Fast Accurate Research Tips

START BY HAVING SOME FUN - who are you related to - also create groups and share with others http://roots-fb.cs.byu.edu

FamilySearch.org - use for everything !!!

Use "Descendancy" view in FamilySearch - BEST  • Descendancy View – use instead of traditional or fan chart views

• Set up the "options" (top right)

• Expand the "View" to show at least 4 generations. You can expand more using the twisties

Linkpendium.com - when you need additional links of places to look for your ancestors Use www.fallingrain.com/world - GREAT • Locations will help “see” and "hear" where your ancestors lived or died

Treeseek.com - GREAT • Use "Source Tracker" for Census, and "Name Cloud" (for fun) • Print out your own FanChart in color • Use in conjunction with Puzzilla and Rootsmapper AND as a “search log” • Give as a gift - give family and friends a copy of their (or your) FanChart as a gift • Laminate FanChart (or any fragile or special documents)

SortedByName.com – Search Social Security Numbers • Follow the instructions, because it is complicated - it will take you 3 to 5 screens in order to get to the names you want

• Be careful to NOT follow the wrong options

SearchEngineColossus.com • International Directory of Search Engines by Country

GenealogyInTime.com – GREAT RESEARCH • Stories, Books, Newspapers, Genealogy links - great place to research • Use: Genealogy Search Engine, Family Tree Search Engine, Book Search Engine, A Guide to Performing Genealogy Searches (Located on left side of page)

Google Images = http://google.com/images - (do NOT throw away any old photos or documents) • Upload a “picture” or document - One of the first places to look – but you will need to scan a picture in order to upload it • If anyone is using that same picture (or document) on the internet, you will be given the internet locations

• Now includes facial recognition

MillionShort.com – GREAT RESEARCH  • Many websites that are too obscure to show up in a normal search • You can eliminate millions of sites using this and find the little know websites you might need

Advanced Google Searches – EXTREMELY Good Help (you might need to type “http://www.google.com” to see advanced options, bottom right of the google page under settings, and then click on “advanced search”) 1. quotes = “ “ 2. range = .. (two periods between a range of items, for example 1800..1850) 3. tilde = ~ (it is on the left of the one key on the keyboard) 4. asterisk = * (global character) 5. question mark = for just one character 6. delimiters = AND, NOT, OR, +, -, (many more = here is just one site that shows delimiters = “http://www.googleguide.com/advanced_operators_reference.html” ) 7. site = site: (with no space after the colon, type the website address) 8. country servers = do a search for “google country” (replace the word country with the actual name of the country – then you will be in the “google server for that specific country” 9. google images = type in “google images” - (google now has facial recognition software) 10. allintitle:subject (then add additional words) 11. allinurl:subject (then add additional words) 12. allintext:subject (then add additional words) 13. link:subject (then add additional words) 14. related:subject (then add additional words) 15. view source – this is available from any browser, but a great tool 16. cached websites – use the “down arrow” from the google search – or try “the wayback machine”