One of the best treasures in the world is a fistful of papers from Evan Strohl's extensive stash. In one such fistful I came across a printout of this article from 2014 - dated, but still quite interesting, providing the history and logic behind the Church of Latter Day Saints' Family Tree project and the way FamilySearch works.
David Rencher: The Role of FamilySearch in a Worldwide Community