Get the popcorn; it’s movie time as we learn more about drilling down at the FamilySearch.org website. Rather than write about it, I’m going to show you in three very brief videos.
More and more of those Family History Library microfilms are now available online. It is really a game changer since, no matter what your location, you can see page images from the early records held in various town halls and state offices. But we need to change our mindset from using the Record Search feature to search names, and learn more about drilling down BY LOCATION to access those unindexed record sets newly appearing online. Not all are online yet, and not all online records are accessible from your home, so there’s a lot to figure out as we access these record sets. But it’s important , as genealogists, that we access the most original source of records possible, and in many cases, these microfilmed images are the next best thing to being in the town hall ourselves.
- Basic instructions for drilling down to access records by place and navigating online microfilm images (be sure and click the Play triangle toward the bottom of the screen)
- The differences between indexed and unindexed records; using original index pages to find your item (be sure and click the Play triangle toward the bottom of the screen)
- How to tell if the images are viewable online; what to do if they are locked (be sure and click the Play triangle toward the bottom of the screen)
If the records found show a camera icon with a key, that means they can only be viewed at a Family History Library or, perhaps, an Affiliate library.
Thanks, as usual, to our friends at FamilySearch.org who are making a tremendous effort to help us access these records, for free.
One example
If relevant to you, check out the late 19th century-early 20th century Providence vital records which contain the “returns” of marriages and deaths. “Return of a Death” forms, from the Providence City Archives were filmed years ago. The films are not indexed fully. You have to browse from image to image, jumping forward in the record set as you guess where your date might turn up (the order by date is not very dependable, though, additional cards can be thrown in at the end of the month). It’s very rewarding when you find what you want AND it contains the FIRST version of the details, before all the re-transcriptions happened, creating errors and omitting certain pieces of data. These have been a gold mine for me. See sample, below.
Sets of interest for Providence include:
- Intentions of marriages, 1881-1894 [Providence, Rhode Island]
- Providence, Rhode Island : births (1876-1890), marriages (1870-1891), and deaths (1880-1892)
- Returns of deaths, 1844-1849, 1851-1855 [Providence, Rhode Island]
- Returns of deaths, 1856-1921, city of Providence
- Returns of marriages, 1879-1892 [Providence, Rhode Island]
The “Return of a death” record for Hannah Andrews Lamphere, my ggg-grandmother, in Providence, Rhode Island.
The post you are reading is located at http://onerhodeislandfamily.com/2017/12/03/drill-down-in-familysearch-org-4-videos
Just a question about west Warwick schools in 1920. Are there any publications that you are aware of that might address this question. I have read the 1920 RI Department of Education report which said that there were five schools at that time in West Warwick but did not list the names of those schools or their locations. Best wishes and Merry Christmas to you and your family.
Such a great question Lindsey. You need town records or possibly the kind of map that identifies each property. Sorry I can’t be more specific but check out my 8 Weeks guide to Rhode Island Research, specifically local resources for West Warwick and maps. Good luck!!
[…] Drill Down in FamilySearch.org: 4 Videos by Diane Boumenot on One Rhode Island Family […]
Another excellent Blog!
One further point. Sometimes when doing a name search you will find indexed records without a link to images. This leaves two options, (1) try the methods shown here or (2) search the catalog for the film referenced in the indexed record. One or the other should be successful unless the film hasn’t been scanned yet.
Walt, thank you so much for your note. What great advise, I never thought of it that way … microfilms will come online but not yet be matched up against some prior no-image indexing. I’m totally trying your suggestion next time that happens.
Another wonderful blog post! Thanks Diane. I’ll be looking for any nugget I can find on FamilySearch. 🙂
Go for it, Celia! I love the ability to look through this stuff from home.
Much appreciated even though I don’t know that my ancestors lived in Rhode island. Believe my namesake lived just over line in ct but served with revolutionary militia.
Thanks Timothy! and of course, these concepts work for all locations. I feel like I can get started on work in a new ancestral location much faster these days.Good luck chasing your ancestors!
Thanks so much, Diane, for sharing this information. Your blog entires are always packed with useful information.
Thanks Karin!! Happy hunting!