Gaining Control Over Vital Records Research on FamilySearch

Gaining Control Over Vital Records Research on FamilySearch

This guide empowers you to systematically find and manage vital records (birth, marriage, death) for your ancestors directly within FamilySearch.org.

Step 1: Start with Your Ancestor's Person Page

• Navigate to the Person Page of the ancestor for whom you are seeking vital records. This is your central hub for all research related to this individual.
• Click on the Details tab to review existing vital information (birth, christening, marriage, death, burial) and associated dates and places.

Step 2: Review Existing Sources and Research Helps

• Click the Sources tab on the Person Page to see if vital records have already been found and attached. Review these carefully to avoid duplicating effort.
• On the right-hand side of the Person Page, look for the Research Helps section. This often contains valuable suggestions from FamilySearch about potential records.
• Below Research Helps, check the Record Hints section. Click Review Hints to examine any suggested records, which frequently include vital records.

Step 3: Utilize the General "Search" for Records

• From any page on FamilySearch, click Search in the top menu bar, then select Records from the dropdown.
• Enter your ancestor's name, approximate birth/marriage/death dates, and relevant place information.
• Use the More Options and Restrict records by collection features to target your search. For example, search specifically for "Births and Christenings" or "Marriages."
• Experiment with different spellings, using wildcards (* or ?) if necessary, and checking the Exact Match boxes for more precise results.

Step 4: Master the "Catalog" for Locality-Based Research

• From any page on FamilySearch, click Search in the top menu bar, then select Catalog.
• Enter the Place where your ancestor's vital event occurred (e.g., "Norfolk, Virginia, United States"). Ensure you select the correct standardized place from the dropdown.
• On the results page, look for the category Vital Records. Click on this to expand the list of available collections.
• Look for items with a camera icon next to them. This indicates that the record images are available online. Click the camera icon to browse the record images directly.

Step 5: Explore Unindexed Records and Image Groups

• Sometimes vital records are available online but not yet indexed, meaning they won't show up in a name search. When browsing the Catalog, if you see a camera icon without a corresponding "indexed" status, you'll need to browse the images manually.
• Within search results, if a record set is not fully indexed, you might see an option like "Browse through [number] images." This leads you to the digitized film where you can scroll through records page by page, just like in a physical archive.

Step 6: Document Your Research and Plan Next Steps

• Whenever you find a vital record, click Attach to Family Tree directly from the record view. Accurately transcribe information and explain how the record proves facts.
• If you conduct a thorough search and find no vital records, make a note on the ancestor's Person Page for the specific fact (e.g., in the "Reason Statement" for a birth event). This prevents repetitive searching and documents due diligence.
• If vital records remain elusive, consider expanding your search to neighboring counties, using different name spellings, or searching for the records of siblings or parents, which might indirectly lead to your ancestor's records.