Google is for Genealogists Part 3

by Lianne Kruger

For Part 1 – go to 22 August 2010 or type Google in the search box in the top right corner

For Part 2 – go to last week’s article

Translate Please

Sometimes when “Googling” for a name or location you will find a web page that is not in English.  Click on the “[Translate this page]” link which will appear to the right of the title of that page.

NOTE

Watch where the names are located and maybe write them down ahead of time, because sometimes the names will translate into their meaning along with the text.

For example, “De bakker” in Dutch would translate to “baker” in English. As a genealogist we want “De bakker” because that will be what will appear in documents.

Translation Websites

Google can translate genealogical terms.

1. Type in the following search.

translate genealogical terms latin

Google also comes with a command “Language tools.”

1. Click on Language Tools to the right of Google box.

Google will translate word(s) or phrases for you into many languages. Fill in the blanks.

Just for fun

At the bottom of the Language Tools page Google allows you to change the language of their main screen. Look through the list of languages available.  Did you see a cartoon character, languages as well as pirate? Change the language, then go back and read the menu and command names. Remember what to click so that you will be able to get English back.

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Searching for Images

To find these different images select the images option above the command prompt line.

1. Click on Images. Top menu, left hand side.
2. Type in a description of what image you would like.
3. Press Enter.

Exercise

1. Click on images [if not already there].
2. Type in a city where your ancestors live.

For example:  Dublin

1. Scroll through the results images. The results include over 17 million images.
2. To narrow this down be more specific, such as a map.  Dublin map
3. To obtain some graphics of the history of Dublin.  Dublin history
4. To narrow the search use a family name.

Ireland history dowd

1. Google for Dowd and crests. Now do the same under web.

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FILETYPE

The Filetype command searches for files that end in the identified file type only. The following example will only show pdf files. If you know you are looking for a pdf document this will help limit the number of hits.

“Clay County” missouri filetype:pdf

Search for “Clay County” and Missouri but the only hits listed are those whose file names end in pdf.

Not only html files are listed in Google hit lists.  PDF and .doc files can be found. Filetype command restricts searches to documents which match the filetype extension.

“Clay County” missouri filetype:pdf 1820…1840 timothy bancroft

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Definition

If you don`t know the definition of a word as you are reading a website or if someone comes to you with a word and you don`t know the complete definition this command will give you.

Define:word

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ALLINURL

This search syntax lists hits if the word is found in the URL. The URL is the website address.  URL stands for Uniform Resource Locator.

allinurl:missouri

The following are some of the hits found

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Missouri

www.missouri.edu

www.missouri.com/

www.50states.com/missouri.htm

The following example This Google query would return only the Web pages that contain both “clay” and “county” in the URL.

allinurl:clay county

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rphonebook

“r” stands for residential. This function works like a residential phone book. Although this only works in US it can still be useful to find other family members.

rphonebook:lastname state

1. Type rphonebook. [No space]
2. A colon “:”  [No space]
3. Type the lastname to be searched.
4. Space and then type the state to search in.

NOTE

No space between the first three steps.

Not all cities or first names work well.

Exercise

1. Type the following to search for all the krugers living in Utah

rphonebook:kruger ut

1. Press Enter or click “Google Search.

NOTE

Google search helps to find significant and informational websites quickly. Google is good but not perfect. It is still important to go through the whole website or the whole list of websites.

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Which is better?  “Google” or “Yahoo!”

At the beginning of each web page there is a place for the programmer to put in key words about that web site.  They are put there so that someone searching would know what that website contains.  They are not seen when viewing a webpage.

“Yahoo!” searches those keywords only.  “Google” searches every word within the web page.  In Figure 3.4 “Lianne Kruger” appeared in a North Ogden City Council meeting webpage. I was no one important I just attended a meeting and therefore my name was on the list.  “Yahoo!” would never have found me.

Sometimes “Yahoo!” is better.

Someone is searching for a paper on “George Washington.”  If you type in “George Washington” into “Google” you will get a list every web page that contains the words “George Washington” even if they only use his name once just in passing.  We want pages that talk just about him or U.S. presidents.  In this case “Yahoo!” would be better.

Conclusion

Try combinations of all of these. Sometimes narrowing search can illuminate some possibilities.  Review the hits at each level.

