This class is focused on:
1. Searching for family trees; and
2. Common navigation techniques for Family Search and Ancestry.
Two of the most common search sites for family trees are:
This site is free to use. You may need to register, but registration is free. Family Search has a universal tree. The universal tree means anyone can use it, update it, change it, etc. Sources and the person posting are shown.
There are trees, other than the universal tree, that can be searched.
This is a pay-site. Ancestry Library Edition is available for free at the Davenport Public Library. Other libraries also offer free access to Ancestry Library Edition.
Other websites work similarly to these two sites.
Looking at a family tree posted by another person may be a great hint for finding a family.
HOWEVER, DO NOT TRUST UN-SOURCED INFORMATION!!!!
Confirm any information posted on any family tree from any source.
FamilySearch.org has several search options. To search for records for a specific person:
click Search
click Records
You can search by name.
Complete the information. Be open to options, but try to limit as much as you can. For example, enter names, but do not check the box after the name. Checking the box will limit the spelling of the name. For the birth year, enter a range of 1 to 2 years. To search for older records, use a 5 to 10-year range. For example, for a person born after 1850, + 2 years may work well. For someone born in the 1700s, a range of + 5 or +10 years may be a better option.
Once you click Search, options for looking at various documents will appear.
HOWEVER, DO NOT TRUST UN-SOURCED INFORMATION!!!!
To search for a book or other record by place, surname, title, author or subject:
click Search
click Catalog
A surname search is most likely to find a book or family history about that surname.
A place search can show information about the area where your ancestor lived and records from that area.
To search by Place:
click Place
enter country first
enter state second
enter city (or other area) third
You can further refine your search by adding a title, author, subject or keyword. In small communities, such as Audubon Co, IA, there are limited records.
FamilySearch.org has informational genealogy articles called Wiki.
click Search
click Research Wiki
Enter the information you are seeking, such as Iowa census to learn what years Iowa did a census. They have articles on a wide variety of topics.
If you want more information for using FamilySearch.org, go to Family Tree Magazine, www.familytreemagazine.com. Enter “How To Use FamilySearch.org”. You will get a variety of articles. A basic article is “How To Use FamilySearch.org: A Beginner’s Guide” by Rick Crume. There are other useful articles on Family Tree Magazine. Some are free articles, but some require payment or a subscription.
Ancestry.com has several search options. To search for records for a specific person:
click Search
click All Collections
You can limit the type of records based on the information checked.
Complete the information. Be open to options, but try to limit as much as you can. For example, enter names, but do not check the box after the name. Checking the box will limit the spelling of the name. For the birth year, enter a range of 1 to 2 years. To search for older records, use a 5 to 10 year range. For example, for a person born after 1850, + 2 years may work well. For someone born in the 1700’s, a range of + 5 or +10 years may be a better option.
You can adjust the filters (on the left) and change from “Records” to “Categories” (on the right).
You can adjust the Search Filters (on the left) and change from “Records” to “Categories” (on the right).
At the bottom of the list, you will see if anyone has posted a Family Tree for this ancestor.
DO NOT TRUST UN-SOURCED INFORMATION ON A FAMILY TREE!!!!
To search for a book or other record by place, title, author or subject:
Ancestry.com
click Search
click Card Catalog
To search by place:
enter the city (or other community) first, the state second
If you want more information, look at Family Tree Magazine, July/August 2021. There is a center fold-out article which is a “how to” for using Ancestry.com and covers much more information and gives clear details.
You can also search the internet by the name of your ancestor, the name of a newspaper, the name of a book or other search criteria. It’s helpful to enclose your search term within quotation marks.
Many sites allow you to use wildcard characters like * or ? to indicate missing letters. This can be handy with names that are often spelled incorrectly.
Examples: Th*rgood= Thurgood or Thoroughgood H?ns?n = Hansen, Hanson, Hinsen, Henson, Hensen
You can also use a + sign or quotation marks to ask the search engine to find words together.
Examples: Scott County Iowa + genealogy “Dean ROBSON”
Enter “ancestry library edition” as a search term at www.davenportlibrary.com