A Follow-Up: Different, Not Better — Full-Text Search’s Toggle and the FamilySearch Catalog

The circled option, “Include limited access content,” is the toggle in FamilySearch Full-Text Search. Turning it on may reveal additional results that need to be viewed at a FamilySearch Center or Affiliate Library.

I chose Bienville Parish, Louisiana, as an example
because I knew that many of its records are not 
available to view from home. With the limited-access
toggle turned on, Full-Text Search showed numerous
locked results, including some labeled as military
records. But those labels do not always tell the whole
story. In this case, some of the records labeled "military"
contain land-related records, and some even
contain complete deed or conveyance books. 

In my last post about FamilySearch Full-Text Search, I wrote that using the limited-access toggle gave me a “better” way to build a research list. As I revisited that post while

 preparing a newsletter article for my local genealogical society, I realized that “better” is not the right word.

A more accurate word is “different.”

The limited-access toggle is the option in FamilySearch Full-Text Search labeled “Include limited access content.” When it is turned on, the search may show additional results that cannot be viewed from home and may need to be opened at a FamilySearch Center or Affiliate Library.

The toggle is not better than the Catalog. It is a different tool, and it serves a different purpose. It reminds me that there may be additional Full-Text Search results I cannot view from home, while the Catalog helps me understand what records exist for a place or subject and how those records are organized.

FamilySearch Full-Text Search and the FamilySearch Catalog are connected, but they do not organize information in the same way. Full-Text Search is designed to find names, places, dates, and other words inside digitized records. Its collection titles and filters are useful for searching, but they can be broad and may not match the more specific descriptions found in the Catalog.

That distinction is important. A Full-Text Search result may tell me that a name or keyword appears in a record, but the collection title may not give me enough detail to understand the record set itself. I may still need the Catalog to identify the jurisdiction, dates covered, record type, volume, film or DGS number, and whether the record is part of a larger set.

FamilySearch Catalog entry for Bienville Parish, Louisiana, conveyance records. The Catalog gives details that may not appear in a Full-Text Search result title, including the record title, notes, date coverage, film numbers, Image Group Numbers, and specific items such as grantor indexes, grantee indexes, and conveyance books.

That is where the Catalog remains essential. Catalog entries often identify the specific record set, creator or author, place or subject, date range, format, and film or digital image group information. In the Film/Digital Notes section, the Catalog may also give item-level details, such as a grantor index, grantee index, conveyance book, probate volume, date range, film number, or Image Group Number.

So, the toggle is not better than the Catalog. It is another tool within Full-Text Search. Used together, Full-Text Search and the Catalog can strengthen my research.

If you would like to learn more about the families I research, follow my Facebook page, where I share each post and other genealogical finds.

Diana

© 2026

FamilySearch Catalog, “Conveyance records, 1848–1900; Index to conveyance records, 1848–1930,” catalog entry, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/search/catalog : accessed 8 July 2026), Bienville Parish, Louisiana, conveyance records; citing Bienville Parish Clerk of the District Court and Bienville Parish Recorder; microfilm of original records at the Bienville Parish courthouse, Arcadia, Louisiana; screen capture by author.

FamilySearch, Full-Text Search, search results for Bienville Parish, Louisiana, and Bryan, with “Include limited access content” selected, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/search/full-text : accessed 8 July 2026); screen capture by author.

FamilySearch, Full-Text Search, search results with “Include limited access content” selected, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/search/full-text : accessed 8 July 2026); screen capture by author.