FamilySearch houses billions of indexed records; however, hidden treasures
abound. Currently, 3.5 billion records in 844 historical record collections have
not been indexed. Another 1.7 billion unindexed records are accessible only
through the catalog. Other collections are incompletely indexed. Indexing is not
keeping up with new acquisitions so the number of hidden records is growing.
Searching only historical record collections also misses 70 million pages of
genealogical books.
Finding records
To use hidden records on FamilySearch, the researcher must rst nd them.
To locate collections, use the catalog, the Historical Record Collections list, the
FamilySearch Research Wiki, and Google.
On the catalog page at https://www.familysearch.org/catalog/search, set
Search These Family History Centers to Online to limit results to digitized
records and books. Enter the name of the place that created or that stores the
records. Select the record type and the title. Online records are indicated in
two ways. Red text at the top of the notes links to online historical record
Hidden Treasures
on FamilySearch
Robert Raymond
Robert Raymond is a deputy to
FamilySearch Chief Genealogical
Officer, David Rencher. He works
to increase the genealogical
soundness of FamilySearch
products and helps set record
acquisition and publication
strategy. Robert is a genealogical
technologist with more than 30
years’ experience in technology
and genealogy. He holds over a
dozen technology patents and
earned a master’s degree in
electrical (computer) engineering
from Brigham Young University.
Robert serves as a director of the
National Genealogical Society.
NGS MAGAZINE · OCTOBER—DECEMBER 2017 · VOLUME 43, NUMBER 4 PAGE 17
collections and books. Most hidden records are
found only by looking through the image set notes
further down the page. Image sets with online
images have a camera icon. A camera icon with a key
indicates a restriction. The researcher will need to
sign in, or visit a FamilySearch family history center
or aliated library. Click the icon to learn more.
See the Historical Record Collections list by
selecting Search at https://www.familysearch.org,
Records, and then Browse All Published Collections,
under the Collection Title search box. To list digitized
collections, select Only Collections with Images at
the boom of the left column. A camera icon within a
box indicates the images are viewable on a third-party
website, which may or may not require payment.
The FamilySearch Research Wiki links to
many online collections on FamilySearch and
other sites. Links can be found throughout the wiki,
and special pages feature links to online records.
At https://wiki.familysearch.org, select Online
Genealogy Records in the left column under
Geing Started. Choose a locality, scan for a
desired record type, and select a link. For example,
a link to transcripts of Irish deed memorials
can be found under Land Records on the Ireland
Online Genealogy Records page.
Restrict Google searches to FamilySearch
collections by including “site:FamilySearch.org/
search” as a search word. For example, “Vermont
birth site:FamilySearch.org/search” nds records
of births in Vermont.
Use several methods to nd partially indexed
collections. Compare the number of indexed records
with the number of images. Check the indexing
project list at https://www.familysearch.org/
indexing/projects, and look for notes to that eect
in the collection description.
Understanding record collections
To use h idden records, the researcher must u nder-
stand them. Check the catalog entry, the collection
description, and the wiki for information such as
collection coverage, indexing status, publication
progress, record organization, known issues, and
other important information.
The images in a collection are grouped for
convenient browsing. Waypoints—also called
browse points—mark pathways to the image sets.
At each waypoint the path branches by locality, date,
record type, or another natural division. Waypoints
are organized in a hierarchy. FamilySearch often
publishes United States county records in state
collections with a simple hierarchy: county and
then volume.
An image set may correspond to one or more
physical volumes, a roll of microlm, or some other
natural grouping. A large alphabetical collection
like “United States Mexican War Index and Service
Records, 1846–1848” might have ranges of surnames
in groups such as A–Ba and Bd–Bron.
Locate online records by selecting Online below Search these
family history centers.
See the Historical Record Collections list by selecting Browse all
published collections, under the Collection Title search box.
PAGE 18 NGS MAGAZINE · OCTOBER—DECEMBER 2017 · VOLUME 43, NUMBER 4
View the rst several images in the set. If scanned
from a FamilySearch microlm, the set may have
a title board specifying location, volume title,
record type, and date range. If the microlm is from
the United States National Archives and Record
Administration, the rst images may contain a
descriptive pamphlet documenting the records.
