Searching Record Groups At FamilySearch.org

 Lately I've been using the record type search forms to find records at Familysearch.org. It's a faster way to find the exact information I'm looking for. 

The first search form on the records link landing page at Familysearch.org searches all of the indexed records. It generally brings up an overwhelming number of hits. If you want to search a particular collection you can narrow the search by collections. 

Clicking collections gives you many record group options to choose from Often it's way more options than I actually need. Generally I'm searching for a specific record type such as marriage and death records in a specific place. 

I've been trying to locate vital records for my Chicago, Illinois family. Using the general search features at Familysearch.org takes too much time to sort when I'm just interested in the Cook County Chicago area. 

I had used the specific collection type search when I found it using Google search. You can get to the specific collection type search, for instance, by googling something like "Illinois death records" and adding Familysearch to get to a search form. That's the way I had been pulling up these search forms. The "Illinois Deaths and Burials, .1749-1999" search form has been very helpful  

I hadn't noticed that there was a search box on the search landing page for this kind of search. On my laptop I have to scroll down to see it. Just typing Illinois in the search box a menu for Illinois specific collections comes up. 

An even easier way to navigate through the many collections is to click browse collections under the search box. There are currently 3,127 collections. You can page through all of them, or you can use the search field at the top of the page. Below you can see the collections in red I have used for Illinois. To the left are categories you can use to narrow your record search. 

Sometimes the records aren't fully indexed and a link to browse through a collection is provided. Chicago Catholic Church records aren't fully indexed and you need to look through the books if your family doesn't show up in the search results. 

When you click browse links to the parish books come up. Some of the books are indexed and some you need to page through one page at a time. 

The search field by place is another great way to narrow down the number of hits. This search form is also available on the landing page when you click on search. This search form takes you to a page with a variety of search options. Again you can search by name and additional information or by collection. 

I've bookmarked search forms I use often. 

I've been able to collect up more family vital records using the Illinois collections at Familysearch.org. A summary of the information on records is a part of the index, but to see the original vital records you need to visit an LDS Family History Library or Center. There you can save copies to a USB drive or print them out. 

FamilySearch.org is the best place to find primary source records. I've collected thousands of records so far from their collections. I generally use the catalog more than searching using indexes because a majority of the records are not indexed yet. I have found more records using the indexes lately. Records are being indexed, and new records added, everyday. It's good to check back often if you haven't found the information you're looking for. 

Familysearch.org is my favorite site and it's free!