About BookTrace
BookTrace is a finding-aid over books catalogued on the Internet Archive — it points genealogists at specific books where a searched surname or place appears, with approximate page numbers. It hosts no book content of its own; every result links back to the original item on archive.org. For exactly what's indexed, how it was built, and what it can't show you, see the transparency report — this page covers the project itself, not the methodology.
Who built it and why
BookTrace was built by Glenside Digital LLC as part of the Evidence Toolbox suite, to fill a specific gap: there was no fast way to search across thousands of genealogy-relevant Internet Archive books at once for a surname or place, with honest disclosure of what could and couldn't be indexed. It's free, independent, and not affiliated with the Internet Archive.
Who it's for
BookTrace is built for genealogists working to Board for Certification of Genealogists (BCG) standards and the Genealogical Proof Standard, who need a documented, citable record of what was searched and where — not just a search box. It's equally useful for family history hobbyists looking for a fast way to scan county histories and published genealogies for a surname.
How to cite it in your research
Every search result includes a citation-ready summary formatted for direct paste into your research notes or citation software. A typical citation, in BCG/GPS style, looks like:
The exact citation-ready text shown after each search states precisely what was searched, what was found, and — for zero-result searches — the negative-search language BCG documentation calls for.
← Back to BookTrace search · Read the full transparency report →