The Exciting World Of AI: FamilySearch Full-Text Search

Are you ready to find more records that mention your ancestors? Traditionally, your family must be indexed in records to find them. But Artificial Intelligence (AI) at FamilySearch is making it easier to find unindexed names, places and dates.

In this blog post you’ll learn where to find this latest tool and how it can help you further your genealogy research. Plus, I’ll give an example of how useful it can be.

I love using FamilySearch for my genealogy research. I wrote a blog post about using the Family History Library microfilm number to help me find an original marriage record. You can read about that here.

FamilySearch is also helping us find our ancestors using what they call “Full-Text Search”. Here’s what it is and how you can use it in your genealogy research.

Understanding FamilySearch Full-Text Search

So, what exactly is Full-Text Search? Unlike traditional searches, which rely on specific keywords, Full-Text Search scans the entire text of documents for your search terms using Optical Character Recognition (OCR). This means you’re not limited to predefined fields or categories – you can search for anything mentioned in a document, from names and dates to locations and events.

Getting Started with Full-Text Search

It’s easy to start using Full-Text Search. Simply click here and sign in. If you don’t have an account at FamilySearch, go ahead and sign up for one…it’s free. You’ll notice the disclaimer on the page that states this is an experimental product and could change.

Enter your search terms in the search bar. You can search for specific names, dates, locations, or any other keywords relevant to your research.

There is a short video on how to use this feature. If you don’t have time to watch, the next section will highlight some search tips.

Tips and Tricks for Full-Text Search

To help make your searching more productive, here are a few tips and tricks you can apply when using Full-Text Search.

• Try using quotation marks to search for exact phrases.
• Add words like AND, OR, and NOT to include or exclude specific terms.
• Use wildcard characters like * or ? to search for variations of a word or phrase. The * will replace zero or multiple characters, while the ? will replace one character. For example, if I’m trying to find all the variations of the name Krewson I could search for Kr*s?n. This will give me Krewson, Krewsen, Kroeson, Kroesen, etc.
• You can also use proximity operators like NEAR to search for terms that appear close to each other in a document.
• Try putting a plus sign (+) in front of words that must be included. For example if I am looking for Franklin Bothell, I can search for +Franklin +Bothell. You can also use a minus sign (-) to exclude certain words.

Overcoming Challenges with Full-Text Search

Like any tool, Full-Text Search has its challenges. One common pitfall is the number of search results you may get, especially when searching for common names or terms. To make it a little easier, try refining your search terms or using filters to narrow down your results. These filters can be found at the top of the search results.

One other challenge is the number of collections now available to be searched…it’s small. As of this blog post only the following record sets can be searched. But check back often as this will probably be expanded.

Also, be prepared to sift through multiple documents to find the information you’re looking for. It may take some time and patience, but the rewards are well worth the effort.

Using Full-Text Search on My Ancestor

John Donahoo is my 2x great-grandfather. I decided to use him as an example of what Full-Text Search can do. I started my search with just his name in quotes:

This gave me over 1,100 results, so I needed to narrow down my search. I know where he lived so filtering by place (United States, Tennessee and Grainger County), I now only have 4 results:

I picked a deed to look at first:

In this deed William B. Tate is selling a parcel of land to J. J. Alexander in District 5, Grainger County, Tennessee. If I were looking for John in this deed using a traditional search, I would never find him. Only W. B. Tate and J. J. Alexander are indexed:

But, because of AI and this new way of searching, my ancestor, John Donahoo, is mentioned as being a neighbor. This is wonderful information to use if I was recreated John’s neighborhood. This also puts my ancestor in a particular place and time in case I couldn’t find him in any other records.

Your search results will give you the image of the document, but also a transcription (which may include errors).

You can download the image by clicking the down arrow in the image box:

And you can download the transcription by clicking the down arrow at the top of the transcribed column:

Finally

Use Full-Text Search in your regular genealogy research routine. Make it a habit to use it whenever you’re looking for new information about your ancestors. Keep track of what you find and document your sources. You never know when a seemingly insignificant detail will prove important to your research later on.

FamilySearch Full-Text Search is a powerful tool that can add so much to your genealogical research. By searching the full text of historical documents, you can piece together your ancestors’ stories like never before.

Genealogy tip: You don’t have to use the search tips one at a time, mix and match them to find your ancestors as easily as possible.

If you need help finding your ancestors, schedule an appointment to talk. I’d love to hear about your latest project.