A technological revolution is quietly transforming how we discover our ancestors.
FamilySearch’s AI Full-Text Search represents more than just another digital tool—it signifies a fundamental paradigm shift in how we interact with historical records.
What is FamilySearch’s AI Full-Text Search?
At its core, FamilySearch’s AI Full-Text Search is a cutting-edge technology that harnesses artificial intelligence to read and transcribe handwritten historical documents.
Unlike traditional search systems that rely on manually indexed fields (typically limited to names, dates, and places), this tool makes the entire content of historical documents searchable—every word, every line, every margin note.
The system creates machine-readable transcriptions of documents that were previously locked behind the barrier of handwritten script, allowing researchers to search for any word or phrase that might appear in billions of historical records.
Why It’s a “Game Changer”
The genealogical community labeled this technology a “game changer” immediately upon its announcement, and for good reason. The tool aims to make over a billion previously difficult-to-access records fully searchable—records that were either unindexed or only partially indexed.
By creating “fully-searchable text transcriptions,” FamilySearch has removed the traditional limitations of index-based searching.
Now, instead of being restricted to whatever fields an indexer decided to capture, researchers can search for any content within a document—from occupation descriptions to property details, from witness names to family relationships mentioned in passing.
Why Use AI Full-Text Search? The Power to Uncover the “Unsearchable”
Beyond Traditional Indexing Limitations
For decades, genealogical research in digital collections has been constrained by the limitations of manual, human indexing. Traditional search methods rely on predefined indexed fields, typically capturing only the most basic information from records: names, dates, and places.
The reality is sobering: only a fraction of FamilySearch’s billions of digitized records have been manually indexed. The rest remain technically available but practically hidden—viewable only if you knew exactly where to look and were willing to browse page by page through hundreds or thousands of images.
AI Full-Text Search bridges this enormous gap by making the entire document content searchable, not just what an indexer happened to extract.
Accessing Vast, Previously Hidden Information
This technology unlocks what FamilySearch describes as “incredible discoveries hidden in unindexed, handwritten historical records that have never been searchable before.”
Consider all the ways an ancestor might appear in historical records beyond just being the primary subject:
- As a witness to a marriage or land transaction
- As a neighbor mentioned in a property description
- As an executor or beneficiary in someone else’s will
- As a juror, deponent, or character reference to a naturalization
- As a business associate mentioned in a contract
Traditional indexing rarely captures these ancillary mentions, yet they can provide crucial clues in genealogical research. With AI Full-Text Search, these previously invisible mentions become findable.
Finding “Lost” or Misfiled Records
Records can be effectively “lost” within archives due to various practical issues:
- Documents misfiled in the wrong folder or volume
- Records bound into incorrect books
- Documents with incorrect date labeling or cataloging
Even when digitized, these records remain essentially hidden if the catalog metadata is incorrect. Traditional index-based searches often miss these records entirely. AI Full-Text Search, however, scans the actual document content, allowing it to locate records regardless of cataloging errors.
One striking example: a researcher found an 1821 marriage record tucked away in a marriage book labeled for 1810-1817. This record, invisible to traditional search methods due to its misfiling, was instantly discoverable through the contents of the document itself.
The Tangible Benefits: How AI Full-Text Search Revolutionizes Your Research
Deeper and Broader Research Capabilities
The ability to search entire documents, not just indexed fields, fundamentally transforms research capabilities:
- Search Entire Documents: Every word on a page becomes searchable—names, places, occupations, relationships, property descriptions, and more. This allows for creative searches previously impossible, such as finding all references to a specific property or searching for rare occupations in a region.
- Uncover Ancillary Mentions: Find ancestors in contexts rarely captured by traditional indexing—as witnesses, neighbors, or parties in minor legal actions. These mentions, while often brief, can place an ancestor in a specific location at a specific time, helping fill biographical gaps.
- Boost FAN Club Research: The FAN Club approach (researching Friends, Associates, and Neighbors) becomes dramatically more powerful. Finding these connections is crucial for indirect evidence and cluster research, especially when direct records for an ancestor are scarce.
Enhanced Analysis and Efficiency
AI Full-Text Search doesn’t just find more records—it transforms how efficiently researchers can work with those records:
- AI-Generated Transcriptions: The system provides machine-readable transcriptions of handwritten text alongside the original document image, making difficult handwriting more accessible.
- In-Document Highlighting: Search terms are highlighted on both the image and the transcript, allowing for quick assessment of a document’s relevance.
- AI-Generated Summaries: The tool offers concise overviews of a record’s content, including relationships and key information. Remarkably, these summaries are often provided in English even for foreign-language documents.
- Rapid “Triage” of Records: Researchers can quickly assess whether a document is relevant to their research, saving hours that would otherwise be spent deciphering handwriting only to discover the record isn’t useful.
