FamilySearch Historical Record Collections

FamilySearch Record Search Pilot provides online access to indexes and digital images of records held by the Family History Library. New collections are being uploaded as quickly as the records are digitized and indexed. The term 'Pilot' indicates that the site is still under development.

From the main screen you can search all collections available in Record Search Pilot. There are three types of searches 'Exact &amp; close match' is the default. Use the drop down arrow next to the green Search button if you wish to chose 'Exact match' or 'Exact, close and partial'. You will want to experiment with these different search types to see the different results from each type of search. There is no Soundex search available.

The Advanced Search link adds search fields for parents names and acts as a toggle between Advanced Search and Basic Search. The three types of searches ('Exact &amp; close match' or 'Exact match' or 'Exact, close and partial') are still available.

The magnifying glass and link Browse our record collections provides a map so that you can limit the collections to a general locality or find specific collections within a locality.

For each collection, there is a brief Collection Description, as well as a link titled "About this Collection." Addition information about the collections may also be found in Wiki articles about the locality and in the Family History Library online catalog.

To return to the main FamilySearch.org website, click on the Home link at the top of the page and from the Home page of Record Search Pilot, click on the FamilySearch.org link at the bottom of the page. The back arrow will not return you to the main FamilySearch.org website.

Another link on FamilySearch Record Search Pilot invites everyone to volunteer in indexing the digitized records so that the sources can be made available free online more quickly. Click here to learn more about the indexing project and to see a quick reference to the collections being added to FamilySearch Record Search Pilot.

For more information on Pilot.FamilySearch.org read the blog posted by the developers. A new version of the site was released in September 2009.

One example of a record collection available at Pilot.FamilySearch.org is a wonderful index to church records for Cheshire on Record Search. Click here to follow the link.