If the images are from a record volume, look
for the volume cover, spine, and title page. They
often indicate record type and date range. Look
for instructions, tables of contents, and indexes.
Check to see if separate images were taken for the
left- and right-hand pages or the front and back
of documents. Figure out the numbering scheme
for pages, folios, certicates, and other documents.
Remember that records are often ordered by
recording date, not event date.
Finding indexes
Images of indexes may reside within the same
image set as the records or may be in a separate
set. They may be in separate collections or on
other websites. Waypoints to index volumes may
be named obviously or obscurely, just like volumes
in courthouses or archives.
A collection that is not indexed digitally on
FamilySearch may have a paper index or nding
aid elsewhere. Clerks had to nd the original
records after all. With any luck, an index or nding
aid may be online. While geing familiar with
a collection, watch for references to indexes.
They may be identied in catalog titles, catalog notes,
waypoints, wiki articles, and collection descriptions.
Record abstracts in genealogical periodicals or books
can be used as nding aids.
Using indexes
Indexes may be organized geographically,
chronologically, numerically, strictly alphabetically,
or in semi-alphabetical name groups. Entries for
surnames starting with the same leer might be
grouped together, though not alphabetically within
the group.
Name groups can be organized in more complex
ways. Names might be grouped by several leers
of the surname, the rst three leers, the rst and
third leers, or the rst leer and the rst vowel.
They might be grouped by the rst leer of the
surname and the rst leer of the given name.
Common surnames might exist as separate groups.
If each group has a set amount of space, overow
may be found in a separate area elsewhere in
the index.
An index may have a system to speed scanning
such as multiple extra columns containing single
leers from the surname or given name. If the
index is complex, it may have a guide table—a sub-
index or index to the index. The guide table may be
at the front of the volume or section, or it may be
in the top or side margin of the page. When name
groups are out of order, a guide table is essential
for nding them.
FamilySearch Sign-In
Beginning 13 December 2017, FamilySearch users need
to sign in with a free account to see historical records
and Family Tree.
With sign-in, FamilySearch can individualize services
to users, optimize the website, and assure archives
and partners that their records are safe in a secure
environment. Individualized services include photograph
and digital document storage, personalized home page,
user-to-user messaging without the need to share email
addresses, incident tracking support, and user-controlled
newsletter delivery.
Some record images are still subject to restrictions.
If a camera icon has a key, it means that image set is
restricted under the user’s current circumstances. Not
every image is viewable at a FamilySearch family history
center or affiliate library. Click the icon to determine the
restrictions before traveling to a center or library.
To obtain a free account, a user provides first and last
names, a username, a password, and an email address
or mobile phone number. Users control whether others
can see their names or email addresses. FamilySearch
does not share personal user information with any third
party without consent.
The FamilySearch Catalog, Wiki, and Learning Center
are unaffected by the change. For more information,
visit https://goo.gl/BWFHZ5.
NGS MAGAZINE · OCTOBER—DECEMBER 2017 · VOLUME 43, NUMBER 4 PAGE 19
Deeds are usually indexed twice, once by seller
(grantor) and once by buyer (grantee). Grantor
indexes are also called forward or direct indexes.
Grantee indexes are also called reverse or indirect
indexes. The grantee and grantor indexes may be
on opposing pages or columns, or they may be in
separate sections or volumes. For more information
about United States indexes, including Soundex, see
“United States Index Systems” in the FamilySearch
Wiki at https://www.familysearch.org/wiki/en/
United_States_Index_Systems.
Navigating images
Once the reference for a record is found, the next step
is to locate the image. Navigating image sets is easier
than navigating microlm. The images in a set are
numbered. Enter an image number to jump directly
to that image. Click on arrows to move one image
forward or backward. This ease of use is slightly
oset by the fact that image numbers do not match
page numbers or other item numbers, but a straight-
forward approach can be used to locate an item.
