I have gone to the LDS site which shows a press release dated 1 April 1999 http://www.lds.org/en/4_News_Update/19990401_Genealogy_Test.html I copied the follwing: "The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has begun a brief public test of a new genealogical service on the Internet. The developmental test is open to anyone with Internet access, and the site can be found at www.familysearch.org. No special password or clearance is required. Present plans are for the test site to be available over the next few weeks. Due to test requirements, the site may be unavailable at times or experience periods of slow response. The Church believes that once the test is completed and the service is formally launched, it will greatly enhance the way people trace their family history. Depending on evaluations of the test, the full service may be launched this spring or summer. At that time, but not until then, a detailed explanation will be made of the site and its various elements. The Family History Department of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is an international leader in genealogical research with the world's largest collection of family history records made available to the public through a system of 3,200 Family History CentersT located around the world."