Researching your family tree can be a fun and rewarding experience. You can connect
with your ancestors and your heritage. One of the essential tools for genealogy
research is online record databases. These data phases are powerful tools
that can help you unlock the mysteries of your family tree. In this tutorial,
I will provide you with easy tips for using a genealogy database effectively.
Each genealogy database has a specific set of reference materials and titles
that don't always match the content contained within the database. Before
you start searching for your ancestor in the database, take a moment to read the database
content information pages. You'll often find them or a link at the bottom of the
search form. Reviewing the about section can help save you time and avoid frustration by
ensuring you aren't searching for something not contained within the collection.
Now, my multiple great-grandfather Joseph Geisler migrated to the United States from
Baden to Franklin County, Ohio. On Ancestry, in this particular collection, there's no browse;
there's a search. So, I just have to type things in. And when I scroll to the bottom of this search
form, I see a link to a family search for further information about this collection.
By contrast, on this naturalization petition and record books, I have a lot more information to
review. So, just because sometimes there's not a lot of information, while other times there are,
do always make it a habit of looking and seeing what happens. And then, when you
click on this link, well, it goes to a helpful information page, and I can learn quite a bit
about what's in this collection. There are some image visibility restrictions. It will also tell
me some things about what the record may reveal. I can review some sample images and so much more.
There's also a section in this called "known issue." So when you click on that, in this case,
we learned that the Lucas County naturalization index only covers an index and records from A to
L, and people are trying to figure out, well, what about L to Z or M to Z? So, here are some
known problems within this collection, and it's really great information. Over on FamilySearch,
if the collection is a FamilySearch collection, so be sure to check that out.
Another collection I found is for the Naturalization records in Franklin County,
Ohio. Now, this title suggests that the records are from 1859 to 1906,
and there is a naturalization index from 1850 to 1906. So, an extra nine years.
But I learned that the collection includes naturalization records for aliens, miners,
soldiers, and Declarations of intention. And I really like these Declarations of
intention. Additional indexes appear at the beginning of each volume.
What does that mean? Well, if you will click on any of these collections, we're going to go ahead
and click in and load up reference material. And when we click in at the beginning of the
film trips, you see that the film strip has this little "Hey Franklin County Ohio naturalization
card" right? So, we're going to go to one of the first entries, and notice here when we zoom in,
alright, here's the index for aliens from what page 1 to 292, for minors from 293 to 444,
and so forth. So that's the first part of the index in this particular book. And then if we go
a page forward, we'll zoom out, we're gonna see anybody with the last name that begins with A,
their names are listed roughly alphabetically, at least A. And
then here are the page numbers where we'll find their entries. And then you have the Bs,
and you can just keep turning the pages. There are cities, there are the Cs, and so on and so forth.
Here's a pro tip that is often overlooked. While the book I just showed you doesn't have
introductory materials, some collections have scopes and explanations worth spending time
seeking out and diving deeper into the specific record. They may tell you why it was collected,
what was contained, how to use the resource, how it's organized, and so on and so forth. So,
some of that front material is actually in the digitized resource. So, be sure to
look through them and read them, particularly if they show up in the collection you're searching.
My next tip involves becoming familiar with how a database search result works.
Before diving into a genealogy database, especially one you've never used before,
try to use a common or familiar name to view how the search results work.
Before diving in with the person you actually want to find in the collection.
Now, while some genealogy educators suggest a name like John Smith or David Davison,
I would suggest using a relatively common first name and surname for the type of
database you're using. Meaning John Smith and David Davidson might not necessarily
work in a German or an Italian or Prussian collection, would it?
