THE ONLINE GENEALOGICAL INDEX
The Online Genealogical Index (OGI) is a free-to-use database for places in England,wales and the Isle of Man, the result of a seven-year project to create one site from which you can discover all the records that mention your ancestor
Indexer-in-chief Tim Manners intriguingly describes it as a 'Genealogy Sat Nav'
Have you ever wondered how to find specific genealogical records online? Or wished that you could find free versions of records only referenced on subscription sites? The Online Genealogical Index https:// ogindex.org avoids you having to manually search multiple websites to find the correct locations and year ranges, potentially saving you hours of research time.
Tim Manners, founder of the OGI, was frustrated to hear family historians say, ‘I just don’t know where to look’. He realised that if there was a database of records online for free, it could help people quickly find what they need. Since 2014, OGI has grown into a database of 410,000 datasets of genealogical records organised by place The site was recently relaunched after a rebuild, making it, in Tim’s words, ‘the Sat Nav of online research’.
Around 58% of the records featured are free for the general public, the rest are free at any LDS Family History Centre or to those with subscriptions to Ancestry, Findmypast, My Heritage, etc. Whilst OGI is free to use, donations are appreciated, to help with running costs.
OGI is built around using place names as the basis for exploring the records. If you know the place where your ancestor was born, married, died, or buried, the site helps find sites that contain records for that place: records that may contain details of your ancestor. OGI searches need an event place so if you don’t have one, try locating your ancestor on a census. Using the site: step-by-step