Dear Randy: How Do You Search For Records on Ancestry.com? - My Take

My good friend and colleague, Randy Seaver, had one of his readers ask him a question, and his response is here

Dear Randy: How Do You Search For Records on Ancestry.com?

My approach is slightly different and thought I would share the difference. Please don't get me wrong, Randy will run circles around my research.

His second choice was to use Hints and Suggested Records. Hints, within FTM2017 are my FIRST Choice. Reason, the criteria and data required by the Hints provided in my Ancestry Member Tree are far more accurate from the data on the Generic Search Website.

(I see they have changed the All Records Search screen a bit)

There are many fields that can be filled in, some fields may or may not get the results I might want.

I have mentioned this before, but when I do use the Ancestry Search engine, manually, no hints, I will search in a specific Record Collection, preceded with a specific Genealogical Question. l have learned that the Search Screen fields will be different based on that record collection. Also, I have an Evernote note that I create and update based on that Record Group. I have Citation information, what information I want to gather from that record collection.

For  example: The U.S.,Social Security Applications and Claims Index,1936-2007.

https://search.ancestry.com/search/db.aspx?dbid=60901

Note the fields that can be completed, if know.

And the U.S., Social Security Death Index,1935-2014

https://search.ancestry.com/search/db.aspx?dbid=3693

The data fields are different.

But, in most cases, I have a specific question, which would lead me to a specific Record Group, I would go to that Record Group and did the search from there.

I generally start very broadly, then refine (Edit) the information in the Fields, but I do start with the Sliders that Randy describes.

But, I let my Ancestry Member Tree (AMT) find the Hints that I will use, within FTM2017. I do ALL of my Data Entry in FTM2017, including the Web Merge Feature. I do not merge any records in the AMT.

But Please read Randy's Blog Post. (link above)

_______________________________________________________________
Copyright © 2018 by H R Worthington

RE: Do Search Engines Provide What You Request?

I was reading Randy Seaver's blog:

http://www.geneamusings.com/2014/07/do-search-engines-provide-what-you.html

and thought I would give it a try. I was wondering if I would get the same results or different results, based on how I search on Ancestry.com. This is from the Ancestry.com website and not from within Family Tree Maker.

Here is my Input: [ my default Search settings ]

I entered Sampson Seaver, Birth year of 1830, and selected New York, USA when I typed New Y

Then clicked on Search.

Since Randy was looking for 1850, 1860, 1870 and 1880 U.S. census records I selected the Census and Voting Lists

I got them all in ONE search:

I think the importance of my results are the Sliders. I use them ALL OF THE TIME. I am usually pretty successful with my search results. I do this type of search while teaching a class.

Here is the slider settings that I see as my defaults on this generic type of search.

The first name was fairly broad, which would pick of variations on Sampson. The Born date and location were broad.

Now, if I were to get too many results, I would move the Birth date and place tighter.

Now, I don't know if the census records were Randy's Sampson, but the information in the 1850, 1860, and 1870 were consistent, would have to know if the 1880 was Randy's person.

Thanks Randy for the challenge.

_______________________________________________________________
Copyright © 2014 by H R Worthington

Ancestry Search - Old vs New

With all of the talk about Ancestry Search, I thought I would share my experience with the features in the "new" search at Ancestry. I did this a while ago, couple of months perhaps, so that was before the new sliders.

I was trying to find Halsey C Brewster, born about 1897 in New York City. That is ALL I knew. My normal search strategy is to see if I can find my person in a Census Record, to help be identify the family and to help create a F.A.N. club. (Friends or Family, Acquaintance, and Neighbors).

Here is the "old search" settings where I entered what I knew.

That's what I knew. Yes, the screen is new, but I don't have an old search screen capture.

Here are my results from the Search.

Nothing. I normally don't use an exact year when I search, so I took advantage of the new Slider and loosened the Year.

There was one Census Record for him but when I looked at it, not my person.

What I like about the New Search is the ability to look at neighboring Counties or States. For example, those places where the County Line changed. Since my first search was all New York City county and boroughs, I selected adjacent States.

And the result was:

There he is in the 1900, 1910, and 1920 Census. His family had moved across the river some time between 1897 and 1899. Hadn't found his birth year yet, but looking at the census record, this was my person.

I do not think I would have found him in the old search. I can't prove that, but I have experienced this in the old search, where I couldn't find the person, because a border changed, or the family moved.

Needless to say, I like the new search. With the sliders on the results screen is a bonus. But, I like the control we have in the Edit Search screen.

One users opinion.
_______________________________________________________________
Copyright © 2014 by H R Worthington