User:Nolaneclark/sandbox

The Basic Search
Remember the basic principle: Less is More; the fewer the restrictions on the search, the more records will be found.

In most cases, the best strategy is simply to enter a first and last name into the search window, with no additional data. If this search yields too many records, one can narrow the results by:


 * adding a life event;
 * adding a relationship; or
 * using filters.

The default search window searches all historical records that have been indexed, plus names in submitted pedigrees.

When the results screen appears, the results from historical records will appear first. At the bottom of the first page will appear names from submitted pedigrees.

Note that the search results will show persons with similar names, with the closest matches appearing first. This strategy is employed because name spelling in historical records was not consistent.

Exact Name Searches
Note that one can search by exact name. An exact name search is performed by clicking in the small square at the right end of the First Names box and/or the Last Name box. Unless exact search is selected, the search engine will search for similar names. As a general rule, one will not want to use an exact search. In historical documents, spelling of names is not consistent. In addition, for various reasons, names change.

Searching by Last Name Only
One can search by last name or surname only. A surname search can be valuable when a surname is unusual.

Searching by Given Name(s) Only
One can also search by given name(s) only. This type of search may be useful if:


 * the given name is very unusual; or
 * one can subsequently filter the search to reduce the number of responses.

Using Wildcard in Name Searches
You can make wildcard searches, substituting an * in place of one or more letters. In order to use wildcards, you must use at least three letters. For example, one could search for w*lb*n to find a surname that might be spelled Wilborn, Willborn, Welborn, Wilburn, Wilbourne, Welbourne, etc. Wildcards can be helpful because spelling was not consistent and recordkeepers often prepared records based on what they heard.

Alternatives in Searching by Location and Time Period
One can also search by location only. For example, one can omit entering any name, select "Add a life event", select "Any" and then enter a place, for example, a town or parish. Such a search will yield all records naming that location. For example, one can use a location search to identify indexed records for a particular parish

When searching for a particular person, one can narrow the geographic location and/or the time period. In addition, one can narrow the search to an exact location.

Adding a Life Event
The life event choices are: Any, Birth, Marriage, Residence and death. "Any" may be the desired life event if you merely want to:


 * narrow the time period for the records searched; or
 * narrow the geographic scope of the records searched; or
 * both.

You may want to specify a birth event, a marriage event or a death event when you are seeking information about that particular event.

You can specify either a single event or multiple events. Remember, however, that the more restrictions on the search, the fewer records will be found.

Remember that as an alternative to searching by a particular event, one can narrow a search by using filters, rather than searching by a particular event.

Adding a Relationship
The relationship choices are: Spouse and Parents.

The Spouse choice can be used to narrow the search results when one knows the name of the spouse. Remember, however, that last given name for the spouse may affect the results derived. For example, if one enters the maiden name, one is likely to obtain marriage records or death records (who usually contain the maiden name). By contrast, if one enters the married name, one is likely to obtain census records which usually contain the married name of the spouse.

The Parents choice can be used to locate multiple children of the same parents. For such a search, one can enter the names of the parents, but enter no name for the child. However, in such a search, you may want to use only the first name of the mother because the historical record showing parents is likely to have the married name of the mother rather than the maiden name.

Using Filters
If a search on FamilySearch yields a large number of results, one can narrow down the results by using filters. Properly used, filters provide a powerful tool.

The list of possible filters appears on the left side of the list of search results. Not all possible filters will appear on any particular search. Only those filters will appear that are applicable to the retrieved data.

Types of Filters

The possible filters that may appear are: • Collections (Type of records) • Birthplace • Birth Year • Marriage Place • Marriage Year • Residence Place • Residence Year • Death Place • Death Year • Other Place (for events such as migration, naturalization or military service) • Other Year • Gender

What is separated out by the various filters?

The Collections Filterseparates out records by the following record types:


 * Birth, Marriage &amp; Death
 * Census &amp; Lists
 * Migration &amp; Naturalization
 * Military
 * Other
 * Probate &amp; Court

The Place Filters separate out records by major land areas:


 * Africa
 * Asia &amp; Middle East
 * Australia &amp; New Zealand
 * Canada, USA and Mexico
 * Caribbean, Central and South America
 * Europe
 * Other
 * Pacific Islands

One can use subfilters to narrow down results that appear for these major land areas. For example, the category for Canada, USA and Mexico is broken down into each of these three countries. Canada is further broken down by province. United States and Mexico are further broken down by state.

The Year Filters separate out records by century, with the possibility of further separating out records by decade.

Should One Use Multiple Filters?

Factors to consider in deciding to use multiple filters:


 * You can combine as many different filters as you need. For example, you can use filters for collection type, birthplace, birth date, and gender at the same time. You cannot, however, select more than one filter of the same type. For example, you cannot select more than one birthplace filter (such as Virginia and North Carolina).
 * As you apply filters, remember that the effect of the filters is cumulative. Each new filter is applied to the set of search results that are currently shown on the screen. For example, if you apply a birth date filter, the search results are constrained to the records that match that filter. Applying a birthplace filter takes that constrained set of results and reduces it to the records that match both the birthplace and birth date.
 * Adding too many filters may cause you to miss valid records in your search results. So that you can tell which filters are applied, they appear highlighted in white.
 * The drop-down window for each filter type shows in parentheses the number of records contained within each category.

To remove a filter or subfilter, simply click the x that appears next to it.

Searching Particular Collections rather than All Records
When one performs a search for any name entered, the search engine will automatically search all records unless you have first narrowed the search to a particular collection.

Searching within all records maximizes the probability of finding the person you seek, but may yield a vast number of records. Searching within a particular collection narrows the search. This can be useful For example, if you are looking for a death record for Arizona, you can go to the Collection for Arizona Deaths.

Once again, remember that one can search within all records and then narrow the number of documents by using filters.

However, going to particular collections may be valable when historical records have been digitzed but not indexed. These records can be found by selecting specific record collections and searching through the records.

Procedures to Select Specific Collections
To select specific collections, two procedures can be used:


 * From the main search window, you can look under the heading "Browse by Location" and select the geographic area within which you will search. For example, you can select USA, Canada and Mexico.  From this screen, you can narrow the search to the United States. For another example, you can select Europe and narrow the search to Germany.
 * From the main search window, you can select All Record Collections. This will provide a listing of all historical records that have been digitized and/or indexed.  Within this listing, one can scroll down and select the record collection desired.