Simplifying Your Search Through Unindexed Records

Your heart is racing. Your excitement is climbing. You just came across a digitized collection in Family Search that may hold a vital clue to your ancestor. The clue that could break through your brick wall. You open the collection and the anticipation climbs. Oh no! It is not indexed and includes HUNDREDS of images. The hours it will take to search each image is daunting. Your excitement turns to dread.

If you have ever experienced this you know how disheartening it can be. Here are four tips for a more efficient search through unindexed records.

Index from a Family Search online collection.[1]

1. Indexes – Some collections contain indexes created by the clerk who managed them. For example, Italian civil records are organized by year and often contain an index created by the clerk. When searching an unindexed collection, look at the beginning and end of the collection for an internal index. Internal indexes may be organized by name, or by the date the event occurred. After finding an index, study the organization of the index. Look for alphabetical or chronological organization. If surnames include precursors like “d’” or “di,” (such as d’Abramo or di Marinis) look to see if the index is alphabetized by the precursor or the name that follows it.

2. Estimating the Record Number – After finding an ancestor’s name in an internal index, some simple math can aid in finding the record. The index may list the date the event occurred or assign a number to the event. To the locate the record using the index information, first evaluate the collection. Consider how many records are on one image. For example, some birth collections record three births on one image while others contain only one birth per image. Use this information to calculate the approximate image number.

Here is an example. There are three birth records per image and the desired record is number fifty-three.

53 (the desired record number) / 3 (the number of records on an image) = 17.67

Look to see what image the birth records begin on. If it is five then you would add five to the number above.

17.67 (the answer from the first equation) + 5 (the image number the records begin on) = 22.67

Go to image twenty-two and observe the record number. It should be near the desired record number.

If the index is organized by date, consider the number of images and the month of the desired record. For example, the collection has 300 images and the record is from April. April is the fourth month of the year.

12 (months of the year) / 4 (April’s numeric value) = 3

300 (the number of images) / 3 (the answer from the first equation) = 100

Begin looking on image 100. Both of these methods can aid in finding the desired record faster.

3. Look for Image Markers – If it is a large collection with no internal index, begin by selecting grid view in the left navigation panel.

Image showing how to select grid view in Family Search.[2]

Image showing a change in images indicating a change in records.[3]

Look for any change in the images that indicate the digitizer switched to a new reel, a new volume of a book, or other changes in the image pattern. This often indicates a change from one year to the next or from one section of the alphabet to another.

4. Look for Organization Patterns – Look at the first dozen images of the collection. Look for patterns such as alphabetical or chronological organization. Either of these may help narrow the search.

These steps will save a considerable amount of time and heartache when searching through unindexed records.

[1] "Italia, Campobasso, Stato Civile (Archivio di Stato), 1809-1918," database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QSQ-G94X-LRX : 23 June 2021), Lucito, Morti 1873, image 4 of 33; Archivio di Stato di Campobasso (Campobasso State Archives), Italy. [2] "Italia, Campobasso, Stato Civile (Archivio di Stato), 1809-1918," database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QSQ-G94X-LRX : 23 June 2021), Lucito, Morti 1873, image 1 of 33; Archivio di Stato di Campobasso (Campobasso State Archives), Italy. [3] Utah District Court (Box Elder County), “Estate files of First District Court, 1870-1917,” digital images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QS7-L9LH-R9MC : accessed 23 June 2021), file no. 15-21 ca. 1880-1910, image 56 of 1133.