Browse film images in Historical Records

Article Id: 13807
June 18, 2023

Introduction

FamilySearch provides multiple ways to view images of historical records. Record custodians and privacy laws determine access rights to digital images.

If you find your ancestor in indexed records, you can click to view the record image from the indexed information. You can also browse through the digital images of many of our records—both indexed and unindexed.

Before you start

You can browse images in these circumstances:

  • You see a camera icon for the record set in the catalog.
  • You see a camera icon in your search results after you click Search and then Records.
  • You find the record set after you click Search and then Images.
  • You click to view the image of a specific ancestor from an index and want to look at other images on the same film.
  • You see Browse through [number] images when you open a Historical Records Collection.

Some camera icons show an additional icon that lets you know that the images have some access restrictions. To see what the restriction is, click the icon. Often you can browse the images at a FamilySearch center or affiliate library. The icons indicate possible access restrictions:

  • A camera with a key over it
  • An icon of a sheet of paper with a camera in the middle

Steps (website or mobile)

Explore Historical Images is a feature of the full website and is not available on mobile devices. All other browse options are the same for both the website and mobile Family Tree app.

  1. Navigate to the record that you want to browse.
  2. Click a camera icon, a browse images link, or a title in Explore Historical Images.
  3. In the image viewer, use the tools to browse the images.
    1. In the top-right, click the arrows to move one image at a time.
    2. In the black box on the left, click the box made of 8 dots to see thumbnails of the images. Scroll through the thumbnails until you find a section you want to browse. To enlarge an image, double-click the thumbnail.

Browse from the catalog

When you click a camera icon in the catalog to browse images, keep these points in mind:

  • Older microfilms could have more than one Item. Note what item number shows for the record set you want to view. The images always open at Item 1. Use the thumbnail view to look for the leading image for each item.
  • The film can be part of a Historical Records Collection. Historical Records Collections have waypoints that help you navigate to the portion of the collection of interest. As you browse a film, double-click to enlarge an image. If you refresh the page, the waypoint changes to the one associated with the image instead of the entire film. To change back to the entire film, click the down arrow at the top where you see a collection title. Then click the film number.

Browsing tips

  • On a record details page, click the down arrow beside Document Information. Look for a certificate number or page number for the record.
  • Look for an index in the first few images. Or check the end of the film for an index.
  • Some films consist of images of books such as marriage registers. From the thumbnail view, you can usually see when a new book begins. Use the book titles to find the portion of the film with the record you need.
  • Look at a few images and determine their order. For instance, they could be in alphabetical order by name. Or they could be in chronological order.
  • From what you find, make your best guess as to where to find the image you want. Here is an example:
    • The digitized film has marriage records. The 1,874 images are chronological and cover from 1840 to 1898. 
    • Your ancestor married in 1870. 1870 is about halfway between 1840 and 1898. 
    • Try moving to image 937. How close are you to the date you need?
    • Move forward or back in chunks until you get close to the date, page number, or certificate number. Then use the arrows to go image by image until you find the specific record of interest.

How do I find an image in an unindexed collection in Historical Records?
What to do when an image is too big or too small, sideways, or hard to read
How do I download historical record images?
Why is no camera icon showing for a digitized microfilm in the Catalog?
How do I print historical record images?

Was this helpful?