Start by making a note of the lowest and highest
image numbers for the image set. They dene a range
containing the desired item number. Guess the image
number of the desired item. With no beer idea, use
the item number, or try an image number halfway
through the range. Jump to that image by entering
the number. If it is not the desired item, update the
low or high boundaries, keeping the desired item
between them. Repeat until arriving close to the item.
Then use the arrows to go image-by-image to the
desired item.
Consider a search for page 164 in volume 28 of
Albany County, New York, wills. Image 35 is page 1
and image 300 is the end of the volume. The image
range is 35–300. Start by making an initial guess.
1. A guess of image 170 results in page 269, which
is past the target page. Update the image range
to 35–170.
2. A guess of image 105 results in page 139, which is
before the target. Update the range to 105–170.
3. A guess of image 120 results in page 169. Since
that page is close, use the arrows to navigate
backward to page 164.
Search for page 164 in volume of 300 images
Image number Page number
Updated
image range
170 269 35–170
105 139 105–170
120 169 105–120
If the page or item number increases in regular
intervals, picking the next image number doesn’t
have to be a guess. If each image has one numbered
page or item, just add or subtract the number
required to jump to the correct image. If an image
contains two page numbers per image, take the
number of pages needed to get to the correct page
and divide it by two to determine how many images
to advance. If a record contains a regular number
of images before the item number increases, gure
out how many items to advance and multiply it by
the number of images per item.
Examples of calculations to locate images
Page numbers increasing by two for every image
In a volume of wills where both left and right pages
have page numbers and both are visible in the
same image, look for page 100. The rst guess nds
that image 60 contains pages 10 and 11. To advance
by 90 pages to page 100, advance by 45 images:
60 + 90/2 = 105. Enter 105 as the image number. Small
irregularities may cause numbering to be o by a few
images; use the arrows to move to the desired image.
Search for page 100 in volume where page numbers
increase by two for every image
Image number Page number
60 10 and 11
+45 (90/2) +90
105 100 and 101
Page numbers increasing by one for
every two images
In a census volume for which left pages were
photographed separately from right pages because
the volume was too wide, only the right pages are
numbered, so page numbers increase by one for
every two images. Look for page 100. The rst guess
nds that image 60 contains page 10. To advance by
PAGE 20 NGS MAGAZINE · OCTOBER—DECEMBER 2017 · VOLUME 43, NUMBER 4
90 pages to page 100, advance by 180 images:
60 + 90 x 2 = 240. Enter 240 as the image number.
Repeat or use the arrows.
Search for page 100 in volume where page numbers
increase by one for every two images
Image number Page number
60 10
+18 0 (9 0 x 2) +90
240 100
Document numbers increasing by multiples
In a volume of naturalization petitions with four
pages plus an arrival certicate, look for petition 100.
The rst guess nds that image 60 contains petition
10. To advance by 90 to petition 100, advance by
450 images: 60 + 90 x 5 = 510. However, image 510
is petition 25! Obviously, something is wrong.
Further examination nds that often the petition
lacks an arrival certicate. Revert to tracking low
and high values containing a range of images that
contain the petition.
Use the hidden treasures on FamilySearch. Elusive
ancestors could be waiting to be found!
Resources
Ancestry Insider [pseudonym]. “Browsing an Image-
Only Collection.” The Ancestry Insider, 10 April
2012. http://www.ancestryinsider.org/2012/04/
browsing-image-only-collection.html.
FamilySearch. “Finding Digital Images of Records
on FamilySearch.org.” FamilySearch. http://
broadcast.lds.org/fhd/FH_Finding_Digital_
Records_WEB.pdf.
_____. “Using Notes and Film/Digital Notes
in the Catalog” FamilySearch [Help Center].
https://www.familysearch.org/ask/landing.
Search for the article title.
_____. “United States Index Systems.” FamilySearch
[Research Wiki]. https://wiki.familysearch.org.
Search for article title. Various authors contributed.
New York Genealogical and Biographical Society.
“Are You Overlooking These Free Digital Records
on FamilySearch?” NYG&B, 28 September 2017.
https://www.newyorkfamilyhistory.org/blog/
are-you-overlooking-these-free-digital-records-
familysearch.
