8.8 Image-Only Collections
Serious researchers dig a little deeper or go a little farther than before in a familiar place. Indexed records are not the only collections available on the big four websites. There are documents that are not indexed and searchable. They are available only in image form and give researchers the blast-from-the-past experience that was common for genealogists in the twentieth century when microfilm was cutting-edge technology. Previously, genealogists would scroll through hundreds of images, looking for the document that recorded the BMD information for their research subject. Computers, digitization, search indexes, AI, and the internet have vastly improved the search experience and given quick access to many records, but there are still times when looking through document images is the best way to find needed information.
Image-only records are microfilmed or photographed records that have been digitized so they are accessible from a computer, but the historian must work through the collection, examining individual documents, to determine if the information they need is in the collection. There may be thousands of images in a collection, so it helps to be smart about these types of searches.
Choose a text color to use for notes in the research log that denotes “Future Research” and then, before the end of the project, go back to address each of the issues marked in that color by either completing the research or writing those items into the research report under a section titled “Future Research.” Having a section for future research strengthens the report and, for professional researchers, gives the opportunity to continue with further projects tied to the research that has already been completed.
Sometimes, in an area where many family members may be listed on the records, a family historian will go through a complete collection and pull information on every member of an extended family. If this strategy makes sense for the research project at hand, make a list of as many surnames as possible connected to the family before beginning the search and download the images that document anyone with that surname. After going through all the images, the researcher attempts to piece together how the family members are related. This is time-consuming and detailed work, but the final result may be that more family members are identified this way than would be searching collaborative trees and indexed records. For example, a researcher may spend several hours working through an image-only collection of 1,000 documents but the results may yield 100 possible relations tied to the research family. Those results are not guaranteed. A researcher would need to be confident that the focus family is from that area and had ties to the church, school, or other entity the records originated from.
If there is more known information than just surnames, it makes sense to maximize efficiency by strategizing about where to begin the image-by-image search. If a researcher knows that a child should have been born between 1891 and 1893, skimming the collection until arriving at the year 1891 and then going image-by-image through only those two years will be a better use of time than looking at every document. Usually by exploring the collection and looking for title pages that differentiate the sections, the researcher can get a good feel for the organization and structure, giving an idea of which parts of the collection to search through. The process of identifying image-only record sets is the same as searching for records by place on FamilySearch.
CHICAGO STYLE:
Include the name of the author, if the document has a title add it in italics, put a description of the image such as map, certificate, document, etc. in parentheses, add the name of the collection, the website in italics, and then end with the url.
Protestant District Ecclesiatical Board of Minsk, Protaken (handwritten sealed certificate), Records, 1648-1920, FamilySearch, https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-CSM4-W928-9?cat=707822i=129;lang=en.
EVIDENCE EXPLAINED:
Start with the source information then (place), year of publication, identifying information like page number, name of research subject, standardized date of record; collection in quotation marks, describe the database, add the website in italics (url : standardized access date). 1
Protestant District Ecclesiastical Board of Minsk (Minsk, Beluarus), 1844-1915, p. 1, Shomo Gordon, 14 April 1853; “Records, 1648-1920,” images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-CSM4-W928-9?cat=707822i=129lang=en : accessed 5 February 2025). .
SENSIBLE CITATION:
Title of collection in quotation marks, name of person with event on standardized date in standardized place, description of database, identifying information like film, image, certificate numbers, etc., website in italics, accessed standardized date. Embed a link from the person’s name to the end of the standardized place.
“Records 1648-1920,” Shomo Goldberg church record from 14 April 1853 in Minsk, Belarus, Protestant District Ecclesiatical Board of Minsk, image-only database, film 007766378, image 130 of 996, FamilySearch, accessed 5 February 2025.
It is still possible that family historians need to go into the microfilm and microfiche records to find the best information. Although FamilySearch has digitized records, because of agreements, privacy laws, and legal issues, not all of those collections are open to online research. Some records that cannot be viewed via the internet may be accessed in-person. The FamilySearch Library in Salt Lake City, Utah, has an impressive collection of microfilm and microfiche documents from all over the world. Some university and local libraries may also store records on film or in other ways that require hands-on research. If a researcher needs information that is physically stored in a place they cannot access, contacting the archive and asking for assistance is a good way to get the information. There may be a librarian or researcher in the local area that would volunteer to help. Genealogists are often willing to look up something for a fellow researcher in need.
CHICAGO STYLE:
List the author, then title of the collection or document in italics, f there is an additional layer of the collection add it in italics, in parenthesis put the publishing information as you would with a book citation, add the repository and a description of the media followed by identifying information like the film or certificate numbers. 2
Howard De Haven Ross, History of the De Haven Family (Wilmington : Hubert A. Roop, 1914) Harold B. Lee Library, microfilm of a book, film 1033620, item 18.
EVIDENCE EXPLAINED:
Start with the author or creator if listed, then the titles of the collection in quotation marks, list the standardized record date followed by a description of the materials, add the specifics of the document such as person, event, film and certificate numbers, end with the repository followed by the city it is located both in bold. 3
Howard De Haven Ross, “History of the De Haven Family,” 1914, microfilm images of a book, film 1033620, item 18, Harold B. Lee Library, Provo.
SENSIBLE CITATION:
Start with the collection or title in quotation marks, add the author and year or a description of the event with standardized date and place, describe the media, add identifying details like film or call numbers, insert the name of the repository where the film is held followed by the location.
“History of the De Haven Family,” by Howard De Haven Ross, 1914, microfilm images of a book, film 1033620, item 18, 32 pages including genealogical table and portraits, Harold B. Lee Library, Provo, Utah, Utah, United States.
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