These are 3 great tools for expanding your overall genealogy knowledge and research. They not only serve as stepping stones for growing your family tree, but also allow you to learn more about the genealogy in a specific country or region. Whether you are new to genealogy or already have a sizable tree, these tools are for you.
FamilySearch Catalog
The FamilySearch Catalog is a useful tool that allows you to find all of the records on the FamilySearch website. The catalog includes indexed records, unindexed records, and physical books and microfilms. It can be accessed by going to FamilySearch.org and clicking on the Catalog link under the Search dropdown at the top of the page.
Note that when searching in the FamilySearch catalog, you are looking for record sources. You are not typically going to put your ancestor's name in the search box. Instead, you will search for a place or keyword that will lead to possible records sources. A good place to begin is with a place search, starting with a geographical location such as a US county. Enter the county and state names, and when the appropriate place name appears, click on it and then the search button. You will then receive a summary screen listing the available records for the place that you typed in. To view more information about a particular record source, click on that item. You can also look for records under the town or state to find more records to look for.
At the bottom of the page there will be details about the item and how it can be accessed. If there is a camera icon, the record source has been indexed and is available online. An icon with a camera and a key signifies that the record has been digitized, but can only be viewed at a family history center due to privacy, copyright, or contractual agreements. A film reel indicates that the record exists only in a physical format and is not available online. If there's no icon next to the record description, it means that FamilySearch does not have a copy of the physical record and the record keeper denies access to the online images. If there is an icon with a rectangular box, it indicates that the record can be searched through full text search.
FamilySearch Full Text Search
FamilySearch's full text search feature is incredibly useful for genealogical research because it uses AI to search the content of records that were previously unindexed, providing access to a wider range of documents. It can recognize handwriting and text within entire images, allowing a more thorough search of records that were previously only accessible by browsing large collections of images. By searching every word in supported collections, it significantly improves the chances of finding relevant information about your ancestors.
As of July 2025, the FamilySearch full text feature is still in beta testing. To access the FamilySearch full text search feature go to FamilySearch Labs. Locate the "Expand your search with full text" and click "Try It". After enabling the feature, click "Go to Experiment" on the labs page.
For more information on how to use full text search effectively, see our article on Unlocking FamilySearch: Mastering Full-Text Search.
FamilySearch Wiki
The FamilySearch Research Wiki is a helpful, online genealogy guide that assists in providing extensive information on record types, research strategies, and detailed locality pages for countries, states, and even specific counties. Although the wiki is designed for those with some previous experience, it also offers resources that can be helpful to beginners. The wiki also has links to genealogy databases, websites, and archives.
To access the wiki, go to FamilySearch and click on the Search dropdown. Then click on the Research Wiki button.
Using these FamilySearch tools will expand your research capabilities and allow you to significantly grow your family tree.
Need help finding more records? We have genealogy research services available. You can also try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1.3 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.