Allowed search combinations in the IGI at FamilySearch
When searching the International Genealogy Index at FamilySearch.org, there are only certain combinations of input fields that are accepted. Knowing which ones work is essential to finding all the family records you need. This table summarises the allowed possibilities. An X indicates an item that is entered, a blank space indicates an item that is not entered and a question mark indicates an optional item that you can enter if you wish.
| input field | search type | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| full name |
first name |
last name |
exact full name |
exact first name |
exact last name |
spouse | parents | batch | |
| First Name | X | X | X | X | X | ? | |||
| Last Name | X | X | X | X | ? | ? | |||
| Spouse First Name | ? | X | ? | ||||||
| Spouse Last Name | ? | X | ? | ||||||
| Father First Name | ? | X | ? | ||||||
| Father Last Name | ? | X | ? | ||||||
| Mother First Name | ? | X | ? | ||||||
| Mother Last Name | ? | X | ? | ||||||
| Event | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? | |||
| Year | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? | ||||
| Region | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X |
| County/State | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? | |||
| Batch/Film | X | ||||||||
| Exact Spelling | X | X | X | ||||||