Search Tips for Historical Records

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Watch a video presentation of this lesson by Debbie Gurtler here. Also see her instructions for successful research practices: Search Instructions for Historical Records.

FamilySearch Research Tips

FamilySearch adds millions of records every year. Follow these tips to help in your search.

• Set a specific goal of what you want to find.
• Search for deceased people who were alive in 1950 or earlier.
• Search by name first. Add or omit middle names. Try spelling variations and nicknames.
• To find a woman's maiden name, search for death records for her spouse or children.
• View the original record image. Expect record and indexes to contain errors, spelling variations, and estimations.
• Attach sources to your Family Tree.
• Use a variety of search methods.
• Start with minimal information and refine results using filters.
• Sign in to your FamilySearch account to access more records, save records and images to your Source Box, and attach them directly to ancestors in Family Tree.

Search Types

• Name Search: Enter the ancestor's first name and surname into the principal search fields. For more results, search using only one surname unless using two is culturally appropriate. Many indexed records contain only one surname. If the individual moved to a new country, search for the name as it is spelled in the old country. Search again for the spelling used in the new country.
• Life Event: Enter any known information into the search fields. Click on Birth, Marriage, Residence, or Death to enter information about those life events.
• Spouse Search: Enter the name of the husband or wife in the principal search fields. Click on Spouse and enter the name of the spouse. This is especially useful when searching for marriage records.
• Parent Search: Leave the principal search fields empty. Click on Father or Mother and enter their names in their respective fields. In countries where women retain maiden names after marriage, try searches with and without the maiden name. For Hispanic families outside the U.S., use paternal and maternal surnames.

Understand the Results Page

• Results: The number of results that match the search criteria.
• Name: The name of the person on the record that matches the search criteria and the collection the record is in. The dates are for the collection, not the record.
• Events: The event type, date, and place indicated in the record.
• Relationships: Any relationships indicated in the record.
• Preferences: Click the Preferences button in the upper-right corner to modify how the results are displayed.

View and Filter the Results

• Click a name from the results for a mini synopsis on the right side of the screen.
• Click the paper icon to view the results in full screen. The document information, collection information, citation, and similar records can be found here.
• Click the camera icon to view the original image, if available.
• Filter results by Collection, Sex, Race, Birth, Marriage, Death, Other, or Residence. Click the gray buttons at the top of the results list to filter the results.
• Conduct a new search from the results page using the search engine sidebar on the right side of the screen.

Image Browsing Tips

• Review indexes among images. Note that page numbers found in the images of indexes often differ from image numbers. Identify the page number as recorded in the image, usually found in the upper right or upper left corner. The number in the index is usually a record, certificate, or page number.
• Browse image sets forward or backward using arrows or by entering an image number.
• Use Tools to adjust image quality, rotate, download, or print.
• The best option for printing an image is to download the image and then open and print from your computer’s photo program.
• Start with the event date and work forward in time. The records are usually in chronological order by the date of the event or registration. If the event is not on the expected date, search a few years before or after.
• Keep notes or use a research log to track your progress.

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