How do I find an image in an unindexed collection in Historical Records?

Article Id: 1595
December 10, 2024
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Steps—Record Search (website)

On the list of all published historical records collections, some collections show as "Browse Images." Browse Images collections are unindexed. The images are available for you to view.
The images are grouped to make it easier to search. The groupings are called browse points or waypoints. You can browse through these images to see if the collection contains the record that you want.

  1. Sign in to FamilySearch.org. 
  2. At the top of the page, click Search. 
  3. Click Records.
  4. Scroll down to Find a Collection.
  5. Click Browse all collections.
  6. Find a collection that says "Browse Images" in the Records column.
  7. Click Browse Images.
  8. The next screen shows a first-level grouping of the records. Click a link to continue. Collections can have multiple groupings to navigate before you see the images. 
  9. Use the viewer tools as you browse the images:
    • To move image by image through the collection, use the arrows to the left and right of the image.
    • To the left of the image, find the Image field. You see the current image number and how many images are in the group. To jump to a specific image number, enter the number and press Enter on your keyboard.
    • To the right of the image are additional tools. To go to a thumbnail view of the images, click the 3x3 grid icon. 
    • When in the thumbnail view, to make an image larger, double-click the image.

Steps—Record Search (Apple iOS mobile app)

On a small screen, turn the device to landscape mode so you can see the Browse Images designation.

  1. Open the FamilySearch Family Tree mobile app. 
  2. Click the 3 lines icon—lower right on an Apple iOS device; upper left on an Android device
  3. Tap Search Historical Records. 
  4. Tap Browse all collections.
  5. On a small screen, such as a mobile phone, tap Collection Title, Records, Last Updated near the top of the screen. Then tap Records. This step may look slightly different on larger screens.
  6. In the Records column, tap Browse Images.
  7. Browse images following the steps in the website instructions above.

Steps—Record Search (Android mobile app)

Navigation differences from Apple iOS device:

  • To move image by image through the collection, in the upper left, find the Image field. Use the arrows to the right and left of the image number.
  • Hold the phone in landscape mode. To the left of the image is a dark bar with additional tools To go to a thumbnail view, click the 8 dots icon.

Steps—Explore Historical Images (website only)

  1. Sign in to FamilySearch.org
  2. Click Search and then click Images.
  3. Perform your search.
  4. Click an Image Group Number
    1. To jump to a specific image, in the upper left, enter an image number and press Enter on your computer keyboard. To open an image, double-click the highlighted image.
    2. To scroll image-by-image, double-click a small image.
      1. To advance one image, hold your mouse pointer in the right portion of the image. An arrow appears. Click the arrow.
      2. To go back one image, hold your mouse pointer in the left portion of the image. An arrow appears. Click the arrow.
      3. Below the open image, find thumbnails of images. Use the arrows on the left or right to scroll through the images. Double-click an image to open it.
  5. To return to thumbnail images, in the upper right portion of the image viewer, click the 3x3 grid icon.

Find a specific image—tips

  • Look for a table of contents in the first few images.
  • Check for an index at the end of the group of images. 
  • Some image groups consist of multiple items. To find a specific item, use the thumbnail view. Often each item is preceded by a dark image with a large number (the item number).
  • Some image groups consist of images of books (such as marriage registers). From the thumbnail view, you can usually see when a new book begins. Book titles can help you find the records of interest.
  • To determine the order of the images, look at the first few. For instance, they could be in alphabetical order by name. Or they could be in chronological order.
  • Make your best guess as to where to find the image you want. Here is an example:
    • The image group has marriage records. The 1,874 images are chronological and cover from 1840–1898. 
    • Your ancestor married in 1870 (about half-way 1840 and 1898). 
    • Try moving to image 937. How close are you to the date you need?
    • Move forward or back in chunks until you get close to the date. Then use the arrows to go image by image until you find the specific record of interest.

Search Tips for Historical Records
Search Instructions for Historical Records
Why are some catalog films unindexed?
Can I use an unindexed image as a source in Family Tree?
How do I get started in Explore Historical Images?
Getting the Most from Your Search: Understanding the Search Records Page
How do I delete all of the cookies and temporary files stored by my internet browser?

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