International Genealogical Index: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 14:41, 9 June 2011

The following blog articles will help answer questions you might have about about the IGI:

Historical Background[edit | edit source]

The International Genealogical Index was a family history computer file that listed several hundred million names of deceased persons from throughout the world. For each deceased individual, the index also listed vital information from a single event, such as birth or marriage. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints compiled the index and made it available free to the public. Some of the information in the index was from collections of vital and church records from the early 1500s to 1885 from which volunteers transcribed information. Some of the information in the index was submitted by members of the Church about their ancestors. With the variety of sources, duplicate and inconsistent information for an individual was common.

The Future[edit | edit source]

On the older website, the International Genealogical Index isnot available as a single collection. The newer FamilySearch.org website does not include the International Genealogical Index as a separate collection. Instead, the records from the index are included in the original collections from which the information was copied.

Further Reading[edit | edit source]

Ancestry Insider Blog Series[edit | edit source]

What is IGI? (January 3, 2011)
What was IGI? (January 4, 2011)
Whence IGI? (January 5, 2011)
Why Was IGI? (January 6, 2011)
How is IGI? (January 7, 2011)
Where did IGI Go? (January 11, 2011)

The following articles are related to using the current IGI for family history research:

New IGI Batch Number Search (May 24, 2011)
Finding the Source of IGI Batch Numbers
Ordinance Index (1840-1997) (in the "LDS Temple Records" section of Tracing LDS Families
Finding Unrestricted Film Numbers for Selected Restricted IGI Films
How Can I Find the Name of the Submitter in the IGI?
IGI Batch Number Descriptions
IGI Batch Numbers for British Isles and North America
IGI Batch Numbers for the British Isles and North America
IGI Batch Numbers for Latin American Countries
Wales and the IGI
Global Batch Numbers for the International Genealogical Index (link library for IGI batch sites for Argentina, Belgium, Canada, Channel Islands, Chile, Denmark, England, France, Germany, India, Ireland, Italy, Mexico, The Netherlands, Norway, Peru, Scotland, Spain, Sweden, USA, Uruguay, and Wales)
Find ancestors on the IGI (Step 8. in Pacific Island Guide to Family History Research)
Submit names to the IGI (Step 10. in Pacific Island Guide to Family History Research)

