FamilySearch’s full text search feature is research game changer

The FamilySearch.org full text search feature, now in its labs area and which became known to most of us only about a month ago, is proving to be a research game changer. I have heard from over a dozen of my most experienced and often professional genealogists/historians who have all found something they never found before, even after years of research.

The full text feature has indexed people’s names and other features using artificial intelligence. It has indexed handwritten original documents, as well as typed or published records. Once found, you can view the original and a text transcript.

Right now, the only records it claims are featured are U.S. land and probate records and some from Mexico. Other types of records are also included, so you may be surprised. Pace yourself and keep a list of your searches and where to return.

Once you put your keywords in — that could be an ancestor’s full name in quotes, or just a surname, or perhaps a slave’s name — then you need to use one of the four filters. You should start by using “Record Place” to pick which state and county, then “Apply.” Then you can pick a time frame, the record type or collection. Location and time frame are the most useful.

So what is out there? Everything. New discoveries are best found in places where there aren’t as many published books or indexes to records. Or on a brand-new project.

To start, go to FamilySearch.org and sign into your free account. On the homepage, scroll down on the far-right side to “Family Search Labs” and click

“View Experiments.” Then pick the one on the far left, “Expand Your Search with Full Text.” But don’t delay.

April’s Lunch and Learn lecture topic

Joe Windish, co-creator of the documentary “Central State Hospital: An Oral History,” will speak at the Georgia Archives for the Lunch and Learn on April 12. It starts at noon and is free. Bring your own lunch. See GeorgiaArchives.org for further information. Central State Hospital, near Milledgeville, was the state’s mental health facility.

Cemeteries search

FamilySearch.org/en/ cemeteries is the link for the new cemeteries feature, so check that out. It links lots of things together when you find someone.