Approximate Dates for Temple Submission Systems

Until the 1980s all submissions were done on paper.

1980s – computer submissions began: Submissions created in PAF were run through TempleReady in a FHC to check the IGI on CD-ROMs for completed ordinances.

1999 - FamilySearch.org went online (FamilySearch became the trade name for services of the Family History Department of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.) We were still using TempleReady and IGI.

2007-2013 - Submissions were done using http://new.familysearch.org (This parallel web site was a vast improvement in preventing duplicated research and duplicated ordinances, as submissions were checked against completed ordinances in real time rather than against CD-ROMs that might be a year or more out of date. Only Church members had access to new.familysearch.org, but the general public had access to FamilySearch.org.)

2013 to present -   Family Tree replaced new.familysearch.org 

Family Tree is an integral part of the FamilySearch web site. Family Tree is an open edit, source-centric database that resolved some major issues with nFS, and added Memories and easy sourcing using our billions of historical records. It is still not perfect, but it is better than the systems that preceded it.

Some day we hope to have a system as good as the record keeping that goes on beyond the veil, but we are not there yet. 

History of FamilySearch:

The Genealogical Society of Utah was organized by the Church in 1894. 

Later it was renamed the Genealogical Department, and it is currently the Family History Department of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. We use FamilySearch as a trade name. 

(This can be confusing as the leader has the dual titles of "Managing Director of the Family History Department ..." and "Chief Executive Officer of FamilySearch International". He reports to a committee headed by Elder Bradley Foster of the Seventy, who report to the Apostles and the First Presidency). 

So basically GSU became the Genealogical Department, which became the Family History Department AKA FamilySearch.