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Writer's pictureDevon Noel Lee

Build Your Family Tree Quickly By Searching MyHeritage Records


MyHeritage Family Tree how to use Record Search to build your family tree

If you want to explore more than 12 billion historical records on MyHeritage, your first stop should be the search engine redesigned in 2020.


How to Search Record Collections For Your Ancestors

  1. Click "Research" in the top menu bar on MyHeritage.

  2. Type in identifying details about your ancestor in the search form.


The simple search form asks for only:

  • First and middle name(s)

  • Last name

  • Year of birth

  • Place


You can also add more details to the search firm before you click the orange "Search" button.

  • Father

  • Mother

  • Spouse

  • Death


Click more to access:

  • Marriage

  • Residence

  • Military

  • Immigration

  • Any

  • Child

  • Sibling

  • Keywords

  • Gender


While I see the value in many of the search forms, I often use search by:

  • Surname Only

  • First Name and No-Surname

  • First Name, NO Middle Name, Surname, and Birth Year.


MyHeritage will put this simple search form, which can be expanded to include more advanced selections, at the top of your results page. That way, you can update your search queries quickly to continue filtering your results.



Watch how to search MyHeritage for records and evaluate them.


Warnings About MyHeritage Search Results


Be advised that if you search without using exact matches, the search results often include many possibilities that don't have your last name or location.


For instance, I would find Mary Held (born Holzberger) when I searched for Mary Karlsberger. I would find results from Teisendorf, Germania, and Krakaudorf when I didn't key in an exact match for Ohio.


If this happens to you, you will need to select the match exactly option that pops up in the search forms when you click on each field.


FREE Genealogy Research Guide Link

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How I Found a New Newspaper Article Using the MyHeritage Record Search


As you may know, I'm a huge fan of city directories and newspaper research. While searching for my Karlsberger relatives on MyHeritage, I discovered why my great-grand uncle's son was in a state instruction in Ohio.


To find this newspaper clipping, I followed these steps:

  • Searched for George Karlsberger b 1825

  • Noticed newspaper results for in Napolean, Ohio, not Columbus, Ohio.

  • Click on the newspaper result and discover the entry was a report from Columbus, Ohio.

  • Discovered the news clipping in 1895 mentioned that George was 35 years old, not 70.

  • I consulted my family tree to discover George, born in 1825, had a child named George Karlsberger, born in 1860.

  • Examined the US Census record of 1900 for George (b. 1860) - was an inmate in the Ohio State Hospital.

  • Reviewed the newspaper article to discover why George was institutionalized.


Now, I can write a family history story about my great-granduncle and what happened to his son.


Dive into the MyHeritage record collections to see what you may find. After you find a record, please save it to your family tree and/or transfer the information to other online trees so you have backups.


Build Your Family Tree Quickly By Searching MyHeritage Records

More Tips for Using MyHeritage


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