We are one family: finding cousins through FamilySearch

Several weeks ago, I noticed my older brother had shared on social media that he is related to Shakespeare (and by extension, so am I). It turns out, Shakespeare and I are first cousins (twelve times removed). I hopped onto familysearch.org/discovery/famousrelatives to see what other connections I could find.

Discovering connections is one of the benefits of contributing to FamilySearch, the world’s largest collaborative family tree. From Sir Isaac Newton (2nd cousin, eleven times removed), Helen Keller (8th cousin), and Martin Luther King, Jr. (11th cousin, once removed), I have distant links to some famous folks. These lineage lines look somewhat like subway maps, marking the route through generations to shared ancestors. My renowned relations illustrate the family connections we all share. We are one family.

Next month, FamilySearch will host RootsTech Connect, their first-ever free and virtual genealogy event. Held online, February 25-27, 2021, this global event will offer live stream and on-demand courses in family history research, indexing, preserving your family’s stories and memories, and using internet resources. Register online at rootstech.org or familysearch.org/connect to reserve your space and get access to recorded sessions after the event.

Genealogy is the study of family history and ancestry. Recent advances in technology, genetics, communication, and digitized historical documents all make finding your relatives easier than ever before.

RootsTech Connect represents another advance in the global family tree project. While previous RootsTech conventions were held annually in Salt Lake City, Utah, it took considerable effort and personal expense to attend. These events attracted zealous genealogists. Even when I lived in Salt Lake, I did not participate because I was a family history beginner—a dabbler. But there will be classes and speakers in this online conference to match any level of experience or interest.

Another discovery feature on the FamilySearch app allows you to see how you are related to other people in your proximity (when you all have your settings turned on to share). This option was developed for the in-person RootsTech conventions but will be available to participants online this year. There will be opportunities to connect with newly discovered kin by chat or text throughout the sessions. Of the 146,906 people currently registered from the US, I am related to 3,599 of them and share my maiden surname with four other people.

It’s fun to find prominent relatives or realize you are related to your neighbor. But my delight in family history comes as I connect with my direct ancestors and learn about their lives. I love matching primary sources to my ancestors. Census, marriage, birth, and death records provide snapshots of history. It’s like working on the largest and most important puzzle in the world.

FamilySearch provides free access to the most comprehensive shared family tree. With over a billion unique profiles, it allows us to connect in new and exciting ways. You can link up with the tree by creating a profile for yourself and entering a few generations of your pedigree. Living individuals are always kept private, so you will add your living parents and their parents until you can join an existing line. If you would like a local family history specialist to help you set up your tree, email genealogy99645@gmail.com to request a free consultation.

As I work on my family tree, I feel directed and supported by my ancestors. They want us to find them, to learn about them. This interest in our forebearers is not new. The Old Testament ends with Malachi’s prophecy: “Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord: And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children and the heart of the children to their fathers” (Malachi 4:5-6, KJV). The tug at our hearts to connect and find out about our families is the Spirit of Elijah.

Whether you are an experienced genealogist, a dabbler, or have a recently ignited interest in your ancestors, there is a place for you at RootsTech Connect. You can join from your home computer and call on your predecessors to help you in this great work. As my cousin, Shakespeare, wrote, “My father’s wit, and my mother’s tongue, assist me!” (Love’s Labours Lost, Act 1 Scene 2).

If you are confused about second through twelfth cousins and the degrees of removal, you are not alone. There are some helpful charts online, but I like to think of it this way. The number preceding “cousin” shows how many generations separate you and that cousin from a common ancestor. The generational distance between you and that cousin is the number of times “removed” you are from each other. So MLK and I are eleven generations away from a common ancestor (11th cousins), but one generation apart from each other (once removed).

Amity Condie has lived in Palmer with her family since 2004. She is currently completing a Trauma Certificate and Master’s degree in Social Work from the University of Tennessee Knoxville and is a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.