International Genealogical Index

The following blog articles will help answer questions you might have about about the IGI:

Historical Background
The International Genealogical Index was a family history computer file that listed several hundred million names of deceased persons from throughout the world. For each deceased individual, the index also listed vital information from a single event, such as birth or marriage. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints compiled the index and made it available free to the public. Some of the information in the index was from collections of vital and church records from the early 1500s to 1885 from which volunteers transcribed information. Some of the information in the index was submitted by members of the Church about their ancestors. With the variety of sources, duplicate and inconsistent information for an individual was common.

The Future
On the older FamilySearch website, the International Genealogical Index is available as a single collection. The newer FamilySearch.org website does not include the International Genealogical Index as a separate collection. Instead, the records from the index are included in the original collections from which the information was copied.

Ancestry Insider Blog Series

 * What is IGI? (January 3, 2011)
 * What was IGI? (January 4, 2011)
 * Whence IGI? (January 5, 2011)
 * Why Was IGI? (January 6, 2011)
 * How is IGI? (January 7, 2011)
 * Where did IGI Go? (January 11, 2011)

The following articles are related to using the current IGI for family history research:


 * New IGI Batch Number Search (May 24, 2011)
 * Finding the Source of IGI Batch Numbers
 * Ordinance Index (1840-1997) (in the "LDS Temple Records" section of Tracing LDS Families
 * Finding Unrestricted Film Numbers for Selected Restricted IGI Films
 * How Can I Find the Name of the Submitter in the IGI?
 * IGI Batch Number Descriptions
 * IGI Batch Numbers for British Isles and North America
 * IGI Batch Numbers for the British Isles and North America
 * IGI Batch Numbers for Latin American Countries
 * Wales and the IGI
 * Global Batch Numbers for the International Genealogical Index (link library for IGI batch sites for Argentina, Belgium, Canada, Channel Islands, Chile, Denmark, England, France, Germany, India, Ireland, Italy, Mexico, The Netherlands, Norway, Peru, Scotland, Spain, Sweden, USA, Uruguay, and Wales)
 * Find ancestors on the IGI (Step 8. in Pacific Island Guide to Family History Research)
 * Submit names to the IGI (Step 10. in Pacific Island Guide to Family History Research)