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Lianne Krüger researched her family line back to the first three land owners of Canada. She has a genealogical historical article published by BYU Studies magazine involving Massachusetts and Missouri. Lianne is presently researching Ireland and Missouri. Saturdays during her teenage years were spent at the Genealogical Library rolling through microfilm from Canada, England and Scotland. She received a computer degree in 1979, has been teaching computers since 1982 and has written computer instruction manuals. Ephraim and Lianne have been married 24 years, they have 5 children and twin grandchildren arriving this summer.

Thank you, Lianne!

 

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Google is for Genealogists Part 2

by Lianne Kruger

For Part one go to 22 August 2010 or type Google in the search box in the top right corner or go to category Using the Internet.

This article will include with  more in-depth operators which allow you to view old websites, search for a range of years, search within only one website, list websites that link to another website, how to search only one website and view sites similar to another.

Cache

The word cache (pronounced cash) means a hiding or storage place. When the computer stores data it is said to be stored in cache.

Web pages are created and deleted daily. A “hit” on your Google search may no longer be available because it has been changed or deleted. Google has a possible solution for that.  This will display the page that Google has in its cache.  This may allow you to read, copy down, get an email or print what you need.

Webpages do not last forever. I have a screen capture of a website from 2004. This was a hit in 2007 but only available to view in Cache. Now in 2011 when I search for that website it no longer exists. Grab what you can when you can even if you are not sure it is related.

Cache Exercise

If a website says it is no longer available:

1.  Click the back button to go back to your list of hits.

2.  Click on the cache link at the end of the URL link, last row of the hit descriptions.

3.  The website will appear below Google information. The information includes the date and time this site was viewed by Google.

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[#]…[#]

This command searches for any web sites which contain numbers within the range of numbers given. The [#] values are replaced with numbers to form a range.

Google will search for pages which contain numbers matching the first, the last or any number in the middle of the sequence. This is great for searching a location and the range of years your ancestor lives in that area such as the following that searches for Timothy Bancroft in Clay County Missouri during the years 1818 to 1835.

“Timothy Bancroft” “Clay County” 1818…1835

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SITE

The SITE command specifies a specific website to be searched. The word or words requested to search within the site may appear before or after the site command. All previous layouts of quotes are available.

Word(s) site:websiteURL

1. Type what word or words you want to search for.
2. Add a space.
3. Type site: [no space]
4. Type the URL.

Do not include http://

A search for Timothy Bancroft has listed the following website. I would like to search the whole website for all the Bancrofts.

www.rays-place.com/town/ma

To search for just Bancrofts in just this website type the following:

site:www.rays-place.com/town/ma/ Bancroft

There are 91 hits in the results.

If the Bancroft family you are searching for is not in Lynnfield, then take it out of the results by using the minus sign.

site:www.rays-place.com/town/ma/ Bancroft –lynnfield

NOTE

The search will work with pay sites such as Ancestry.com but you will not be able to view the pages unless you have subscribed.

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INFO

The Info command displays specific information about the web site typed after the colon.

Note:

There must include colon in order for it to work properly

This set of information includes:

• A short summary of what is on the Web page (this is usually pulled from the site’s meta description)
• Google’s cache of the Web site
• a link to Web pages that link to that page
• a link to a search within the web site
• Any web pages that contain the URL in a phrase

Type in the following

INFO:Ancestry.com

The following appears:

Genealogy, Family Trees and Family History Records online …

Discover your ancestors with the world’s largest family history website. Start a family tree, browse census records and more online at Ancestry.com.
http://www.ancestry.com/

Google can show you the following information for this URL:

• Show Google’s cache of ancestry.com
• Find web pages that are similar to ancestry.com
• Find web pages that link to ancestry.com
• Find web pages from the site ancestry.com
• Find web pages that contain the term “ancestry.com”

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LINK

The Link command will return a list of hits of other sites which are linking to the web site given.

1. Go to google.ca

2. Type in the LINK:theURL

Example

link:www.kindredtrails.com/MO_Clay.html

The hit was:

http://www.kindredtrails.com/MO_Buchanan.html

Note

See also the INFO command. Click on “Find web pages that link to (your URL).”

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Related

The Related command will list pages which Google considers to be related or similar to each other.

related:www.ancestry.com

A list of genealogical website appear.

The following website has Bancroft family in Massachusetts.  Other web sites with similar information would be very helpful.

related:www.rays-place.com/town/ma

A New England History and Genealogy website was listed in the hits.

