Additions to Family History Archive and Record Search

Through the efforts of FamilySearch and Brigham Young University, both the Family History Archives and Record Search continue to increase their collections and online holdings at a steady pace. These records, which can be viewed for free online, include many items not available anywhere else except the participating libraries. Record Search continues to make available records from around the world that have been entirely unavailable previously without ordering the microfilms from the Salt Lake Family History Library.

The total number of books scanned and indexed in the Family History Archives has now risen to 48,018. The number of collections in Record Search has risen to 151. I keep a counter on the side panel of my blog showing the total items for both the Family History Archives and Record Search. Whenever there is a significant increase, I edit the counter to show the new number. Compared to some of the online subscription services these may not seem like huge numbers, but there are some major differences.

In the case of the Family History Archives, many of the items now going on line have not been available outside the participating libraries. Some of the items are one-of-a-kind and are likely unknown to any but the most dedicated researchers. Now, they are fully seachable on the Web and freely available to everyone who may be interested.

The Research Pilot will continue to grow dramatically. The vast collection of microfilmed records being indexed and put online will soon become one of the largest free collections in the world. Contrary to subscription Websites, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints has no need to make a profit. Therefore, the collections include records from areas of the world entirely ignored by the large commercial databases.

The newest records online include: (All descriptions are quoted from the Website. I have reported on some of these collections in previous posts.)

• Illinois, Cook County Birth Registers from 1871 to 1915. Name index and images of birth registers as recorded at Cook County, Illinois – including the City of Chicago. Collection currently includes years 1871-1879, 1906-June 1907, and July 1908-1915. 43% complete.
• Pennsylvania, Philadelphia Marriage Indexes, 1885 to 1951. Marriage indexes are arranged by the names of brides and grooms with the year of the marriage and the license number. The surname of the spouse is shown in parentheses. Use the license numbers listed in this index to find copies of the marriage license records. Marriage license records for years 1885-1915 are available on microfilm at the Family History Library and Family History Centers. Marriage license records for years 1916-1951 are available at the City Hall in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
• U.S. Census 1920. Name index of population schedules listing inhabitants of the United States in 1920. this was the fourteenth census conducted since 1790. There were 107.5 million individuals enumerated this census year. Data currently available for the following: Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Florida, Illinois, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, and Wyoming. Now 51% complete.
• Wisconsin State Census of 1855. Name index and images of the Wisconsin state population census taken in 1855. This census only identifies the head of family by name. The rest of the census is statistical.
• Mexico Census, 1930. Images of population schedules listing inhabitants of Mexico in 1930. This was the fifth census conducted after 1895. Only the schedules preserved in the National Archives were microfilmed. If desired locality is not found, search nearby localities listed. Either the locality was not filmed, i.e. the Federal District, or it is included in a waypoint that has multiple localities. This version of the census includes a front page [lines 1-50] and back page [lines 51-100]. The second page of the census was not scanned if it was blank. The searchable data currently covers the following states: Aguascalientes, Baja California, Baja California Sur, Campeche, Chiapas, Chihuahua, Coahulia, Colima, Guerrero, Quintana, Morelos, Tlaxcala, Nayarit, Tabasco, Sonora, Sinaloa, and Tamaulipas.
• Mexico, Tlaxcala Civil Registrations from 1867 to 1937. Civil Registration of births, marriages and deaths for the following municipios with the state of Tlaxcala, Mexico: Barrón Escandón, Calpulalpan, Chiautempan, Santa Cruz Tlaxcala, Tlaxcala and Zacatelco.
• England, Cheshire School Records from 1796 to 1950. Admission registers for Cheshire schools.
• Hungary, Pest-Pilis-Solt-Kis-Kun, Budapest Civil Registration 1895 to 1972. Images of births, marriages and deaths of Budapest, Hungary.
• France, Protestant Church Records from 1612 to 1906. Protestant church records for various parishes throughout France. This collection includes ten year indexes, births, marriages and deaths. 11% complete.
• Italy, Palermo Province, Monreale Diocese, Catholic Church Records, 1530 to 1919. Images of parish registers (baptisms, confirmations, marriages, marriage supplements, deaths, census, and miscellaneous church documents) of Monreale Diocese, Palermo Province. About half to two thirds of the volumes are self indexed.
• Slovakia, Presav Region Church Books from 1592 to 1952 with both Hungarian and Slovakian Place Names. Images of baptisms/births, marriages, and burials that occured in the Roman Catholic, Evangelical Lutheran, and Reformed Church parishes, as well Jewish congregations within the area of Northeastern Slovakia. The original records, created by local priests of each parish and by Jewish rabbis are located in the State Regional Archive of Prešov. These images were scanned from microfilms. The entries are in Latin, Hungarian, Slovak, and German.
• Argentina National Census for 1869 and 1895. For 1869, images of population schedules listing inhabitants of Argentina in 1869. This was the first national census conducted in Argentina. 37% complete. For 1895, name index and images of population schedules listing inhabitants of Argentina in 1895. This was the second national census conducted in Argentina. This collection is complete.
• Argentina, Tucuman, San Miguel de Tucuman, Catholic Church Records, 1727 to 1949. Catholic Church records primarily of baptisms, marriages, and deaths for the city of San Miguel de Tucumán, Tucumán, Argentina. Complete.
• Ghana, Census 1982 - 1984. Ghana census of 1982-1984 for the Adansi district, Ashanti Region in Ghana.

Stay tuned for further updates.