FamilySearch Full-Text Search: A Genealogy Game Changer

Genealogists, get ready to rediscover records you thought you knew. FamilySearch has introduced a new Full-Text Search experiment (via FamilySearch Labs) that is often described as a “game changer” in genealogy research[1][2]. This innovative tool uses artificial intelligence to read every name and every word in selected historical record collections – including many land deeds, wills, and other probate files – making previously unindexed details searchable. In this article, we’ll explain what the Full-Text Search experiment is, why it matters, and how you can use it to uncover hidden clues in your family history. By the end, you’ll see why now is the time to go back to FamilySearch’s records and search them in a whole new way.

What Is the FamilySearch Full-Text Search Experiment?

The Full-Text Search is an experimental feature (part of FamilySearch Labs) that allows you to search digitized records by their full text content, not just the indexed names. Traditionally, FamilySearch (and other genealogy sites) rely on human indexers to capture key fields (names, dates, places) from records. This means millions of records remained only partially indexed or not indexed at all, requiring time-consuming manual browsing to find specific details[3]. For example, a probate file’s index might list only the deceased and executor, or a deed index only names the grantor and grantee – leaving out witnesses, heirs, neighbors, and other names mentioned in the documents.

FamilySearch’s Full-Text Search, introduced in early 2024, tackles this problem using AI-based handwriting recognition and text recognition technology. In simple terms, the system scans every page of a document image and “reads” all the words, whether typed or handwritten, and makes them keyword-searchable. This means any name, place, or phrase in the document could lead you to that record – even if it was never indexed by a person. The result? Researchers are finding records they “never felt like they could find” before, because crucial clues that were once buried in mountains of pages are now just a search away.

Why is this a big deal? Imagine reading a 19th-century will: besides the testator, it lists all the heirs and their relationships, and maybe neighbors who appraised the estate. These additional names were usually not indexed. With full-text search, you can search for a beneficiary’s name and directly find wills where they are mentioned, or find all occurrences of a surname in a county’s deeds, etc. Genealogists are excited – one researcher shared that they were “blown away” after discovering a trove of probate letters and land records about their great-grandparents with just a few keystrokes[4]. Another said this experiment helped break down a 25-year brick wall by uncovering a critical document they’d never have looked for otherwise[5]. Those are powerful endorsements for the potential of full-text searching.

Keep in mind: this Full-Text Search is currently an experiment. FamilySearch Labs features are essentially beta tests of new tools. The Full-Text Search may not always be available, and its accuracy is not guaranteed yet. It’s a work in progress – you might encounter occasional errors in transcriptions or search results. But FamilySearch is continuously improving it, adding features and more records as the technology evolves. Now let’s look at what records you can search and how to access this exciting tool.

What Collections Are Covered by Full-Text Search?

As of early 2025, the Full-Text Search experiment includes many major record groups from around the world, with a focus on English and Spanish-language documents (since those were the first AI models developed)[6]. Supported collections currently include:

A list of over 4,400 databases now available with Full-Text Search capabilities can be found at https://www.familysearch.org/en/search/full-text/collection/list?count=100

And growing… FamilySearch is continually adding more collections. Even some places not officially listed have shown up – for example, genealogists have reported finding Canadian probate records via full-text search. So, check back often because new images are being added “millions at a time” to the index[8]. Not every locale or year range will be fully covered yet (e.g. some counties or time periods might be missing), but coverage is expanding.

The key takeaway is that records once too cumbersome to search are becoming accessible. If you’re researching in the above categories – deeds, wills, notarial records, etc. – this tool could reveal names and connections you didn’t even know to look for.

How to Access the Full-Text Search (FamilySearch Labs)

Using the Full-Text Search requires a free FamilySearch account (most genealogists likely have one – if not, it’s easy to sign up). Follow these steps to enable and access the experiment:

Log in to FamilySearch and go to FamilySearch Labs. Open the Labs page at https://www.familysearch.org/en/labs/ and sign in with your FamilySearch credentials. FamilySearch Labs is the section where experimental features are available for testing.

Find “Expand your search with Full Text.” On the Labs page, you’ll see a list of available experiments. Scroll until you find the card titled “Expand your search with Full Text” – this is the Full-Text Search experiment.

Turn on the experiment and click “Go to Experiment.” Click the Try It button on that card to enable Full-Text Search for your account. Once it’s turned on, click “Go to Experiment”, and FamilySearch will launch the Full-Text Search interface in a new window or tab. (Tip: You might want to bookmark the Full-Text Search page for direct access next time.)

Alternatively, you can go directly to familysearch.org/search/full-text after signing in, but you may still need to have enabled the experiment at least once. Using the Labs page ensures it’s turned on and easy to find again.

