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Searching and Search Engine Tips

Reference the list of frequently used Search Engines from the Useful URLs List.

^ - In the notes below the carat symbol (^) represents the CTRL key on the keyboard
(this is a common shorthand to reference the CTRL key)

GENEALOGY AND RESEARCH IN GENERAL

Using the Internet for Genealogy Research

  • The Internet is just another tool even though it has revolutionized genealogical research by making so much information easily accessible.
  • The same guidelines good genealogists have always used with pencil and paper research should be applied to the internet.
  • Document your sources when you place data on the internet. Verify data you got off the internet is properly cited and interpreted. This usually means finding the referenced source document yourself to verify the interpretation.
  • DON'T pass along bad or suspect data - it proliferates more quickly on the internet than it did in days when only paper/microfilm were used.

    • Guide for Online research

    1. Have a goal - otherwise you can spend hours sidetracked and have no useful results. Know:
      • who you're looking for - spelling variations,
      • what you're looking for,
      • when - what timeframe was this person alive,
      • where the person might have been located at the time of the event being searched.
    2. Have a plan:
      • first try structured site such as
        WorldGenWeb / USGenWeb Project sites, FamilySearch.org,
        Rootsweb.com, Ancestry.com, Genealogy.com, etc.;
      • then use search engines to find individual's web pages.
    3. Revisit sites periodically as new data is always being added.
    4. Keep a research log of the date, exact name spellings and options used in your search and what results you got.
      In order to cite an internet site as evidence in your genealogical research you should list:
      • What information the site contains
      • The name of the site
      • The URL of the site (Uniform Resource Locator - a web site address)
      • List what you obtained from the web site and the date you found it
      Example of BLM citation:
      • Database of records for Eastern Public Land States, issued between 1820 and 1908 (does not contain all records for all states listed), United States General Land Office, Bureau of Land Management, URL is http://www.glorecords.blm.gov/, Alabama, St. Stephens Meridian, all records of Township 6 North, Range 11 East downloaded on 22 Sept. 2001.
    5. Use all the tips below to find all pertinent data.
    6. Investigate the data and don't blindly accept it as valid:
      • look for documented sources for the data, be skeptical of undocumented data,
      • verify those sources to eliminate the possibility that someone incorrectly interpreted some item of data.


    SEARCH ENGINES AND SEARCH TIPS

    How search engines work and what they index

    Tips For the Most Productive Searches



    Using Google http://www.google.com/

    Try the following searches and see how many hits you get.
Enter exactly what you see on the line after the ---------.
If you would prefer using one of your ancestor names go ahead
but follow the example as far as whether or not to use
", full given/middle/surname, surname first, or given
name first.

----------
"allie perry richards"        

3 hits - all on my web site with the exact words in order

----------
allie perry richards 

3,240 hits - first hits were same as the ones above since they
MOST closely match the search terms as entered but you also see
sites with entries where the search terms are NOT right together 
such as

I8277: Jean Elizabeth AGNEW ()
... | | |--Edy PERRY | | | | | ... Roark
Lee RICHARDS | | ... Allie SMITH. ...
www.ghg.net/knightlines/d0001/g0000043.htm 
    - 30k - Cached - Similar pages

----------
samuel christopher johnson    

185,000 hits  but notice that entries close to the
top of the list DO NOT contain the word christopher
- the search engine does its best to find what you
asked for but will return "close" items if it can't
find your exact terms

Johnson Society of London - a Samuel Johnson bibliography
... in the context of European culture. Christopher Hibbert, 
The Personal History of Samuel Johnson (London 1971, reissued 1998). 
Concentrates on the life, rather ...
www.nbbl.demon.co.uk/JSL7.html - 16k - Cached - Similar pages

----------
"samuel christopher johnson"    

0 hits - no pages contain these EXACT words in this exact
order

----------
"samuel c johnson"  

516 hits - notice I did not have to enter the . after c
but the search found Samuel C. Johnson

Samuel C. Johnson Medical Research Center - Scottsdale, AZ 
Chanen served as general contractor for this $12 million 
research/laboratory facility for the ...
www.chanen.com/chanen_site/mayo.htm - 2k - Cached - Similar pages

Samuel C. Johnson (c1818) and Nancy --- of Horry Co, SC
... Children of Samuel C Johnson and Nancy (---) were as follows: 
2 i Hugh E 2 Johnson , born 1847/48 in Horry Dist, SC. ...
www.martygrant.com/gen/johnson-sc/johnson-samuel-c-horry.htm 
- 45k - Cached - Similar pages

----------
"samuel c johnson" conecuh   

4-5 hits

AL Archives - Conecuh County
... Lee Post Office, Hamden Ridge Community, Conecuh Co., 
AL, 446 bytes, APR 1999, ... scjohnson.txt,
Obit of Rev. Samuel C. Johnson, 6.78 Kb, JUNE 1999, Patsy Quick. ...
www.rootsweb.com/usgenweb/al/conecuh.htm 
    - 35k - Cached - Similar pages

----------
"johnson samuel c"    
AND a second search for
"johnson, samuel c"   

both display the SAME HITS - comma doesn't make a lot of 
difference on Google but it MIGHT on some other search sites
- 183 hits


    BROWSERS

    Browser Usage



    URLs

    When entering URLs in your web browser: The segments of a URL are: 
    [protocol]://[system.domain][:port]/[directory]/[filename]


    http://etxquest.com/
    Copyright © 2003-2008, Debbie Parker Wayne,
    All Rights Reserved.