Record hints ready for review

A record hint is a match between the information in your family tree and a historical record available on FamilySearch.

FamilySearch searches for these matches using the information you share in your family tree.

The hints in this activity were selected because they often mention more than one family member. This makes them especially helpful for discovering new relatives.

Compare the details in the record with the details in your family tree—or with what you already know about your ancestor.

A birth certificate, for example, will likely mention the child’s name, the date of birth, the place it occurred, and the names of the parents. The more details that match, the more likely it is that the person in the record is the same as the person in your tree.

A good strategy is to find at least three overlapping details before attaching the record or adding the person to your tree.

If you decide that the record hint does not refer to anyone in your family tree, you can simply dismiss the hint and move on. Dismissing the hint prevents others from attaching the record by mistake.

In most cases, FamilySearch does not own the historical record. Instead, it works with the organizations that own or manage the records and shares them according to the agreements in place. Privacy laws can also limit when and how records are shared.

FamilySearch follows these requirements so it can continue working with archives, organizations, and governments around the world to make historical records available.

Try adding as much information as you can to your family tree. The more information your tree contains, the easier it is for FamilySearch to find historical records that match.