Using Full-Text Search: Tips and Features

Once you’ve opened the Full-Text Search page, you’ll notice it looks a bit like the standard FamilySearch search form, but with some differences. At the top, FamilySearch displays an orange banner reminding you this is an experimental tool that “may not always be available” and that you might encounter errors. Don’t let that scare you – it’s usually stable, but it’s good to be aware this isn’t a finished product yet.

Here are some tips for getting the best results with Full-Text Search:

Start simple with keywords. You can use the Name field, but many users find better success by entering a name (or other term) in the Keywords field instead. For example, to find a person named John McEntee, you might type “John McEntee” in Keywords (with quotes for an exact phrase) and leave the Name field blank. This approach often yields more focused hits. In one test, searching a name as a keyword with quotes produced far fewer, more relevant results than using the Name field which gave tens of thousands of broad hits.

Try variations of names and spellings. Because the search is literally matching text in documents, consider different forms of the name. For instance, search a woman’s given name and her married name, or a nickname versus formal name, etc. The AI-generated text might have minor spelling errors or old handwriting quirks, so if you suspect a certain name, try a few spellings.

Leverage quotes and Boolean operators. The search supports using quotes for exact phrases (e.g. “John McEntee”), and you can use a plus + before a keyword to require it, or a minus – to exclude a term. For example, John +McEntee-Pennsylvania could find John Smith in records not mentioning Pennsylvania. These can help narrow down when you get too many results.

Use filters instead of pre-filling all fields. The Full-Text Search interface includes fields for Place and Year Range, but be cautious: currently, using these can sometimes include unintended matches. For example, if you put “Kingston, New York” as the place, the search might return documents where “New York” is mentioned in any context, not only documents from New York. A pro tip from users: do an initial search by name/keywords alone, then filter results by place or year using the filters on the results page (you can drill down by country, state, county, etc., and by decade). These filters are more reliable at narrowing location or date than the preliminary fields right now.

Go broad and then refine. If you search too narrowly, you might miss relevant records. Cast a wide net with just a name or surname at first. The results will show how many matches appear by location and time period – you might be surprised to find records in a neighboring county or an unexpected state (e.g. an ancestor’s name appearing in records of a place you didn’t know they had ties to). Then you can focus your search or add another keyword to refine if needed.

What to Expect in the Search Results

After you hit Search, the results page will display a list of records (often grouped by collection or record set). Each result shows the collection name, and a few lines of text from the document with your search terms highlighted. This snippet gives you context around where the word appears. You’ll also see a count of how many matches were found in that document. For example, a search result might look like “Albany, New York. Deeds 1853-1854” with a snippet of text showing the name you searched in context.

Click on the name of the collection or the result, and you’ll be taken to the record viewer for that document. Here is where Full-Text Search truly shines: you’ll see the digitized image of the record on one side and an AI-generated transcription on the other side. Every instance of your search terms is highlighted both on the image and in the text. This makes it so much easier to locate the information on old handwritten pages. You can scroll through the transcript or zoom in on the image to read the original.

On the record page, take advantage of a few useful features:

“Summarize the document” – This button (often at the top of the transcript panel) uses AI to generate a short summary of the record’s content. It’s a quick way to gauge what the document is about (for example, a summary of a will might list the heirs and relationships). While you shouldn’t rely on it for every detail, it can save time in determining relevance.

Download options – Click the download icon, and you’ll get options to save the record. You can download a PDF of the image with highlights (handy for seeing exactly where your terms are) or without highlights. You can also include the transcript and source citation in the PDF, or download the transcript text separately. This is fantastic for saving a copy of the document along with a readable text version for your files.

Attach to Family Tree – If the record indeed pertains to one of your ancestors, FamilySearch may prompt you (or offer an option) to attach the record image and citation to that person in the Family Tree. This integrates your discovery into your online tree in one click.

Using these features, you can seamlessly move from discovering a record to preserving it in your research notes or tree. It’s all designed to make the research process more efficient.

Why You Should Try Full-Text Search Now

The Full-Text Search experiment is changing how we research genealogy records. By harnessing AI to index the unindexed, FamilySearch has opened up new avenues for discovery. This means it’s time to revisit those databases and collections you might have given up on in the past. Did a courthouse ledger or a will book yield nothing on your ancestor when you first looked? Try again with Full-Text Search – you might uncover a mention of your ancestor as a witness, a neighbor, or an heir in someone else’s record.

Genealogy enthusiasts are already reporting amazing finds. As noted earlier, people have found long-lost probate cases, property transactions, and other documents with just a simple search that would have been like looking for a needle in a haystack before. It’s not an exaggeration to call this tool revolutionary for genealogical research – it breathes new life into old records.