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-[[Image:GEO Globe.jpg|right|200x200px|GEO Globe.jpg]]
+__NOTOC__The following blog articles will help answer questions you might have about about the IGI:
-==Online Resources==
-*[https://www.familysearch.org/search/collection/igi International Genealogical Index (IGI)]
-==International Genealogical Index Database==
+== Historical Background  ==
-The '''[https://www.familysearch.org/search/collection/igi International Genealogical Index (IGI)]''' was a computer file created by [[The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints]]. It was first published in 1973 and continued to grow through December 2008. It contained several hundred million entries, each recording one event, such as a birth, baptism (christening), marriage, or death. In April 2010 FamilySearch divided the IGI into several historical records collections and a user-contributed genealogies collection. The original IGI was then retired in June 2012.<br>
-Information in the IGI came from two sources:
+The ''International Genealogical Index'' was a family history computer file that listed several hundred million names of deceased persons from throughout the world. For each deceased individual, the index also listed vital information from a single event, such as birth or marriage. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints compiled the index and made it available free to the public. Some of the information in the index was from collections of vital and church records from the early 1500s to 1885 from which volunteers transcribed information. Some of the information in the index was submitted by members of the Church about their ancestors. With the variety of sources, duplicate and inconsistent information for an individual was common.
-.  '''Indexed:''' Some of the entries in the IGI were indexed by the genealogical community from collections of vital and church records (approx. 460 million names). Indexed records are valuable sources of primary information. Unfortunately, attempts to prevent duplication resulted in the exclusion of some indexed records.
+== The Future  ==
-.  '''Contributed:''' Some of the information in the IGI was contributed by members of the Church about their ancestors (approx. 430 million names). The quality of this information varies. Duplicate entries and inconsistent information are common. Always verify contributed entries against sources of primary information.
+On the older website, the International Genealogical Index isnot available as a single collection. The newer [https://www.familysearch.org/#form=catalog FamilySearch.org ]website does not include the International Genealogical Index as a separate collection. Instead, the records from the index are included in the original collections from which the information was copied.
-== Accessing the International Genealogical Index  ==
+== Further Reading  ==
-Over the years, access to the IGI has advanced with technology. First available on microfiche, the IGI was subsequently available on compact disc and later as a collection on FamilySearch.org.
-Today, FamilySearch publishes hundreds of collections of vital and church records for many locations throughout the world. Indexed entries from the IGI are treated consistently with other indexed records, published by country or state and organized into the record collections they were transcribed from. To search the indexed International Genealogical Index (IGI) entries, select the [https://www.familysearch.org/search/collection/igi International Genealogical Index (IGI)] collection from the list of historical record collections.
-To search the contributed International Genealogical Index entries, select the Genealogies option under the Search menu. Then select the Collection "[https://www.familysearch.org/search/genealogies/collection/5 International Genealogical Index]."
-== Limitations  ==
-The International Genealogical Index is a finding aid. Always check original sources. Entries often do not contain all the information in the original records, such as death dates or names of additional relatives. Sometimes only portions of parish records or other sources were indexed.<br>
-Today’s implementation of the International Genealogical Index addresses key deficiencies in the previous implementation. However, it is not able to correct all of them.
-.  Previously, the IGI could not be searched by city or parish name, but only by country and one subdivision (such as U.S. state or U.K. county). Users compensated by searching by batch number. While batch number searching is still supported, most users will prefer searching by name instead of number.
-.  Previously, indexed entries and community contributed entries were mixed into a single collection. The reliability of the two is different, so users needed to know the source of each result. Users compensated by examining the first digit of the batch number of each result. Batch number charts assisted users in recognizing indexed (“extracted”) entries and user contributed entries. Today, the two types are searched separately, assisting users to distinguish between them.
-.  While it grew to contain a tremendous amount of duplication, the IGI was originally envisioned as a file containing just one entry for each birth and each marriage that has ever occurred. When new records were indexed, entries were discarded that duplicated existing IGI entries. To compensate for this limitation, when an entry is not found among indexed entries, search the community contributed entries as well.
-.  The original sources for entries in the IGI are not shown. For an indexed entry, look up the film number in the FamilySearch or FamilySearch Catalog. For a community contributed entry, the contributor may or may not have specified a source. See “[[Finding the Source of IGI Batch Numbers|Finding the Source of IGI Batch Numbers]]” for more information.
-== History  ==
-{| class="wikitable"
-|-
-! Date !! Event
-|-
-| style="text-align: right; white-space: nowrap" | 1973  || Originally published on microfiche as the "Computer File Index (CFI)”. Contained 20 million entries. About 80% of the entries were extracted.
-|-
-| style="text-align: right; white-space: nowrap" | 1975   || Microfiche edition with 34 million names.
-|-
-| style="text-align: right; white-space: nowrap" | 1981   || 4th edition published. Renamed as the International Genealogical Index. Contained 81 million entries.
-|-