- Integrated Translation: For foreign-language documents, the system often provides an AI-generated translation of the transcript into English, removing another significant research barrier.
- Pre-Built Citations: The tool offers a starting point for record citation, though researchers should review and supplement these with additional details.
Overcoming Research Barriers and Making New Discoveries
For many genealogists, the most exciting aspect of AI Full-Text Search is its potential to overcome long-standing research challenges:
- Break Down “Brick Walls”: The tool offers new leads for collateral lines or pathways to overcome research dead-ends. By revealing previously invisible records, it can provide the missing piece in a genealogical puzzle.
- Increased Serendipity: The technology significantly increases the probability of unexpected and fortunate discoveries. By exposing records and mentions invisible to traditional searches, it creates opportunities for those “aha” moments that genealogists cherish.
Success stories already abound: researchers finding ancestors in unexpected locations as witnesses to events, discovering misfiled marriage records, locating family members mentioned in property descriptions, and uncovering relationships through business transactions that were never captured in traditional indexes.
How to Access and Start Using the Tool (A Quick Guide)
Experimental Feature in FamilySearch Labs
Currently, AI Full-Text Search is accessible via “FamilySearch Labs” as an experimental tool. Here’s how to access it:
- Sign into your FamilySearch.org account
- Go to “FamilySearch Labs”
- Select “Expand your search with Full Text”
Once there, you’ll find a search interface that allows you to enter terms and phrases and apply various filters to refine your search results.
The Importance of User Feedback
As an experimental feature, AI Full-Text Search is subject to change and improvement. FamilySearch actively encourages user feedback through:
- A “Feedback” button within the interface
- A dedicated community group for discussion and suggestions
This feedback loop is crucial for refining the tool and addressing limitations or issues users encounter in real-world research scenarios.
A Look at the Expanding Horizons: Current Scope and Future Potential
Vast and Growing Record Collections
The scope of AI Full-Text Search has expanded dramatically since its introduction:
- Initial focus was on U.S. Land and Probate Records and Mexico Notary Records
- Over a billion record images have been added since RootsTech 2024
- Major collections now include U.S. Legal, Vital Records, Migration Records, Land/Probate, Military records
- Significant international records from the UK, Brazil, Canada, and more have also been added
The collection continues to grow as more document types are processed through the AI transcription system.
Language Capabilities and Geographic Focus
The technology’s language capabilities are expanding:
- Initial AI models prioritized English and Spanish documents
- The long-term goal is to develop AI models for 30-40 languages with high accuracy
- Significant expansions are planned for records from France, Germany, Italy, the Philippines, and numerous other countries
This multi-language approach will eventually make accessible vast collections of records previously challenging for researchers who don’t speak the language of the original documents.
Continuous Improvement and Future Enhancements
The development roadmap for AI Full-Text Search includes:
- Continuous growth in record collections and language support
- Plans for easier attachment of found documents to the FamilySearch Family Tree
- Improved filtering options for more precise searches
- Potential notification systems to alert users when new relevant records are added
As AI technology advances, we can expect continued improvements in transcription accuracy and search capabilities.
Embrace the AI Revolution to Transform Your Genealogical Research
A Fundamental Shift
AI Full-Text Search represents more than just a new feature—it’s a paradigm shift in how genealogists interact with historical records. The ability to search the full text of billions of documents transforms the research process from one of limited, indexed searches to one of comprehensive content exploration.
Unprecedented Opportunities
This technology offers unmatched potential to find ancestors in new contexts, break through long-standing research barriers, and save countless hours of manual browsing. The ability to search entire documents opens up research avenues previously impractical or impossible.
Explore and Experiment
Researchers are encouraged to experiment with the diverse search capabilities, operators, and filters. Try different search terms, explore using wildcards, search for places and occupations, and look for unexpected connections. The tool rewards creative approaches and thinking beyond traditional name searches.
Balanced Perspective is Key
While powerful, AI Full-Text Search is an aid, not a replacement for critical thinking and sound genealogical methodology. Users should:
- Verify findings against original documents
- Be aware of transcription accuracy limitations
- Maintain a healthy skepticism and cross-check important discoveries
- Understand that AI may have biases or blind spots, particularly with unusual handwriting or specialized terminology
Empowering Discoveries
Ultimately, this technology democratizes access to historical information, empowering researchers of all skill levels to make discoveries that were previously much harder or impossible. The future of genealogical research involves skillfully integrating AI insights with traditional methodologies, combining the power of technology with human expertise.
As we stand at this technological frontier, one thing is clear: those who embrace and master AI-enhanced search capabilities will have unprecedented opportunities to uncover their family stories and break through long-standing research barriers. The ancestors who were once hidden in unindexed pages are finally coming into view, waiting to be discovered.