Rado, Morris L., Gust Skordas, and Phebe R.
Jacobsen. The County Courthouses and Records of
Maryland, Part Two: The Records. Publication No.
FamilySearch Book Collection
With the help of several partners, FamilySearch is
creating an online collection of digitized genealogy
books. These hidden treasures are not searched by the
standard historical record collections search form. The
book collection currently contains about 350,000 books
and periodicals, and more are being added constantly.
Use the FamilySearch catalog to find books of
interest, or go to http://books.familysearch.org and
perform an every-word search of the entire collection.
Use quotation marks to find exact phrases such as book
titles or ancestors’ names.
Selecting a book title loads a PDF file. Large books
may take a while to download, so exercise patience.
The user experience varies depending on browser type
and PDF settings. Some browsers allow immediate
access to downloaded pages while other browsers may
wait until the entire book is downloaded.
Copyrighted books are indicated with a faint circle-
slash icon over the bottom corner of the book thumbnail.
These digital books can be viewed only on a library
computer at the Family History Library in Salt Lake City,
Utah, or any of its branch family history centers. By
viewing a copy, a researcher “checks it out.” Reloading
the browser page or trying to download the book may
return an error message and make the book inaccessible
until a timeout period expires.
The error message is the same, whether the book
has already been checked out (inadvertently or by
another person), or a researcher is not using a properly
configured library computer: “You do not have sufficient
rights to view the requested object.”
Filters along the left side of the simple search page
and advanced search page allow the filtering of results
by material type, language, author, subject, and the
donating institution. Searching within a book is governed
by the particular PDF viewer, to match an exact phrase.
NGS MAGAZINE · OCTOBER—DECEMBER 2017 · VOLUME 43, NUMBER 4 PAGE 21
13. Annapolis, Maryland: The Hall of Records
Commission, 1963. See pages 20–36 in the
introduction for an explanation of indexes.
Available online, http://aomol.msa.maryland.
gov/000001/000546/html/index.html.
Raymond, Robert. “Hidden Treasure from
FamilySearch.org.” Audio recording. Playback NGS.
http://www.playbackngs.com : 2016. From National
Genealogical Society 2016 Family History Conference.
Rose, Christine. Courthouse Research for Family Historians.
San Jose, California: CR Publications, 2004.
_____. Courthouse Indexes Illustrated. San Jose,
California: CR Publications, 2006.
_____. “U.S. Courthouse Research.” Interactive
presentation. FamilySearch. http://www.
familysearch.org : 2010. Select Get Help, Learning
Center, and search for the presentation title.
Tanner, James. “The FamilySearch.org Catalog and
the Microlm Issue.” Genealogy’s Star, 15 August
2017. http://genealogysstar.blogspot.com/2017/08/
the-familysearchorg-catalog-and.html.
FamilySearch Indexing
FamilySearch Indexing is a volunteer effort to make
valuable genealogical records freely searchable online.
Since FamilySearch Indexing began in 2006, this
unprecedented crowdsourcing project has indexed
more than one billion search able records. Hundreds of
thousands of volunteers from around the world have
participated. Through their
selfless efforts, millions of
people worldwide have found
information and discovered
stories about their ancestors.
Eighty-one thousand
volunteers indexed over sixty-
eight million records in 2017.
Indexers are currently choosing
from 367 projects in 21
languages from 15 U.S. states
and more than 40 countries.
FamilySearch Indexing uses
a web app, making indexing
convenient on any computer,
laptop, or portable device with
web access and a screen large
enough to display documents
and controls. A simple guided
tour is the perfect way to
become familiar with the way
indexing works. After taking
the tour, start with a batch of
records. If the handwriting
or language proves too hard,
return it. While a batch of
records takes about twenty minutes to complete,
indexers can spend as much or as little time as they
desire. Incomplete batches can be saved for later or
returned for others to complete.
To become an indexer, visit https://www.familysearch.
org/indexing.
PAGE 22 NGS MAGAZINE · OCTOBER—DECEMBER 2017 · VOLUME 43, NUMBER 4