Now, since this Ohio naturalization collection will likely have German names in it, the
given name Friedrich and the surname Ott appear frequently in many German collections. So perhaps
there are other more common German given names or surnames, and you can tell me about those in the
comment section below. But let's try this one. Notice what FamilySearch does with these search
results. It automatically uses spelling variations for the first name. There's a Fredrick with a K,
F-r-e-d-k, which is a truncated variation of Friedrich, and there is also Fred, and there's
also Freed with an apostrophe K. So what's really nice about this is that we have learned over the
last decade or so that you have to use these wild cards in order to find the spelling variations
for your ancestor's name. But FamilySearch, in this particular database, is doing that heavy
lifting for you, which is so nice. And if we keep scrolling down, eventually what's gonna happen
is that FamilySearch may pick up common nicknames for a name. So, Fritz is a common alternative for
Friedrich. But if we go to page two, eventually we will get to when FamilySearch is just using
the initial F in the given name field. So, Carl F or William F. Verb, there was F William. It would
show that as well. This is kind of nice that FamilySearch does that for you. And the only
way you would know that FamilySearch is doing that for you is if you used a common name. Try
this out on Findmypast and MyHeritage or any of the state archives and databases that you
find. Use a common name, see what happens, and then go searching for your ancestor.
For those of you who are new here or might have missed that video, I previously created a video
about how to search on Ancestry, FamilySearch, MyHeritage, and Findmypast. They all have
different ways that they do their search results, and they have pros and cons of each. So be sure
to look for the link for that video in the description box or at the end of this video.
When you first start using a genealogy database, entering as much information
as possible to find your ancestor is very tempting. However, less is actually more.
Start by only adding a few specific details about the ancestor you're researching, perhaps their
name, birth year, and birth location. You do not need to fill out every detail. When you view the
search results, let the quantity and quality of the results guide your next steps. Perhaps
you might need to narrow your search by adding more details or using the search filters over
here on the side, and expanding your search to capture more individuals. You can broaden
or decrease the birth parameters, the location. Maybe you need to go back in and put Germany
instead of just Hanover. Maybe you need to change the name, the spelling, and so forth. So how could
you actually play around with some of the search parameters from here? Well, in the name field,
you can just look for Heinrich Mock, or you can look for M-a-c-k. You can do an exact,
sound-like, similar, or that Soundex variation, so you can kind of control that. Also, try different
spelling variations that you can think of. M-a-e-c-k is one that I have found before.
Now, the next thing you want to do is figure out how this database deals with surnames that
have either Mc and a C, D as in DeWit, or O as in Odell. Go ahead and see, can that database handle
Odell? Just because you don't have a search result doesn't mean that it's not in there. You have to
keep trying different variations to see if it'll show up. Now, in this case, Odell doesn't show
up. So one of the things we can try is McDonald's. And notice how it has MacDonald as one word. Let's
try McDonald's as two words and see if we get the same notations. And in this case, Ancestry
is just putting MacDonald with no space together, and if you put a space in there, it's okay. If you
capitalize the D or lowercase the D, it's okay. It will still look and find that for you. So go ahead
and look for those variations in the surnames for Mc, Mac, D, O, and Van, and other similar names.
Other ways to change your parameters: Let's say you think the year is 1830. You can add the date
and the month to narrow it down, or you can expand it by expanding it to five years plus or minus,
or even 10 years plus or minus. There are lots of different ways to play with your
search parameters. You can also search by a spouse's maiden name, married name,
or both. You can look for parents of a person together in a form, or you can leave out the
child and just search by parents' names. You can add just one parent's name and the child,
and it doesn't matter which one it is. I have made a video about searching for
children by using parents' names only. I will have that linked in the description box below.
You can also use advanced search parameters. Perhaps you take all the biographical information
out and then you put in keywords, or you look at military service and naturalization aspects.
Maybe you have a collection that you could search by an address, and you just want everybody on a
specific street in a specific location. Get to know what the search form has and play around
with the parameters to do various types of research and see what the results will have.
The more you experiment, the more success you're going to have in diving deeper into
these collections and finding those genealogy gems that are buried beneath the surface.
So, what's your favorite strategy for using a database that you've
never used before? Let me know in the comment section below. On your way out,
make sure you like this video and subscribe. And if you want more search strategies on
how to do online genealogy research, make sure you check this playlist right up here.