Big Announcement Day - January 15, 2019

January 15, 2019, is the big day!

We'll be announcing a 

very special new event in 

the genealogy community!

Listen to The Genealogy Guys Podcast, read The Genealogy Guys Blog,

visit our Facebook page, and

watch the genealogy media for 

our press release!

Our Podcast Numbering Scheme and Why We Did It That Way

The Genealogy Guys Podcast began on 5 September 2005 with Episode #1. In case you didn't know, we are the longest continuously running genealogy podcast in the world.

We strive to produce a new podcast every week, although sometimes our speaking, traveling, and writing schedules throw us off.

In the early days, we included news, interviews, listener email, book reviews, and discussions of record types, methodologies, and evidence analysis. The interviews have always been highly popular, and we even created some videocasts for a short while.
On 30 June 2016, we began another podcast format, the Genealogy Connection podcast, which es exclusively interviews conducted by Drew Smith of personalities in the international genealogy community. The guests include speakers, writers, software producers, executives from FamilySearch and the commercial genealogy database providers, librarians, archivists, museum directors, DNA experts, and other specialists. They have come from the U.S., Canada, the UK, Australia, Israel, and elsewhere. We also began numbering the Genealogy Connection podcasts with Episode #1.

There was logic to the numbering scheme. We wanted people to recognize every episode of The Genealogy Guys Podcast as being unique, but we also wanted people to differentiate between those and the Genealogy Connection podcasts.

As of today, 10 January 2019, we have published 355 episodes of The Genealogy Guys Podcast and 50 episodes of the Genealogy Connection podcast. That's a whopping total of 405 podcast episodes published since the beginning, However, if you are interested in how many episodes have been downloaded over all time, you'll be surprised that know that there have been a total of 2,559,186 downloads as of this morning.

We have more surprises and content coming this year. Be sure to listen to The Genealogy Guys Podcast on Tuesday, 15 March, 2019, for an exciting new announcement. And coming later in the Spring is a unique new feature for our podcast listeners.

Thank you for listening to our podcasts and providing such positive feedback. And thank you to our Patreon supporters for your financial assistance to help us continue to expand.

The Superlative Facebook Page of the Florida Genealogical Society (Tampa)

The Florida Genealogical Society of Tampa is the oldest genealogy society in the state, incorporated in 1958. It produces excellent monthly programs for its members and, in October, hosts its annual Fall Seminar with presentations by one or more national or international speaker.

The society maintains an intensely active Facebook presence at https://www.facebook.com/FGSTampa/, posting one or more articles of interest every day. Pattie Schultz does a consummate job gathering information and posting fresh content about genealogy from all over the U.S. and abroad. The result is an exciting and engaging mix of genealogical content concerning news, events, people, new and enhanced record collections, methodologies, timely tips, and much more.

Visit and Like the FGS Facebook Page at https://www.facebook.com/FGSTampa/, and make sure you Follow the page in your News Feed. We guarantee you will be an eager fan for each new Facebook post.

Podcast Listeners Get $10 Discount on Subscription to the Going In-Depth Magazine

George G. Morgan is now writing a monthly column for Going In-Depth Genealogist Magazine titled "Genealogy, By George!" The magazine is offering a $10 discount to our podcast listeners for new subscriptions to the magazine. To take advantage of this great offer, visit the website at https://theindepthgenealogist.mykajabi.com/offers/JFahALzo/checkout. Enter the coupon code GUYS+IDGmag before checking out for your discount. 

In addition, be sure subscribe to and read the In-Depth Genealogist Blog at http://theindepthgenealogist.com/blog/. The writers, including George, contribute fun and informative blog posts throughout the month that are certain to help you advance your genealogy research skills. The blog is free, and we hope that you'll take advantage of this special $10 discount and become an In-Depth Genealogist too!

FamilySearch 2018 Genealogy Highlights

The following was received from FamilySearch and we know you will be interested in the statistics.

