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SALT LAKE CITY -- An American pastime with deep roots in Utah is seeing an explosion in public interest. Two nationally televised programs are giving genealogy research the kind of profile not seen since the TV series "Roots."
For many people, the allure is irresistible. NBC's "Who Do You Think You Are?" takes famous Americans on a genealogical journey. For example, Sarah Jessica Parker's search led to ancestors at the Gold Rush and the Salem witch trials.
Likewise, the PBS show "Faces of America" chronicles scholar Henry Louis Gates following similar surprising treks through history.
Thanks to all the national attention, local organizations and companies say interest in genealogy is now at an all-time high.
Those shows have turned to Utah for research and access to vast genealogical records assembled by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints at the Family History Library, which is seeing a sharp uptick in visits, calls and hits on its website.
"Everything across the board is just rising, and we're seeing a huge surge in interest now that people can do more and more in their own homes," says David Rencher, chief genealogical officer for FamilySearch.
In the ‘70s, the TV series "Roots" created a national sensation. Since then, technology and science have utterly changed genealogy, providing spectacular amounts of information available on the Internet and new genetic tests not even possible a few years ago.
Utah companies and organizations, which helped lead the way, are now reaping the benefits. For instance, in the past week, Genetree.com has seen a 400 percent increase in contacts from potential customers.
"It's created new jobs, new opportunities for people who couldn't connect before. [They] can connect now," says Scott Woodward, chief scientific officer for GeneTree.com.
Ancestry.com, which helped NBC research "Who Do You Think You Are?", says the popularity of genealogy is being driven by the enhanced ability to find out details about your ancestors.
"That's one of the great things about doing your family history: It's like a puzzle. It's a mystery. You never know what you're going to find," says Mike Ward, spokesman for Ancestry.com.
You could call it a genealogy revolution. It's global, it's digital, and best of all it's personal.
"Who Do You Think You Are?" airs Fridays on KSL Channel 5 at 7 p.m. This week the program will follow a genealogical journey to surprising places for football legend Emmitt Smith.
Meantime, the National Genealogical Conference is coming to Salt Lake City in April. CLICK HERE for details.
E-mail: jdaley@ksl.com
