Ancestry Magazine

An in-depth exploration of the offerings at FamilySearch reveals much more than the library catalog you’ve come to appreciate.

Today’s family historians have a great advantage over the researchers of yesteryear in the quantity and quality of information that is as close to them as a keystroke and an Internet connection.

Websites such as Ancestry, FamilySearch, and USGenWeb are remarkable in both scope and depth. And there is great research utility in exploring the billions of names found in their databases. But while the name databases are vital, they are not the only aspects of the websites to be explored.

One of the best examples of an under-utilized website is FamilySearch at www.familysearch.org. While the 1880-era census records, the International Genealogical Index, the Pedigree Resource Files, and the vital record indexes from around the world provide an enormous name datafile to search, the site has much more to offer. Research Guidance, Research Helps, and the Family History Library Catalog are three sources worthy of further exploration. They are most ea sily accessed under the Search tab.

Family History Library Catalog
The Family History Library Catalog is the world’s largest genealogy and local history catalog. Among its holdings are published local and family histories, periodical titles, and microfilmed records—both primary and secondary source materials. In this single database a researcher can search through one of the largest collections of compiled genealogies in the world as well as the world’s largest collection of microfilmed civil and church, public and private records.

As with any online catalog, one of the best ways to get comfortable with the Family History Library Catalog is simply to experiment with a couple of searches, choosing different search options and noting which provides the most understandable and comprehensive research results. This catalog presents the user with eight different search options ranging from the standard author, title, and subject searches to surname, place, and keyword searches. A cautionary note: The keyword search, which holds much promise, is often “temporarily unavailable.” The catalog has a nice mouse-over feature whereby a short explanation appears in a box to the left of the search option being considered explaining the particular option.

The top two options, “Place Search” and “Surname Search” are typically the best options to explore. Clicking on “Place Search” will reveal a screen with two input boxes and a few helpful hints. The top input box should be used for the most specific geographic term, and the bottom input box, if used, should be used for the next largest geographic designation or jurisdiction. If the initial search brings up more than one geographic area, you can narrow to the specific location desired. Upon narrowing the geographic area, the search results will be displayed in general subject categories.

For example, under Adams County, Pennsylvania, there are thir ty-four subject headings, from archives and libraries to vital records. Clicking on a particular category will show the specific titles, and clicking on a title will reveal the bibliographic information about the entity. If film notes detailing the number of microfilm rolls and the specific identification numbers of those rolls are available, a link will be provided in the top right-hand corner of the bibliographic record screen.

Searching for compilations containing information on a specific surname can be particularly enlightening. Simply searching on the surname of interest provides a list of resources by prominent family name. Don’t be fooled if the family name doesn’t appear in the title on the first result screen. Click on the link to the full bibliographic data to see where and how the surname of interest relates to the prominent family. The first results screen also provides the user with the ability to order or sort the initial results by title and by author.

Clicking on a particular title again reveals a full bibliographic record. Pay particular attention to the notes provided by the Family History Library catalogers. Some can be quite extensive. For example, a Witcher family compilation in the Family History Library Catalog had the following note:

“Clabourn D. Witcher (1808—55), son of Tandy Key Witcher and Martha (Patsy) DeLoach and grandson of Daniel Witcher and Susannah Key, lived in Tennessee, married Mary B. Austin about 1835, moved to Allen County, Kentucky, before 1840, and to Clay County, Missouri, by 1855. Descendants lived in Kentucky, Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, and elsewhere.”

With such extensive notes, it is much easier to determine if the family is the correct one to pursue and perhaps even obtain a lead or two to investigate right from the cataloging record without having access to the actual book.

But why bother with the Family History Library Catalog when we ha ve all the name databases to search? First, if you aren’t finding the individuals and families that meet a research need or criteria, you may want to see what records are extant from the particular geographic area your ancestors lived. While the Family History Library Catalog is certainly not a complete list of all extant records for all areas of the world, the Family History Department of the LDS Church has been microfilming so extensively around the world and for such a long time that its catalog is the next best thing to a comprehensive list. If you want an idea of the historic records available for a particular area, the Family History Library Catalog is the place to check.

Second, the Family History Library Catalog is the key to getting immediate access to primary sources as well as compiled records. Nearly everything that has a microfilm number can be loaned from Salt Lake City to your nearest Family History Center. It is the closest thing we all have to a world of records at our fingertips. You’ll find that ordering materials from Salt Lake City is not a complicated process and takes a very short amount of time.

