| The International Genealogical Index, also known as IGI, | | | | There is even submitted data by LDS members on |
| is a method of organizing data from vital, church and | | | | ancestors and organized into batches. With LDS |
| civic records on individuals dating back hundreds of | | | | submitted records you can also just place a surname, |
| years, most before 1900. The data collected was from | | | | next a region and / or state and then a search can be |
| their "Controlled Extraction Program" which started in | | | | performed. Always view the 'message' section with |
| 1969 using actual formal records from chiefly the | | | | each viewed individual to see the source information. If |
| United States, Europe and Canada. | | | | your ancestor has a very unusual given name (Arvilla, |
| However, many other locations in the continents of | | | | Cristobal, Euphemia or Llewellyn) it can be placed along |
| Asia, South America and Africa are being added. This | | | | with a region name into the search instead of a |
| is a painstaking transcribing process which does take a | | | | surname. |
| long time and then needs to be indexed. It is used | | | | When you do find a match, view the listing for parents |
| primarily by the Family Search program of the Church | | | | and / or spouse to see if that matches with what |
| of the Latter-Day Saints (LDS) in their main Library in | | | | information you already had discovered. If you are |
| Utah, their Family Search web site and with their | | | | unsure, write the information down but placing a |
| thousands of Family History Centers across the globe. | | | | question mark or note to yourself that it will need extra |
| It can really help you tap into some new areas of | | | | investigation. |
| information on your ancestors but you should be made | | | | Whether the IGI records were extracted from a |
| aware there is a few tricks to its usage. First, you can | | | | church or civic record or submitted by a LDS member, |
| not search just by a surname. A full name must be | | | | the information on these 286 million individuals should |
| used. If only a surname is known and a general | | | | still be considered 'secondary source', in other words, |
| location then using the batch numbers maybe of | | | | someone's use of a primary source. In such cases |
| further assistance. You can check though the IGI for all | | | | there is plenty of room for errors and omissions in |
| mentions of the family surname within a specific | | | | names or dates. So always check with other sources |
| church parish or civic record. | | | | any dates, names or locations discovered using the IGI. |
| What are batch numbers? The vast array of the IGI | | | | Also you can request through the Family History |
| records are categorize into 'batches'. Each batch is | | | | Center the loan of the microfilm from which that IGI |
| based on when and where the original information was | | | | record came from. Reviewing that original record on |
| located. So if you were looking for an ancestor whose | | | | film will help determine if there were any omissions and |
| hometown was Hanover, York County, Pennsylvania, | | | | possibly provide some extra information. |
| you would first start with the correct batch numbers | | | | Don't despair if nothing is located right away on a |
| for that locality. For births / christenings the batch | | | | particular ancestor using the IGI. The LDS has |
| numbers for York County run from C506861 to | | | | microfilmed many christening and marriage records |
| C506881 and cover 1733 to 1875. | | | | from church parishes however many were not |
| For marriages the batch numbers run from M506861 | | | | extracted and indexed for the IGI. The microfilm of |
| to M506881 and cover 1735 to 1878. Note the numbers | | | | those original records (even if not on the IGI) is still |
| are the same, just a 'C' for christenings and 'M' for | | | | available on loan at a local Family History Center. |
| marriages. After putting in a batch number and a | | | | The use of the International Genealogical Index should |
| region (example: North America) to the IGI search box, | | | | be considered as an index only, not a primary source |
| just a surname can be placed and then a search will | | | | unto itself. It can conceivably provide a clue of other |
| reveal any matches. | | | | sources to help verify what your have gathered. |