-| style="text-align: right; white-space: nowrap" | 1984   || Record count was 108 million. Offered for sale to the public.
-|-
-| style="text-align: right; white-space: nowrap" | 1988   || First published on compact disc (CD-ROM). Part of the FamilySearch DOS computer program. Contained 147 million names. Excluded some indexed entries from the 1984 edition.
-|-
-| style="text-align: right; white-space: nowrap" | 1992   || Microfiche edition. Contained 187 million names. About 94.5% were indexed.
-|-
-| style="text-align: right; white-space: nowrap" | March 1993   || CD-ROM edition. Contained over 200 million names from over 90 countries.
-|-
-| style="text-align: right; white-space: nowrap" | July 1994   || CD-ROM release of the 1994 edition issued as an addendum with 42 million entries. Includes entries dropped from the 1988 edition. Duplication rate increased over previous editions.
-|-
-| style="text-align: right; white-space: nowrap" | 1997   || CD-ROM addendum increased entries from 240 to 284 million, of which 100 million were from extraction.
-|-
-| style="text-align: right; white-space: nowrap" | 24 May 1999   || FamilySearch website released. Not all 285 million IGI entries available immediately, but were released by region.
-|-
-| style="text-align: right; white-space: nowrap" | April 2010   || Divided into several historical records collections and a user-contributed collection on a new version of the FamilySearch website.
-|-
-| style="text-align: right; white-space: nowrap" | June 2012   || Original IGI retired along with the original FamilySearch website.
-|}
-For more information see Ancestry Insider, “When was the IGI?” ''[http://www.ancestryinsider.org/2011/01/what-is-igi.html The Ancestry Insider]'' dated 4 January 2011).
-== Coverage  ==
-Discover what records are included in this collection at the [[International Genealogical Index Coverage]] page.
-== Idiosyncrasies  ==
+=== Ancestry Insider Blog Series  ===
-*Burials and death records were not indexed, unless they apply to children who died before the age of 8
+*[http://ancestryinsider.blogspot.com/2011/01/what-is-igi.html What is IGI?] (January 3, 2011)
-*Illegitimate infants who died young were not indexed
+*[http://ancestryinsider.blogspot.com/2011/01/when-was-igi.html What was IGI?] (January 4, 2011)
-*Many extracted entries have been redacted because FamilySearch does not have permission to publish these records online; these entries can now ''only ''be viewed on the microfiche and CD-ROM versions of the IGI
+*[http://ancestryinsider.blogspot.com/2011/01/whence-igi.html Whence IGI?] (January 5, 2011)
+*[http://ancestryinsider.blogspot.com/2011/01/why-was-igi.html Why Was IGI?] (January 6, 2011)
+*[http://ancestryinsider.blogspot.com/2011/01/how-is-igi.html How is IGI?] (January 7, 2011)
+*[http://ancestryinsider.blogspot.com/2011/01/where-did-igi-go.html Where did IGI Go?] (January 11, 2011)
-'''England'''
+The following articles are related to using the current IGI for family history research:
-*Entries before 1752 followed no standards in double-year entries dated between January and March
-'''Wales'''
-*Patronymic surnames were incorrectly assigned to many individuals who were using fixed hereditary surnames
-== Further Reading  ==
-*[[Life After the IGI]]
-The following articles were originally written for previous versions of the International Genealogical Index and some information may no longer apply.
+*[https://www.familysearch.org/node/1220 New IGI Batch Number Search] (May 24, 2011)
 *[[Finding the Source of IGI Batch Numbers|Finding the Source of IGI Batch Numbers]]
-*[[Temple Records of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints#Ordinance_Index_.281840.E2.80.931997.29.|Ordinance Index (1840-1997) (in the article "Temple Records of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints"]]
+*[[LDS Temple Records#Ordinance_Index_.281840.E2.80.931997.29.|Ordinance Index (1840-1997) (in the "LDS Temple Records" section of ''Tracing LDS Families'']]
 *[[Finding Unrestricted Film Numbers for Selected Restricted IGI Films|Finding Unrestricted Film Numbers for Selected Restricted IGI Films]]
 *[[How Can I Find the Name of the Submitter in the IGI?|How Can I Find the Name of the Submitter in the IGI?]]
 *[[IGI Batch Number Descriptions|IGI Batch Number Descriptions]]
+*[[IGI Batch Numbers for British Isles and North America|IGI Batch Numbers for British Isles and North America]]
 *[[IGI Batch Numbers for the British Isles and North America|IGI Batch Numbers for the British Isles and North America]]
 *[[IGI Batch Numbers for Latin American Countries|IGI Batch Numbers for Latin American Countries]]
 *[[Wales and the IGI|Wales and the IGI]]
-*[https://www.pricegen.com/global-batch-numbers-for-the-international/ Global Batch Numbers for the International Genealogical Index] (link library for IGI batch sites for Argentina, Belgium, Canada, Channel Islands, Chile, Denmark, England, France, Germany, India, Ireland, Italy, Mexico, The Netherlands, Norway, Peru, Scotland, Spain, Sweden, USA, Uruguay, and Wales)
+*[http://www.pricegen.com/resources/globalbatchnumbers.htm Global Batch Numbers for the International Genealogical Index] (link library for IGI batch sites for Argentina, Belgium, Canada, Channel Islands, Chile, Denmark, England, France, Germany, India, Ireland, Italy, Mexico, The Netherlands, Norway, Peru, Scotland, Spain, Sweden, USA, Uruguay, and Wales)
 *[[Step 8. Find ancestors on the IGI|Find ancestors on the IGI (Step 8. in ''Pacific Island Guide to Family History Research'')]]
+*[[Step 10. Submit names to the IGI|Submit names to the IGI (Step 10. in ''Pacific Island Guide to Family History Research'')]]
-The following blog articles were written by the Ancestry Insider.
-*[http://ancestryinsider.blogspot.com/2011/01/what-is-igi.html What is the IGI?] (3 January 2011)
-*[http://ancestryinsider.blogspot.com/2011/01/when-was-igi.html When was the IGI?] (4 January 2011)
-*[http://ancestryinsider.blogspot.com/2011/01/whence-igi.html Whence the IGI?] (5 January 2011)
-*[http://ancestryinsider.blogspot.com/2011/01/why-was-igi.html Why Was the IGI?] (6 January 2011)
-*[http://ancestryinsider.blogspot.com/2011/01/how-is-igi.html How is the IGI?] (7 January 2011)
-*[http://ancestryinsider.blogspot.com/2011/01/where-did-igi-go.html Where did the IGI Go?] (11 January 2011)
-[[pt:Índice_Genealógico_Internacional_(IGI)]]<br>
+[[Category:FamilySearch]]
-[[Category:Records of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints]] [[Category:FamilySearch]]