That said, keep a balanced perspective: Full-Text Search is still evolving. You may encounter occasional quirks – like odd OCR errors in transcriptions or some false hits – and coverage isn’t 100% everywhere yet. But even with those caveats, the benefits far outweigh the hiccups. FamilySearch’s own documentation emphasizes that now you can search “record collections that have never been indexed” automatically[, which is a huge leap forward for us researchers.

Conclusion

Head over to FamilySearch Labs and give Full-Text Search a try. Pick a few ancestor names or surnames you struggled with and run them through this new search. Explore land records, wills, notarial records – you might stumble on details that bring your family story into clearer focus. And if you do find something great, be sure to save it and maybe even share your feedback with FamilySearch (since it’s a lab experiment, user input can help refine it).

In summary, the Full-Text Search experiment is an exciting example of how AI can assist genealogy. It empowers us to unlock hidden information in historical documents, faster than ever. Don’t miss out on this opportunity – revisit FamilySearch’s records with this tool and see what new discoveries await in those “old” collections!

Happy searching, and may your next big breakthrough be just a full-text query away!

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Author’s Note: I want to be transparent that this article – FamilySearch Full-Text Search: A Genealogy Game Changer – was created in part with the help of an artificial intelligence (AI) language model – ChatGPT 5o PRO with Deep Reasoning. The AI assisted in generating an early draft of the article, but every paragraph was subsequently reviewed, edited, and refined by me. The final content is the result of extensive human curation and creativity. I am proud to present this work and assure readers that while AI was a tool in the process, the story, style, and substance have been carefully shaped by the author.

Endnotes

[1] Raymond, Robert. “FamilySearch Full Text Search is Even Better!” FamilySearch, 29 January 2025 (https://cms-z-assets.familysearch.org/51/8b/842c19e848efaaef208cdc3b76f2/familysearch-full-text-search-is-even-better-2025-01-29.pdf, accessed 20 August 2025): “Released at RootsTech 2024, FamilySearch’s Full Text Search has been described, over and over, as a “game changer.” In the time since RootsTech 2024, FamilySearch has continued to add and upgrade features and add to the searchable records.”

[2] “Full Text Search,” RootsTech 2024 video, n.d. (https://www.familysearch.org/en/rootstech/session/full-text-search accessed 20 August 2025): “Often described as “game changing,” FamilySearch’s new Full-Text Search experiment allows searching of every name and every word in supported collections, including a large number of U.S. land and probate records. Many users report finding records they never felt like they could find. This presentation explains how to utilize the full power of Full-Text Search using real-life examples which are easily adapted to your search for your ancestors “

[3] “FamilySearch Full-Text Search Lab,” Napa Valley Genealogical Society, 25 February 2025 (https://napagensoc.org/Blog/13467803 accessed 20 August 2025): “FamilySearch houses millions of records that remain unindexed, usually requiring time-consuming manual searches to locate specific ancestors. However, FamilySearch introduced a Full-Text Search feature in early 2024. This tool employs handwriting and special character technology to scan and identify every word in typed and handwritten documents rapidly using AI.”

[4] “FamilySearch Expand the Capabilities of their Full Text Search,” Reddit, 16 September 2024 (https://www.reddit.com/r/Genealogy/comments/1fijrdf/familysearch_expand_the_capabilities_of_their/ accessed 20 August 2025) “I’m just sharing the news because I was unaware. I am so blown away at the records that FamilySearch has that are now accessible by expending a few keystrokes. I just found a crazy intestate probate situation in my family, where my great-grandfather was entitled to 1/24 of the estate of distant relative who died in 1921. He and his brother lawyered up, and the original letters from their lawyers to the court are available! I even got to see my great-grandfather’s handwritten signature. There is miles and miles of paperwork and listed extended family connections for me to go through. It’s likely going to be a weeks long project.”

[5] Ibid.

[6] Raymond, Robert. “FamilySearch Full Text Search is Even Better!” FamilySearch: “Additional collections are added regularly. Because FamilySearch implemented English and Spanish language A.I. models first, these collections are primarily from English speaking and Latin-American (Spanish and Portuguese) countries.”

[7] “FamilySearch Full-Text Search Lab,” Napa Valley Genealogical Society: “Currently, the searchable record collections include U.S. Land and Probate Records, Mexico Notary Records, Australia Land and Probate Records, New Zealand Land and Probate Records, and U.S. Plantation Records, with continuous addition of other collections. It is important to understand that not all territories, states, counties, or municipalities within these categories are completely represented.”

[8] “FamilySearch Labs: Full-Text Search,” A Week of Genealogy, 4 May 2025 (https://aweekofgenealogy.com/familysearch-labs-full-text-search/ accessed 20 August 2025).