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=== FamilySearch Catalog === | === FamilySearch Catalog === | ||
This lists and describes the records in the | This lists and describes the records in the FamilySearch Library—the largest collection of genealogical records in the world. It is the key to research in the library and its FamilySearch centers. If the records from your locality of interest have been microfilmed or digitized, the FamilySearch Catalog would usually be the most comprehensive list you could use to select the best records for your search. | ||
The catalog, updated regularly, is on the Internet at FamilySearch Library Catalog. You may search the catalog by surname (for family histories), place (for record types), subject (such as Navajo Indians), or author or title (if known). The record types listed in [[Choose a Record Type#Sources_Useful_to_Genealogists|Sources Useful to Genealogists]] are mostly the same as the headings used in the Place Search of the catalog. | The catalog, updated regularly, is on the Internet at FamilySearch Library Catalog. You may search the catalog by surname (for family histories), place (for record types), subject (such as Navajo Indians), or author or title (if known). The record types listed in [[Choose a Record Type#Sources_Useful_to_Genealogists|Sources Useful to Genealogists]] are mostly the same as the headings used in the Place Search of the catalog. | ||
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Most records you search have jurisdictional limitations. That is, they apply only to a certain geographic area and to certain events and/or families. For example, marriage records in the United States are usually recorded by each different county. Many different jurisdictions exercise authority over what records are created or kept about our ancestors. For example, in the United States, naturalization records were kept by the federal, state, city and county jurisdictions. You must know which jurisdictions kept the records you are seeking in order to select the best records. | Most records you search have jurisdictional limitations. That is, they apply only to a certain geographic area and to certain events and/or families. For example, marriage records in the United States are usually recorded by each different county. Many different jurisdictions exercise authority over what records are created or kept about our ancestors. For example, in the United States, naturalization records were kept by the federal, state, city and county jurisdictions. You must know which jurisdictions kept the records you are seeking in order to select the best records. | ||
Jurisdiction is "any authority over a certain area or certain persons."<ref>''West's Encyclopedia of American Law'' (2011), quoted at | Jurisdiction is "any authority over a certain area or certain persons."<ref>''West's Encyclopedia of American Law'' (2011), quoted at https://caselaw.findlaw.com/court/us-7th-circuit/1648115.html (accessed December 17, 2013).</ref> In genealogy, jurisdiction is a critical topic because "to find a document pertaining to your ancestor, you must know the various legal jurisdictions that had legal authority over the place where your ancestor lived at the time the ancestor lived."<ref>James Tanner, "The Question of Jurisdiction," ''Genealogy's Star,'' http://genealogysstar.blogspot.com/2013/08/the-question-of-jurisdiction.html 17 August 2013 (accessed 17 December 2013).</ref> When researching jurisdictions, keep in mind the following: | ||
*Jurisdictions may have several levels. Large jurisdictions (such as churches or governments) may be divided into smaller ones: a nation is divided into states: a state into counties. | *Jurisdictions may have several levels. Large jurisdictions (such as churches or governments) may be divided into smaller ones: a nation is divided into states: a state into counties. | ||