Your search results in historical records can be a valuable resource. Use the following tips to get the most out of them.
Change your search terms
If you do not find the information you expected, change your search terms in the panel to the right of your search results.
- Increase or decrease the date range.
- Add or remove information. For example, if you searched with a birth city and county, try searching only with the county.
- Search for a family member instead
- Search for women using their maiden names and again with their married names. You can also search with just the first name of a woman and the name of her spouse or parents.
- Estimate dates and places
Filter your search results
Apply filters to focus the search results to a specific type of information. The filters are above the search results.
Understand the search results
The search results are in a table. Records that match your search are closer to the top.
Quickly click through search results (website only)
Click a search result to view its details in the panel on the right.
Note: Clicking the name in a search result opens the item on a new page, while clicking anywhere else opens it in the right-hand panel.
- Click < and > to quickly scan through your search results.
Icons
| Icon | Meaning |
| The historical record is attached to a person in Family Tree. Click the icon and see the Tree profile. |
| A digital image is available on FamilySearch. Click the icon and see the image. |
| A digital image is available on a third-party company site. Some third-party websites require a subscription to see the images. |
| Click the icon. Indexed record details appear. |
| The person could also have a profile in Family Tree. Click the icon and attach this historical record to the person as a source. |
Change the number of results per page
At the bottom of the search results, you can choose how many search results to display per page: 10, 20, 50, or 100.
To move to the next page of results, click < or >.
Print search results
To print the current page of search results, use your browser's print function. You could also highlight some or all of the results with your mouse, and then copy and paste them into a word-processing program.
Related articles
Search Tips for Historical Records
Search Instructions for Historical Records
In Historical Records, the search results do not match my search terms
How do I filter the search results in historical records?
How do I change how search results in historical records are formatted?
How do I export search results from Historical Records for use in a spreadsheet?
Getting the Most from Your Search: Understanding the Search Records Page