Search Tree Persons
This operation enables you to search tree persons using a variety of query parameters such as name, event dates and places, sex, and more. This operation returns person summaries that match the search criteria.
For a detailed explanation of all supported query parameters, including formatting examples, filtering tips, and usage guidelines, see the Family Tree Search guide.
Filter and Facet Parameters
This endpoint supports dynamic f.* (filter) and c.* (facet) parameters controlled by the underlying search service. Due to the large number of possible combinations and their dynamic nature, only commonly-used examples are shown below.
⚠️ Parameter Format: Filter and facet parameters follow the pattern:
- Filters: f.[parameter]=[value] (e.g., f.birthPlace0=3,Canada)
- Facets: c.[parameter]=on (e.g., c.sex=on)
Multiple Facets: You can enable multiple facet parameters simultaneously (e.g., c.sex=on&c.birthYear0=on) to see distribution across different dimensions.
Hierarchical Parameters: For hierarchical data like places (birthYear0, birthYear1, birthYear2), you can jump directly to any level without filtering intermediate levels. For example, you can use c.birthPlace1=on without setting f.birthPlace0 to see all state-level distributions.
For the list of common parameters and detailed faceting workflows, see the Search/Faceting/Filter Guide. For information on Family Tree Search specifically, see the Family Tree Search Guide.
You can explore this endpoint interactively by setting sample query parameters below.
⚠️ "Try It!" Limitations
The built-in API explorer has limited support for this operation due to the complexity of the query parameter structure. While you can run simple queries using q. parameters and the example f. / c. parameters shown below, it does not support all possible filter and facet combinations.
For full testing capabilities, we recommend using an external API client tool such as Bruno or Postman, which offer more control over request construction and parameter encoding.
To discover available parameters dynamically, use faceting: enable c.[parameter]=on in your request, and the response will include valid filter values you can use.
Query parameters
The given name of the person being searched.
The family name of the person being searched.
The sex of the person being searched. Valid values are documented in Gedcomx Known Gender Types. 'http://gedcomx.org/' should not be included in the value. 'Male', 'Female', etc. is all that is required.
The birth like Gedcomx date of the person being searched.
The birth like place of the person being searched.
The death like Gedcomx date of the person being searched.
The death like place of the person being searched.
The marriage like Gedcomx date of the person being searched.
The marriage like place of the person being searched.
A Gedcomx date of residence of the person being searched.
A place of residence of the person being searched.
The given name of a father of the person being searched.
The family name of a father of the person being searched.
The birth like place of a father of the person being searched.
The given name of a mother of the person being searched.
The family name of a mother of the person being searched.
The birth like place of a mother of the person being searched.
The given name of a parent of the person being searched. If the sex is known to be 'Male' or 'Female', use 'mother' or 'father' rather than 'parent'.
The family name of a parent of the person being searched. If the sex is known to be 'Male' or 'Female', use 'mother' or 'father' rather than 'parent'
The birth like place of a parent of the person being searched.
The given name of the spouse of the person being searched.
The family name of the spouse of the person being searched.
Enable faceting for defaults in search system. Set to 'on' to see all default facets available in search.
Enable faceting for collections. Set to 'on' to see collection distribution in results.
Enable faceting for user trees. Set to 'on' to see user tree distribution in results.
Enable faceting for sex. Set to 'on' to see sex distribution in results.
Filter by sex. Valid values: male, female, ?.
Enable faceting for birth year. Set to 'on' to see birth year distribution in results.
Filter by birth year (e.g., 1850). Use faceting to discover available year ranges.
Enable faceting for birth country. Set to 'on' to see available countries in the response. Use the params field from facet results to construct the corresponding f.birthPlace0 filter.
Filter by birth country using standardized place format: [parent_id],[place_name] (e.g., 3,Canada). Use faceting to discover valid values.
Additional facet parameters follow the pattern c.[parameter]=on. See the Family Tree Search guide for the complete list of available facets.
Additional filter parameters follow the pattern f.[parameter]=[value]. See the Family Tree Search guide for the complete list of available filters.
The 0 based index of the first result to be returned. Default = 0. 0 <= offset <= 4999
The maximum number of search results to return. Default = 20. 1 <= count <= 100.
Headers
Specifies the media type(s) that the client is willing to accept in the response.
Response
The read was successful. See <a href="https://developers.familysearch.org/main/docs/json-schema#person" target="_blank">Person Schema (JSON)</a>