Free Online Genealogy Database Hits 150 Million Names . “Back in 1999, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints invited family history enthusiasts to contribute their family trees to the Pedigree Resource File (PRF), a database housed on the Church’s FamilySearch Web site. Since then the file has grown steadily, and the Church announced this week that it has passed the 150-million-name mark, making it one of the largest free databases online.
”...The Church’s interest in family history is driven by its doctrine, which teaches that families can survive forever and that Church members have an obligation to research their family trees.”