces FamilySearch as a free genealogy service serving millions worldwide, the vast majority not Latter-day Saints
  • 3 (03:19) **The Spirit of Elijah Explained** - Elder Hamilton explains the universal drive to connect with family roots
  • 4 (04:43) **RootsTech Explosion** - The pandemic transformed a local conference into a global phenomenon
  • 5 (07:31) **AI and Record Digitization** - How technology is accelerating genealogical work
  • 6 (10:03) **Youth Engagement Revolution** - Elder Bednar's 2011 talk sparked a generational shift
  • 7 (12:45) **Family Narratives Build Resilience** - Research shows knowing family history strengthens children

+ Full timestamped outline available in the app

Show Notes

Every day, millions of people around the world are turning to FamilySearch, not because of marketing or trends, but because of something much deeper happening beneath the surface: a global movement of identity, belonging, and human connection.

In this conversation with Elder Kevin S. Hamilton, former Executive Director of the Family History Department of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, we explore why 98 percent of the people who use FamilySearch are not Latter-day Saints, yet are contributing to one of the most ambitious projects in human history: building the family tree of humanity.

This is not just a story about genealogy. It is a story about roots, memory, resilience, and what unfolds when technology, spirituality, and human longing intersect.
Inside this episode, you will learn:
• Why hundreds of millions use FamilySearch every year
 • How global archives, AI tools, and more than 130 years of record gathering fuel the world’s largest family history database
 • The emotional science behind family narratives and resilience
 • How wars, disasters, and endangered archives have created urgent preservation efforts
 • Why nonreligious users are powering a movement with profound spiritual implications
 • What “gathering Israel” looks like in the digital age
 • How African oral genealogies, Ukrainian archives, and worldwide records are reshaping family identity

This episode is for anyone who has ever wondered:
“Where do I come from?”
 “Who do I belong to?”
 “And why does family history matter now more than ever?”

Whether you are religious or not, whether you have used FamilySearch or are hearing about it for the first time, this conversation looks at what it means to be human and why the world is suddenly flocking to discover its story.

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