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Lianne Krüger researched her family line back to the first three land owners of Canada. She has a genealogical historical article published by BYU Studies magazine involving Massachusetts and Missouri. Lianne is presently researching Ireland and Missouri. Saturdays during her teenage years were spent at the Genealogical Library rolling through microfilm from Canada, England and Scotland. She received a computer degree in 1979, has been teaching computers since 1982 and has written computer instruction manuals. Ephraim and Lianne have been married 24 years, they have 5 children and twin grandchildren arriving this summer.

Thank you Lianne!

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All Have Not The Same Gift

by Brother and Sister Miller, Area Advisers New England

While in Boston Temple recently, we had the chance to chat with a worker.  She was still learning but was so sincere and kind that it made the temple experience special.  During a break, she mentioned the family cards we had and said she wished she could do work for her family.  Her mother, who had passed on, had been active in family research, and the daughter felt there was more that needed to be done.  However, her husband currently is in Afghanistan and in addition to serving in the temple, she works full-time.  We appreciated her taking the time to serve as a temple worker – there were so few workers that if she was not there, we would not be able to do the work for my family.

We felt impressed to ask a little about her family and then offered to help.  When we got home, it was easy to see where the mother had left off, and with my new friend’s helper information, we identified a couple dozen family names for her to do.  We emailed the ordinance request and she now is working on those names.

As consultants or genealogical enthusiasts, sometimes we think everyone should be like us.  But we forget that just as researchers are essential, temple workers also are essential.  And temple attenders who act as proxies are equally important.  So are the ones who watch the children so young couples can attend the temple, and those who give rides.  One of the most important gifts is the spirituality to sense that there are people waiting who want your help.

As D&C 46:11-12 makes clear, we all have different gifts, and all of them come together beautifully as we offer temple blessings to our family.  Without this diversity, no work would get done.  Some of our gifts take cultivating – learning New FamilySearch is easier for some than others.  In addition, the “helper” feature lets us help others who may be more productive as temple workers or patrons.

It is not necessary for everyone to become researchers or use the computer.  Church leaders have made that clear.  It takes more than just one person to complete the process of offering temple ordinances to your ancestors.  We all need to work together – using our own gifts.  As Dallin Oaks said, “our effort is not to compel everyone to do everything, but to encourage everyone to do something.”

How can this strengthen your ward or branch? As consultants and priesthood leaders, it is important that we help people recognize the part they can play – because without everyone, this essential work will not be done and needed blessings will not come to each individual who participates.  Many people do not recognize their gift, and some feel inadequate because they do not recognize the importance of their gift.  By working together, we lift each other while engaging in our divinely mandated task.  Ward and branch councils can play an important role in opening the way for everyone to discover and use their gifts.

 

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Two Timely Items: Indexing and Church Missions

 

1.  Indexing – we are grateful for all the increased efforts with Indexing across the stakes in our area.  We don’t want you to slow down – so we hope you got the following information on a 2 day closure of Indexing – and please share this with anyone who asks – and reassure anyone who wonders what is happening:

“Recently so many volunteers have been coming to participate in this worldwide indexing effort that we’ve been experiencing some growing pains. The time it takes to sign in, and download and submit batches has increased significantly on some days. We apologize to any of you who felt your time was wasted during the longer waits, but we are excited that so many people want to join us in this indexing initiative.

This year is already a milestone year, and our indexing community has been doing such great work that we’ve decided to give everyone a couple of days off! Starting Monday, March 7, at 11:00 PM (MST, GMT-7) the indexing system will be down for approximately 48 hours. No batches can be downloaded or submitted while the system is down.

During this time, we will be moving our computer servers to a new data center with newer and bigger hardware. This will allow us to accommodate a heavier workload and keep up with all of the great work that is happening on a weekly basis.

For those who want to continue indexing during the downtime, you may download up to 10 batches before the shutdown, work on them offline, and then submit them when the system is back up.

There is a possibility that we won’t need the full 48 hours to complete the move. We will send another e-mail when the system is back up. We hope that everyone will join us again at that time, refreshed and ready to continue this milestone year.

FamilySearch indexing is the largest indexing initiative in the world. Hundreds more volunteers are signing up every day. We thank you for your patience as we’ve experienced some growing pains. We hope this move to a new location will help everyone have a more enjoyable experience while indexing.

For questions or concerns, please contact FamilySearch support.”

