FAMILYSEARCH HISTORICAL RECORDS
©2016 by Donald R. Snow
This page was last updated 2016-11-28. Return to the Utah Valley Technology and Genealogy Group Home
Page or Don's
Class Listings Page .
Abstract: FamilySearch.org has a wealth of records available
to search online for free and they add new records every day. To access
these records go to https://familysearch.org
> Search > Records. When you are registered on FamilySearch,
it gives hints of records for you to check for your own ancestors and
fills in the search boxes automatically. Two other ways to search
these records are: (1) input the individual's name and then filter
the results to narrow down to exactly the person you want, and (2)
filter for the record collection first and then input the name.
Method (1) frequently finds records you weren't aware of, so it is
helpful to start this way. Method (2) allows more detailed entry forms
for searching and hence eliminates many non-correct hits. We will
discuss the types of records available on FamilySearch, how to search
them, and how to use the data to verify and extend your family history
information. The notes for this class and related articles in
Don's Freeware Corner are posted on http://uvtagg.org/classes/dons/dons-classes.html
.
WELCOME AND INTRODUCTION
- Instructor is Donald R. Snow ( snowd@math.byu.edu
) of Provo and St. George, Utah.
- These notes with the active Internet links are posted on http://uvtagg.org/classes/dons/dons-classes.html
.
- Tips: (1) To have an icon on your desktop to open your
browser and go directly to these notes drag the icon from in front
of the address in your browser onto your desktop. (2) To
open a link from here in another tab, but keep your place in these
notes, hold down the Control key while clicking the link.
- Problem for today: How to search for and use information on
FamilySearch Historical Records, one of the largest collections of
free family history records in the world
FAMILYSEARCH WEBSITE AND HISTORICAL RECORDS
- Website is https://familysearch.org/
-- Note the "s" after http which means "secure site", but if you
type just http it will get you there
- For information, press releases, and statistics about FamilySearch
see http://media.familysearch.org/
; for statistics about temples and FHC's see http://www.mormonnewsroom.org/facts-and-statistics/
; for help go to Get Help (upper right corner) and see http://www.thefhguide.com/index.html
- FamilySearch website includes Family Tree, Memories (Photos,
Documents, Audio, etc.), Wiki (help articles), FamilySearch Centers,
Indexing, Records (Historical Records), Genealogies, FamilySearch
Catalog, Books, and Help; at the bottom of the page are more links,
e.g. Blog and Site Map which shows links to everything on the
website
- Types of records and numbers of collections in Historical Records
-- to see the numbers of collections of each type click on Browse
All Published Collections; at left side are the numbers of each type
of record in Record Types, Geographical Areas, Dates, etc.; the
numbers of names in each collection is shown after the name; total number of collections is at top right of page;
here are the numbers of record collections in Mar 2013 => Jan
2014 => Jan 2015 ==> Nov 2015 ==> Nov 2016, so you can see
how the numbers of collections have been growing each year
- Census
and Lists (121 => 152 => 174 => 182 =>
190)
- Birth,
Marriage, & Death (896 => 1021 => 1111 =>
1173 => 1256)
- Probate
& Court (126 => 157 => 196 => 207 =>
211)
- Military
(105 => 119 => 126 => 143 => 156)
- Migration
& Naturalization (77 => 103 => 130 => 178
=> 190)
- Other
(135 => 150 => 141 => 132 => 126)
- Miscellaneous
( => => 22 => 27
=> 35)
- Ethnicity
( => => => 1 =>
8)
- Total
collections (1460 => 1702 => 1900 => 2043
=> 2172)
- LDS members at home and everyone at FHCs have several additional
"partnering" websites (Ancestry, FindMyPast, MyHeritage, and
NEHGS) that they can search -- see details here
- Information about FamilySearch collections
- Includes records from FamilySearch Indexing, other extracted
(indexed) records, and unindexed record images
- To see complete list of all records go to FamilySearch >
Search > Records > Browse All Collections
- Click on Title, Size, or Last Updated to sort in that order
- Click on name of collection to see more information about it and
for still more info on it, click on Learn More which takes you to
the Research Wiki
- Records are in the following forms: (1) index only, (2) images
only (indicated by "Browse Images"), and (3) both index and images
(indicated by camera)
- If collection is indexed, when you click on collection name you
get a search box
- If collection has not been indexed yet, you get "waypoints" to
help you narrow down to the date and place you need until these
records are indexed -- see Waypointing
in the Wiki
- Records Operation Centers (ROC) are doing the work to get these
records online -- Example is the ROC just west
of St. George Temple
- Searching
- When on a Person Card in Family Tree, there may be Record Hints to check there;
click the Search Records button on the right to put the name
and basic info into the search boxes automatically and bring
up the results
- To search manually on FamilySearch go to Search >
Records -- Two approaches here
- Method (1) -- Search for name through all databases and
then
use filters on left to narrow down the collections
- Method (2) -- Narrow down the collections with the
filters first and then search for the name
- Usually better to start searching broadly, i.e. Method
(1), since including too many search terms will make it
miss things indexed slightly differently; but second
method has more detailed search forms to fill in since
they are for specific types of records
- Can limit Types of Records to search by checking boxes for
types at bottom of page
- Can refine your search by adding life events,
relationships, or clicking on "Match all exactly" which
shows just those records with those exact search terms --
"Match all exactly" usually eliminates some good hits since
the words may be spelled or indexed slightly differently
- When you find something on the Results page, hold down the
CTRL key when clicking so it opens in a new tab and you can
get back to the same place in Results Pages easily
- When the record collection you want has not been indexed
yet, use the Waypoints to narrow down your search by date,
location, etc.
