
June 11, 2014 - From FamilySearch
I recently wrote about a new companion product to FamilySearch Family Tree: Find-a-Record. (See “New FamilySearch Add On: Find-a-Record.”) In addition to the Research Assistant feature I described last time, Find-a-Record contains a Search feature that is like an über-catalog.
The Search feature finds and displays a list of record collections from multiple . . .
I recently wrote about a new companion product to FamilySearch Family Tree: Find-a-Record. (See “New FamilySearch Add On: Find-a-Record.”) In addition to the Research Assistant feature I described last time, Find-a-Record contains a Search feature that is like an über-catalog.
The Search feature finds and displays a list of record collections from multiple . . .
websites and repositories, with particular record types, about a particular place, and for a particular time period. Filter the search results for free sources, paid sources, online records, and offline records. Click on a result to see an online collection on its respective website or to see the catalog entry for an offline collection.

I performed a search for Oswego County, New York, for 1850-1950, free and paid, online and offline, and death records. Table 2 at the end of this article presents some results Find-a-Record returned. Find-a-Record labels each result as paid or free and online or offline. Note that Find-a-Record returned many results for wrong locations. Instead of Oswego County, some of the results were from New York City, Pennsylvania, Maine, and the Panama Canal Zone. While these are errors, other seemingly erroneous results are expected. You must expect results for wider areas inclusive of Oswego County, such as “World Miscellaneous Deaths…”
Find-a-Record is creating a catalog of the genealogical collections of major research websites and repositories. Table 1 lists those currently included. I don’t envy them. Getting the proper geographic coverage set for each collection is going to be Herculean. Trying to keep up with new collections is going to be Sisyphean.
I wish them luck.
Find-a-Record is creating a catalog of the genealogical collections of major research websites and repositories. Table 1 lists those currently included. I don’t envy them. Getting the proper geographic coverage set for each collection is going to be Herculean. Trying to keep up with new collections is going to be Sisyphean.
I wish them luck.
Table 1. Repositories Currently Cataloged by Find-a-Record.
Data from the Find-a-Record website current as of 27 May 2014.
Data from the Find-a-Record website current as of 27 May 2014.
Table 2. A Find-a-Record search for Oswego County, New York returned these results and more.
Note: Many of the paid sites are free at FamilySearch Libraries and Family History Centers.
Note: Many of the paid sites are free at FamilySearch Libraries and Family History Centers.