Overheard in GenForum: IGI Batch Numbers
by Rhonda R. McClure

Each week Rhonda answers a question from the GenForum message boards and gives her expert answer here. We'd love to hear anything you have to add. Go ahead and leave your comments on GenForum with the original message.

July 1, 1999
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Q: How do you find out what the source is for a particular batch file or film in the IGI? -- Linda

A: One of the most important things to remember when working with the International Genealogical Index is its reason for existing. It is an index of temple ordinance work completed by LDS members on behalf of deceased ancestors. LDS members believe that families are eternal and that they are linked together even after death. However, for that connection to take place, it must happen here on earth. As a result, LDS members do temple ordinances by proxy on behalf of their ancestors.

What Does an IGI Entry Contain?

Entries in the IGI are not grouped together in family units or in lineage's such as a pedigree. Each person is a separate entry and will have the following information:

• Name of the individual
• Name of the parents or spouse
• Event type (e.g. birth, marriage, census, will)
• Event date
• Event place
• Source batch number
• Source information (CD version only - in Full Record view only)

Is That All There Is?

While the CD-ROM version of the IGI offers you a great deal of information about the entry, there are still reasons to return to the original record in most cases. However, if you are using the online version of the IGI, you do not have access to the source information. How do you know what you have and where the information is from?

Decoding the Batch Number

The best way to understand where the record is from, is to learn what the various batch numbers stand for. Back in the old days, before computers in the Family History Centers, we relied on a microfiche version of the IGI. Once you had the entry you were interested in, you then had to convert the batch number to an input source number (which was usually the microfilm or microfiche number where the original source could be found). This fiche is the IGI Batch Number Index and it is still available at your local Family History Center even today. It is a valuable tool when trying to understand the origins of any entries in the IGI.

Below is a table that details the beginning character or characters to a batch number and an accompanying description for batch numbers beginning with those letters or numbers.

 

A	LDS temple sealing, only available in Special Collections. Original record open only to certain LDS members
C	Birth and christenings from LDS extraction work - records usually on microfilm
D	Patron notification, should have another Batch number listed, which is the one you would actually concentrate on
E	Marriages from LDS extraction work - records may be available on microfilm
F	Family group records that are available on microfilm
H	LDS church membership records of deceased individuals
J, K	Birth and christenings from LDS extraction work - records may be on microfilm
L	LDS temple originated record
M	Marriages from LDS extraction work - records usually on microfilm (with the exception of M17 and M18)
M17, M18	Early LDS temple sealing records
P	Births and christenings from LDS extraction work - records may be on microfilm
T	Information comes from family group records, work done by the special groups, such as work on Royalty, and information from the Temple Records Index Bureau (TIB)
0000001 to 0000023	Patron submissions to temples outside the United States
500	Similar to F above, family group records
60 to 68999999	Patron submission that were automated through PAF
694	Early LDS ward and branch records available on microfilm
6940405 to 69449426	Card index to early LDS ward and branch records
69407	Early LDS ward and branch records from Scandinavia
69409	Family group records
696	Records not open to the public
725	Marriages from England indexed by J.S.W. Gibson
744	Several extraction projects
745, 754	Extraction from statewide vital records indexes
766	Patron submissions on Marriage Entry form or entries from extraction (requires the 766 Batch Cross Index to get the actual batch number)
8-4 to 8-9	Patron submissions

Once you have the film number, you can then use the FHLC on CD to search for the actual record by using the Film/Fiche number search option. You cannot type in the batch number and get the film number. At the present time, that is not an available option.

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