Salt Lake City, Utah (4 January 2019), 

FamilySearch International, global leader in helping individuals discover their family history, published its annual at-a-glance summary of its efforts in 2018. A key FamilySearch initiative is to simplify family history and increase discovery experiences for beginners. In 2018, FamilySearch published hundreds of millions of new, free historical records online, provided personal, interactive learning opportunities, opened new facilities, and created more effective search experiences at FamilySearch.org. (Find this announcement and all six related infographics in the FamilySearch Newsroom).

FamilySearch has the largest collection of genealogical and historical records in the world and 5.8 billion of those are now searchable online. True to its mission to connect families, FamilySearch published its two billionth digital image of historical records online and continues adding records at a rate of over 300 million new records and images yearly. Over 300,000 online volunteers clocked in over 11 million hours to help index 122 million new records, making them easy to search for an ancestor's name.

FamilySearch published significant new collections from the War of 1812 and World War I. Military records are a treasure trove of largely underutilized record collections. They can help uncover details about soldiers and their families and lives. Another significant collection published was the complete archive of Ellis Island and Castle Garden Records online. Today, more than 100 million Americans have at least one ancestor who came through Ellis Island.

The popular, free FamilySearch Family Tree had 1.6 million contributors for the year, who added 28 million new people to the global tree. The total number of searchable people is now 1.21 billion. Users also added 241 million sources to their ancestor pages.

New tools make online searches easier with an array of devices. The powerful FamilySearch Family Tree mobile app now has over 90 percent of the functionality of FamilySearch.org's Family Tree feature.

FamilySearch's vision includes creating a bond, linking the present to the past, and building a bridge to the future. Part of that process is to create fun, interactive experiences that link people to the past. FamilySearch's innovation experiences are now showcased at Revolution Place in the Museum of the American Revolution, a popular new tourist attraction in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Four interactive displays immerse visitors in an experience of 1770 Philadelphia when the American Colonies struggled with the quest for independence.

August of this year, David Rencher, AG, CG, FIGRS, and chief genealogical officer of FamilySearch, was also made director of the Family History Library in Salt Lake City. He is working with FamilySearch development teams to increase patron success at the library and more than 5,000 local centers worldwide. During the year, 72 new centers were built to increase user access. In January 2018, a new 8,000 square foot FamilySearch center opened in Lehi, Utah, and ground was broken for a new Ogden Utah FamilySearch Center.

RootsTech 2018 was a huge success, providing up-to-date information on resources and search techniques. Over 125,000 attendees participated in person and online. Throughout the year, lectures have been rebroadcast and posts of information have appeared on the RootsTech Blog.

FamilySearch Statistics for 2018.
Source: FamilySearch International
(Click to expand.)

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About FamilySearch

FamilySearch International is the largest genealogy organization in the world. FamilySearch is a nonprofit, volunteer-driven organization sponsored by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Millions of people use FamilySearch records, resources, and services to learn more about their family history. To help in this great pursuit, FamilySearch and its predecessors have been actively gathering, preserving, and sharing genealogical records worldwide for over 100 years. Patrons may access FamilySearch services and resources free online at FamilySearch.org or through over 5,000 family history centers in 129 countries, including the main Family History Library in Salt Lake City, Utah.

MyHeritage Recaps Highly Successful 2018

The Genealogy Guys are very proud to have MyHeritage as one of the sponsors of our podcasts. We have watched them grow their data collections, develop and implement new and innovative search technologies, and become one of the most highly respected and innovative DNA test providers in the world. Besides being a leader in the commercial genealogical database field, MyHeritage is an active philanthropic organization.

MyHeritage reached outstanding new heights all around in 2018. The following graphic illustrates the highlights.

Highlights of MyHeritage's 2018 accomplishments
SOURCE: MyHeritage.com
(Click to enlarge.)

Additional details and some heartwarming videos are included in their blog post which is a retrospective of 2018 and a look forward to another landmark year in 2019.

We look forward very much to continuing our partnership and expanding our service to the genealogical community.

Special Announcement Coming - 15 January 2019

MARK YOUR CALENDAR NOW!

We have a very exciting announcement 

for the genealogical community coming

 on Tuesday, 15 January 2019. 

The Genealogy Guys are so excited

and you will be too!