Loading...We've listened to your feedback
on our search tools.
Learn about some of the changes we're working on and
let us know what you think.
You know there's nothing like a successful search. That feeling of finding a valuable detail — that "aha moment" — is one of the most rewarding parts of family history. You've told us how to improve search to help you experience more of these moments. And we’ve listened.
With detailed input from members like you, we’re working on improvements and advancements for the search process. New features, forms and pages help you easily enter information, target your search and get more relevant results.
- Explore by Category — see related collections, narrow by sub-category and easily search right there.
- Explore by Location — narrow down your search area by country, state, even county.
- Recent Activity — easily track where you’ve been, what collections you’ve looked at and the ancestors you’ve recently been researching.
- New Forms — take more control over your search with a new interface that lets you target your search more specifically.
We'd like to hear what you think. We invite you to take the tour, then give us your feedback.
The redesigned Search Home Page gives you
more control over your searches.
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Birth, Marriage & Death Records
Narrow by category
Looking for more specific records, like Marriage and Divorce records? The link lets you further narrow your search.
Featured data collections
Easily see what’s new or updated within the category.
This area gives you a window into fresh or interesting records to browse.
More help
If you’ve hit a wall or need some ideas, helpful links can guide you in new directions.
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Birth, Marriage & Death Records
Sample Images
Not sure what to expect from a Birth, Marriage & Death record? See a sample image to get you started.
More About Records
Learn more about these records, like why they are important and how they can help your search.
Search Tips
Get tips that can lead you to more relevant search results.
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History & Resources
When you’re looking for more than records for a location, the History tab gives you genealogical context about the location, like a brief overview, interesting facts or an interactive timeline. The Resource tab offers suggestions and contact information for further research about your location.
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Shortcuts
Recently viewed collections
Back at the main Search Home Page, you’ll notice some new features. Now you always have a "trail" of where you’ve been, so you can return quickly or remember what you’ve already browsed.
Recent searches
Sometimes a search for one ancestor leads you to another. But now you can easily jump between relatives you’ve searched for lately.
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Search Forms
You’ll also notice some enhancements to the overall search forms that will help you enter information to better target your search.
Calculator
A calculator gives you a speedy way to estimate an ancestor's birth year.
Add family members or life events
Have more historical details that can help your search? Adding a family member or a life event can help focus your search even more. For example, a father’s name can give you better results from census records or a marriage location can help you get to the right state vital records.
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Advanced Search Forms
Use default settings
Default settings let you search a wider range of options, looking at everything from exact names to initials to phonetic to soundex matches — even name meaning.
More control over names
You can finely-tune your name search, giving you more control over the matches in your result set.
More control over places
You can also dial up or down how tightly you search a geographical area, giving you more control over your location results.
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Advanced Search Forms
Other options
You can also define sources, collections and record dates to add more specificity to your search and give you more control over your search results. For example, you can limit your sources to historical records or search only collections from a particular country.
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That’s what’s in the works. Does it work for you?
Your opinion means a lot to us.
Now that you’ve seen what we’ve been up to, we’d like to get your input. This is your chance to weigh in on the search enhancements we’re developing. Your ideas can help us refine and shape what we’re doing and make searching Ancestry.com an even more successful experience.
Give us your feedback