- Saving results
- If logged into your account on FamilySearch, can save to
your Source Box by clicking on your Name (top right) >
Source Box > Save To My Source Box -- can edit it
before saving and later in your Source Box before attaching it
to a person in Family Tree; can also save the link in your
home genealogy database or in a note program, e.g. Evernote
, where you can also save screenshots of the data
- If on a website other than FamilySearch, can use TreeConnect
from http://recordseek.com/
to save the link and data to your FamilySearch Source Box --
Even in FamilySearch the program TreeConnect helps in saving
info since when you highlight text before clicking TreeConnect
the text goes into the Comments field of the source-- very
helpful to save things like the text of the indexed
information so you don't have to reread the handwritten info
- Can link your source to anyone in Family Tree, so everyone
can see where the information came from
- To return to the home page of FamilySearch from anywhere click
on the FamilySearch logo (upper left corner)
- Helpful 2-min video tutorial -- Get Help (upper right corner)
> Learning Center Video Courses > FamilySearch > Search
> Quick
Start to Searching Records
EXAMPLES OF RECORD COLLECTIONS ON FAMILYSEARCH
- Censuses and Lists -- Examples
- England
and Wales Census, 1881
- Canada
Census, 1891
- United
States Census, 1900
- New
York, State Census, 1892
- Vital Records and Obituaries -- Examples
- Birth indexes and records -- Go to "Browse All Published
Collections" > Type "birth" (without the quotes) -- you get
123 databases (Nov 2016) -- can narrow down the list by
filtering on location or time period (left-hand side) --
Example California,
Birth Index, 1905-1995
- Death indexes and records -- Type "death" (without the
quotes) -- you get 157 databases (Nov 2016)
- Utah
Death Certificates, 1904-1964 -- images of death
certificates, primary source for death, burial, and medical
history; secondary source for birth and parent data
- United
States, Social Security Death Index, 1875-2014
- Obituaries -- Type "obituaries" to get 22 collections (Nov
2016) -- Example Idaho,
Southeast Counties Obituaries, 1864-2007
- Other Databases -- Examples
- Oklahoma,
Applications
for Enrollment to the Five Civilized Tribes, 1898-1914
- Ohio,
Summit County, Coroner Inquests, Hospital and Cemetery
Records, 1882-1947 -- Note: this has death records, but
"death" is not in the title
- International
Genealogical Index (IGI) -- Two parts: (1)
Community Contributed, and (2) Community Indexed -- can search
with a Batch Number for extractions, but can not search by
ordinance dates since ordinances are not included
- Family
Group Records Collection, Archives Section, 1942-1969
GENEALOGIES ON FAMILYSEARCH
- Includes Ancestral
File and Pedigree Resource Files (may get additional
hits from Historical Records here), Guild Of One-Name Studies,
Community Trees, Oral Genealogies, and International Genealogical
Index
- Can upload a GEDCOM of your genealogy to preserve it here, but
DO NOT INCLUDE LIVING PEOPLE, since it is public -- These are
NOT combined with Family Tree, but are searchable and can be
compared and used to correct Family Tree -- Everyone can see it,
but you have control over it and can remove or upload a new
version whenever you want.
CONCLUSIONS
- Good long-range goal is to find and post sources to verify
and correct the data on FamilySearch Family Tree and in your
home genealogy program (Ancestral Quest, Roots Magic, etc.)
- See my system of naming files and screenshots in other notes
on my website to make them easy to find and alphabetize in
chronological order for each person
- Finding sources for everyone on your lines will probably
lead to additional family members and temple work needed; it
also "turns your heart to your fathers" and makes your data
"worthy of all acceptation" (D&C 128:24)
Return to the
Utah Valley Technology and Genealogy Group Home Page
or Don's Class Listings Page .