2.  Church Missions – there is an urgent need for more part time Church Service Missionaries in the Family History area.  Please look around – maybe even look in the mirror!  You need to be available for at least 15 hours a week to serve from home.  The following article from the Miller’s Newsletter in New England gives more information:

What Do Family History Missionaries Do?

If you’ve wondered about Family History missionary activities you can serve – from your home, here are some thoughts on what it is like.  Our appreciation to Elder Winston G. Allred, coordinator of Family Search Field missionaries, for providing information.

FamilySearch missionaries help patrons bring families together so temple ordinances can be provided.  FamilySearch missionaries are called to serve in one of five different groups:

Product support: The main focus of this group is the new FamilySearch.  Potential missionaries should have experience in the operations and purpose of FamilySearch.org.

Indexing support: Over 100,000 people around the world are helping to index millions of records so they can be searched online.  Members who have experience in indexing and arbitration will enjoy this calling.

Research support: Patrons can talk to a qualified missionary and ask for guidance and direction in their efforts to research their ancestors.  In addition, missionaries monitor the FamilySearch Wiki and familysearch Forums, making comments as needed.

Historical Records: FamilySearch contains millions of records.  Missionaries serving in this group should be familiar with and know how to utilize these records.

Family History Center support: Directors and staff members in the thousands of centers will call these missionaries with questions about policies, procedures and equipment.

All of their training, their service and support, including spiritual support is conducted online over the internet as these missionaries serve in their home.  It is important for potential missionaries to contact the FamilySearch Missionary Coordinator to explore the area they can be called to serve in and arrange to have their internet and computer capabilities assessed.  The FamilySearch Missionary Coordinator can be contacted by calling 800-453-3860 ext. 20850 or by email at mission@familysearch.org.

 

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The Parable of the Red Pencil

by Myrt

Dear Myrtle’s Blog http://blog.dearmyrtle.com/2008/10/parable-of-red-pencil.html and also http://blog.teachgenealogy.com/2008/10/parable-of-red-pencil.html

DearREADERS,

Someone asked me to post the Parable of the Red Pencil which I gave at the beginning of a presentation to the Utah Valley PAF Users Group. This blog post is to honor those patient Family History Consultants and others out there who realize how to gently but firmly lead folks into better research practices. I once fell victim to the dreaded red pencil of a “look down her nose” ward genealogist, but I was offered no way out of the situation. At the time I just gave up, figuring I’d never get the hang of genealogy research.

The Parable of the Red Pencil

This blog entry is merely to illustrate a powerful possibility of the grassroots efforts by kindly Family History Consultants, and is by no means meant to disparage the important role of professional genealogists in the compilation of credible family histories.

A certain beginning genealogist went down from her home on the Provo bench, and fell in with an old-timey “ward genealogist”, who took the newbie researcher’s hand written family group sheets and marked them roughly with red pencils, wherever there was an obvious mistake.  This left the beginner’s heart half dead, stranded amid piles of disorganized family photos, source documents, and ill-contrived pedigree and family group sheets.

By chance there came down a Certified Genealogist, and when he saw her, he passed by on the other side.

And likewise an Accredited Genealogist came down that way, and when she saw her, she passed by on the other side.

But a certain Ward Family History Consultant, as she journeyed, came where the beginning genealogist was, and she saw her, she had compassion on her.

And went to her, and bound up her wounds, by extending a hand of friendship and support, and set her down with a computer (to organize things) and took her to the local LDS Family History Center and took care of  her.

And on the morrow when she departed, she took out two forms (a research log and one for census extraction) and gave them to the beginning genealogist, and said unto her “Take care and don’t worry, I am here to help you climb your family tree. And whatsoever thou needest more, when I come again, I will assist thee.”

Which now of these three, thinkest thou, was of true genealogical assistance unto her that fell down with discouragement at the overwhelming task of gathering family names?

Should we not say she that showed mercy on her?

Quoting from the original parable of the Good Samaritan, in Luke 10: 37 we read:

“Then said Jesus unto him, Go, and do thou likewise.”

May I suggest that we should cease using our red pencils as swords, but we should break them down into plowshares?

Consider that a soft answer turneth away wrath.

And that a merry heart doeth good like a medicine.

And behold have we not been taught, that by small and simple things are great things brought to pass?

Happy family tree climbing!

Myrt    

DearMYRTLE,

Your friend in genealogy.

Shared with permission of Dear Myrtle – thank you

http://blog.dearmyrtle.com/2008/10/parable-of-red-pencil.html

 

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