The new search engine at FamilySearch.org continues to provide more and more great search options.
Do you know how to do each of the following searches in the Historical Records collection at FamilySearch.org?
- Search given-names only, based on a very localized area or narrowed time-frame:
- Search just the surname, with a localized town or parish
- Search on just a year of birth and a small place
- Search with one wildcard (*) in just the surname, using a place-name
- Search by using two or more wildcards (*) in a surname.
- Search for “Smyth” ONLY returns “Smyth” or “Smythe” results! No more Smyth mingled with Smith!
- Search using only the father’s name or both father and mother’s name (i.e. a parent search for children). Click on Advanced Search and select Parents under the Relationship drop down list. Hint: when I do a parent search I usually give the first and last name of the father but only the first name of the mother. Also search to determine some of the illegitimate children born to a person. You do this by only putting in the mother’s name.
- Search when you don’t know or are unsure of the spelling of the prefix or a large portion of the beginning of a surname
For more details find the article “Nine Powerful Search Features in the FamilySearch Search Engine” by P B Dunn in the What’s New link at FamilySearch.org (dated 8 April 2011)
Phil says “New and current search features in FamilySearch’s search engine makes it one of the most powerful on the Worldwide Web. From my genealogical experiences in searching on the Web, few other search engines allow such easy search parameters and criteria to be set by users. Kudos to engineers and programmers for these enhancements!”
Thank you, Phil.
I tried most of these searches and was very impressed!
So . . . try each of these searches – apply other filters to the results – have some fun!
It’s summer and there is no snow in the forecast (for this week!)