Research Guidance
In addition to the Family History Library Catalog, the Research Guidance and Research Helps features of FamilySearch are extraordinary. The left-hand frame of both Research Guidance and Research Helps highlights a research assistant element that can aid in using these informative features. The opening screen in Research Guidance invites researchers to select the country, state, or province in which research is being conducted. Selecting a geographic area brings up a vital events list (births, marriages, and deaths) that is organized by time period. Using Kentucky as an example, clicking on “Death, 1850-1899” brings up a search strategy with the following links:

1. The Basics on How to Search for Ancestors in the United States
2. United States Prev ious Research, Part 1
3. Wills, Administrations, and Inventories
4. Tombstone and Sexton Records
5. Obituary
6. Military Pensions
7. Military Records
8. Genealogical Collections
9. Genealogical and Historical Magazines
10. History
11. Histories of Regiments and Wars
12. Church Baptisms, Marriages, Burials, Minutes, etc.
13. Mortality Schedule
14. Freedmen Records

Under each subject category for Kentucky is either a strategy for finding records, or a list of links to microfilmed and published sources listed in the Family History Library Catalog. You’ll want to pay close attention to the changing tabs on each of the different results pages. These tabs enhance navigation throughout this rather complex site.

The “Genealogical Collections” link under each geographic location is another important link to note. It gives insight on the best collections in which to conduct research.

The Research Guidance feature is akin to having a personal reference assistant provide clues, tips, and instructions on the best places to seek information. For more experienced researchers, this feature can provide a type of checklist to ensure that key resources aren’t missed when documenting a particular person or family line.

Researchers who frequently consult the “Where to Find It” tab in Research Guidance will be linked directly to the specific geographic area’s Research Outline. These Research Outlines are among the most significant aspects of the Research Helps feature. Each state outline contains information and links organized into the following categories (but may vary slightly by state):

Archives and Libraries
Bible Records
Biography
Cemeteries
Census
Church Records
Court Records
Directories
Emigration and Immigration
Gazetteers
Genealogy
History
Land and Property
Maps
Military Records
Naturalization and Citizenship
Newspapers
Periodicals
Probate Records
Vital Records
Voting Registers
Further Reading

Using Louisiana as an example, you will find contact information as well as links to ten major record repositories including the National Archives branch in Fort Worth, the Louisiana State Library, and the Louisiana Division of Archives, Record Management, and History under the Archives and Libraries link.

In addition, Internet resources and publications available in the Family History Library Catalog are highlighted. Following the Cemeteries link reveals major publications microfilmed by the Family History Library and links to the catalog. Similarly, Emigration and Immigration links provide excellent information on the peopling of Louisiana, including when particular ethnic groups arrived and where they tended to settle. The availability of passenger lists for the Port of New Orleans is detailed with a link to the research outline specifically on immigration sources. Also, the Military link provides information on the major engagements involving Louisiana troops and links to Louisiana-specific resources.

The research outlines provide a template for exploring a particular area’s resources, present direct links to geography-specific materials listed in the Family History Library Catalog, and provide important contexts in which to pursue f amily history in a particular area.

Not only is each section of the outlines printable, most of them can be downloaded as PDF documents as well. You can create a genealogical reference library on your own computer. There is certainly no reason now for not knowing and not exploring all of the best resources and materials for the particular ancestral area.

Research Helps
In addition to the Research Outlines, Research Helps provide a number of additional online documents and guides to enhance your research opportunities. Each state has a description of statewide indexes and collections, as well as a historical background publication that includes a timeline of significant events in the state. Census worksheet PDFs are provided for all the years in which a federal census was taken for a particular state.

In the Research Helps section you will also find Research Outlines for Canadian provinces and worksheets for the respective Canadian census records. Some geographic areas have links to sources that document boundary changes. For other countries around the world, additional Research Outlines have been compiled as well as letter-writing guides and word lists to assist those not fluent in a particular language. Guides that include beginning steps for research are conveniently located throughout this entire section.

These resources—the Family History Library Catalog, Research Guidance, and Research Helps—can be found under the Search tab at FamilySearch. If you take the time to explore FamilySearch, you will find, in addition to a large and growing name database, extraordinary resources to assist you in finding more data and in being a more experienced and efficient researcher.

Curt B. Witcher, MLS, FUGA, is the Historical Genealogy Department manager at the Allen County Public Library, and a former president of both the Federation of Genealogical Society and the N ational Genealogical Society.