{"id":630,"date":"2011-04-26T19:32:00","date_gmt":"2011-04-27T00:32:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/genealogy.julietarr.com\/blog\/search-strategies-ancestry-part-3\/"},"modified":"2013-07-06T22:17:11","modified_gmt":"2013-07-07T03:17:11","slug":"search-strategies-ancestry-part-3","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/genealogy.julietarr.com\/blog\/search-strategies-ancestry-part-3\/","title":{"rendered":"Search Strategies: Ancestry \u2013 Part 3"},"content":{"rendered":"

In Search Strategies:\u00a0 Ancestry \u2013 Part 2<\/a> I discussed the use of Soundex and wildcard searches.\u00a0 In Part 3, we\u2019ll look at targeting search results.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

When you perform a search (as instructed in Parts 1 and 2) you get a listing of matches within a particular record or index set.<\/p>\n

\"searchresults\"<\/p>\n

When you click on any of those links, you are taken to a detailed results list for that particular set.\u00a0 You may have noticed that at the end of the search results, there is an additional section that allows you to perform a more targeted search.\u00a0 (Note:\u00a0 You may have click the link that reads \u201cShow Advanced Search Options\u201d to display all of the additional fields available.)<\/p>\n

\"expandedsearch\"<\/p>\n

The advanced search option is available for most record\/index sets, but the available fields will vary depending on the particular set you are viewing.\u00a0 I will illustrate a few examples to give you some ideas on implementing these types of searches.<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s say you want to find John Smith in the 1920 census.\u00a0 A general search for John Smith living in the US yields over 31,000 results.\u00a0 So how can we narrow this down?\u00a0 Go into the detailed results for the 1920 census and scroll down to the advanced search options.\u00a0 We know that the John Smith we are looking for was born in New York about 1880 and is suspected as living in Illinois at the time of the 1920 census.\u00a0 Here\u2019s what I would enter into some of the other fields to narrow down the results:<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
First Name<\/td>\nJohn<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Last Name<\/td>\nSmith<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
State<\/td>\nIllinois<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Birthplace<\/td>\nNew York<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Estimated Birth Year<\/td>\n1880 +\/- 2<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

This narrows the search results to three that match this specific criteria.<\/p>\n

But let\u2019s say we didn\u2019t have any idea where John was living in 1920.\u00a0 I\u2019d instead use the following criteria, essentially removing the State:<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
First Name<\/td>\nJohn<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Last Name<\/td>\nSmith<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Birthplace<\/td>\nNew York<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Estimated Birth Year<\/td>\n1880 +\/- 2<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

This results in 206 matches, which is certainly more manageable than 31,000+.\u00a0 You can narrow this down by perhaps adding his wife\u2019s name in the Spouse\u2019s Given Name field, if known and is suspected to also be in the census.<\/p>\n

There are all sorts of combinations you can experiment with using the advanced search options.\u00a0 To find possible married daughters (in the first census where they do not appear with their parents and are of age to marry), I perform a search populating the following fields:<\/p>\n