Changes

There are currently two A new Family Search siteswebsite was introduced in April 2010, and for a period of time there were two websites in existence, the new and the old. There is now only the one website, with the exception of the Library Catalogue which we will call "Family Search" still exists in two versions, or the new website and "Previous version Family Search", or Pv Family Searchthe old.

'''Previous version Family SearchChanges introduced 28 April 2010'''<br> You can view the Indian data online using the [http://www.familysearch.org/eng/search/frameset_search.asp Advanced '''Family Search] placed new records on the LDS’s a new website [httphttps://www.familysearch.org/eng/defaultFamilySearch]'''.asp Previous version Family First click on Search] website. Select country "To access the India and Ceylon records, then click on the map for “Asia and Middle East” and select either India" (or Singapore etc) You Sri Lanka. However, India related baptisms, marriages and burials can also search using the be researched more directly at [httphttps://www.familysearch.org/engsearch/searchcollection/frameset_search.asp?PAGElist#page=igi/search_IGI.asp1&clear_formregion=true IGI SearchASIA_MIDDLE_EAST '''Asia and Middle East Records''']. The data is almost, but not quite as extensive. Select region “Asia”. Then select country “India” or "All countries" for a wider area including countries such as Singapore, Malaysia etc. There is a facility to add batch numbers, see below.

The Pv Family Search website From this link '''Sri Lanka, Colombo District Dutch Reformed Church Records 1677-1990''' are also includes a available with images online. Note, this web page takes some time to load. An India List post gives some hints for browsing these [[Ceylon]] images.<ref>India List post [http://pilotarchiver.rootsweb.familysearchancestry.orgcom/th/read/INDIA/2011-02/recordsearch1297851646 "LDS - Asia & Middle East - Sri Lanka/start.html#start Record Search PilotColombo"]dated 16 February 2011 </ref> Another series of images, which (added March 2013), accessible from the same link is a pilot project to access online images of data[https://familysearch. Currently org/learn/wiki/en/India,_Gujarat_Diocese_Church_Records_(June 2010FamilySearch_Historical_Records) it contains '''India, Gujarat Diocese Protestant Church Records, 1854-2012'''] Some of the data mentioned records are in the following paragraphHindi and Gujarati languages, but this may change there are some records in English, as evidenced by one of the future[https://familysearch.org/learn/wiki/en/File:India,_Gujarat_Diocese_Church_Records_DGS_7251285_3_Baptism.jpg sample records] shown.

''' Changes intoduced 28 April 2010'''<br>'''Family Search has placed new records on a new website, (which is still "under construction") [https://www.familysearch.org/ FamilySearch]'''. To access the India and Ceylon records from this site, scroll down the page to “Browse by location” and select “Asia and Middle East”. However, India related records can be researched more directly at [https://www.familysearch.org/s/collection/list#page=1&region=ASIA_MIDDLE_EAST '''Asia and Middle East Records''']. From this link '''Sri Lanka, Colombo District Dutch Reformed Church Records 1677-1990''' are also available with images online. Note, this web page takes some time to load. This India List [http://archiver.rootsweb.ancestry.com/th/read/INDIA/2011-02/1297851646 post] gives some hints for browsing these [[Ceylon]] images. To confuse matters, the (small) number of records for "other" areas in Asia such as [[Macao]], [[Singapore]], [[Bencoolen ]] etc available on the Family Search website now are not found in the Asia category, but in the "All Record Collections" “All Published Collections” category , in a group of records called "World Miscellaneous " and may be accessed through the following links: [https://www.familysearch.org/search/collection/show#uri=http://www.familysearch.org/searchapi/search/collection/1783956 World Miscellaneous Births and Baptisms], [https://www.familysearch.org/search/collection/show#uri=http://www.familysearch.org/searchapi/search/collection/1809045 World Miscellaneous Marriages], [https://www.familysearch.org/search/collection/show#uri=http://www.familysearch.org/searchapi/search/collection/1809046 World Miscellaneous Deaths and Burials]

The original website [http://www.familysearch.org/eng/default.asp Previous version FamilySearch] continues and in time the two sites will be merged into the new site. The LDS website previously described description of the records is as "Index entries derived from digital copies of original and compiled records" for births and baptisms, marriages, deaths and burials. The current description is "Index based upon data collected by the Genealogical Society of Utah, Salt Lake City". They in fact appear to be based on the India Office [[Church records|church records]] at the British Library , including the N/5 [[Princely states|Indian States]] records.<ref>India List [http://archiver.rootsweb.ancestry.com/th/read/india/2010-10/1286947107 post 13 October 2010]</ref> However, it appears that the records from the [[LDS Microfilms for Church Records outside of the usual Presidencies#Madras Ecclesiastical Returns - Omissions and Corrections 1777-1884|Madras Ecclesiastical Returns - Omissions and Corrections 1777-1884]] are '''not''' included.<ref>Email to User:Maureene dated 20 July 2011 indicates two brothers, Joseph Thorpe, 18, who died 23 Dec 1853 and was buried in the "Old Cemetery" at Guntoor, Hyderabad Residency and George Benjamin Thorpe, 23, who died 29 Jun 1858 at Jaulnah , who appear in the Omissions Film for Madras Burial (“film B265”) are '''not''' included in the Family Search data.</ref> Please note that on an individual basis the LDS record does not show all the details available on the original. Also not every India Office church record is recorded in the LDS database. Some individual entries are known to have been '''omitted''', probably due to error.<ref>

In additionIf you are searching for a name which could have various spellings, you can search using a single letter replaced by a wildcard question mark '''?''', or the Previous version Family Search website contains the multiple character wildcard asterisk ''' *''' <ref> [https://familysearch.org/blog/en/searching-wildcards-familysearch-2/ Searching with Wildcards in FamilySearch] FamilySearch Blog</ref> The LDS [http://www.familysearch.org/eng/Library/FHLC/frameset_fhlc.asp '''old version Library Catalogue'''] is still in existence for all the LDS microfilms, as does and there is also a catalogue available on the new site. Currently June 2010July 2012, the catalogue on the new website has some problems, and it is better recommended you continue to use the original website for the old version Library Catalogue. <br> [http://www.londonfhc.org/ London Family History Centre] has a film catalogue for the [http://www.londonfhc.org/content/catalogue?p=Indian+Subcontinent Indian Subcontinent] and for [http://www.londonfhc.org/content/catalogue?c=221&p=Indian+Subcontinent,India India] in a different format to the main catalogue, classified by geographical region.

'''If you have found a record from the India Births, Marriages or Burials on Family Search, as stated previously please be aware that this is not a full record. It is recommended that you view the original entry from the microfilm quoted.''' This will almost always contain occupational information which may provide a valuable clue for the location of further records. In addition, you can check that there have been no transcription errors. '''Information about ordering microfilms or photocopies may be found in the article [[Family History Centres]]'''. Photocopies are free in the majority of circumstances. Note also that there will "soon" (date unknown) be is an alternative way to obtain a copy of a record, when as the record images become are now available on the pay website Find My Past

*[[Using LDS Microfilms | How to Use Church Records on Microfilm]]:Instructions on how to use the microfilmed copies of the Ecclesiatical Returns and their indexes at an LDS [[Family History Centres| Family History Centre]]. Read these instructions if you are searching for '''records of births after 1910, or marriages after 1935''' which are not shown online on FamilySearch because of privacy reasons. Note however the records sent to England '''declined in number from the early 1930s''' with minimal numbers in the 1940s.