IGI

Search the International Genealogical Index - or IGI - to find births/baptisms and marriages. It also has some burial/death details.

Where does the IGI come from?

It is an index to births, baptisms and marriages that have been collected worldwide. As many LDS members have UK ancestors, much of the data comes from those countries. The information comes from: original birth and marriage records (mainly parish registers, and also bishop’s transcripts); and LDS members who have submitted data.

Warning!

There are two main types of IGI records:

Those indexed from original records eg parish registers. These are likely to be accurate, although there may be transcription errors. Remember, it’s only an index. You need to consult the original records – and remember, the original parish register may contain additional information.
Those submitted by church members. The quality of these depends on who has carried out the research. Many will be accurate, but beware! Many are not. Don’t rely on them. Instead, consider them as pointers for further research.

If you find someone of interest, you must look at the source information to clarify what you have found. The column headed batch number is important.

A, F, no letter – church member submissions. Be wary.
C, J, K – from baptism register.
M, E – from marriage register.
P – from a printed copy or typed manuscript of a register.

The LDS use the IGI to track “temple work” – the Mormons believe in baptising their ancestors by proxy into the church. This has proved controversial, as people may not want their ancestors being adopted by another church. (The database fields showing the temple work have not been uploaded online.) One dead person may have multiple entries if more than one living person has carried out church work.

Does it include all parishes?

No, the IGI is not a complete list of parishes. The LDS are adding to it all the time, with the priority being on parishes most likely to include their dead ancestors. (The index is for their benefit, and they have very kindly allowed genealogists to access it.)

Is my parish on the IGI?

If you are looking for a particular parish to find an ancestor, go to Hugh Wallis’s IGI site. He has listed parishes that appear on the FamilySearch site, along with their batch numbers. You can use this batch number to bring up the index for that parish register. If it isn't listed, it may not yet have been indexed. However, it may have been filmed.

Has the parish been filmed?

Even if the parish has not yet been indexed, the LDS may have a microfilm, so you can consult their library catalogue to see what is available, and order the film for viewing at an LDS local family history centre.

footer for IGI page