Database Transcription Policy at Illinois State Archives

Users of databases are reliant upon transcribers to enter information. The Illinois State Archives website has an interesting page entitled "ISA Database Transcription Policy." Give it a look.

Google Advanced Search

Are you using Google's advanced search?

http://www.google.com/advanced_search?hl=en&authuser=0

It allows you to craft better searches than just the main page. You can combine exact phrase searches with "all these words," specific domain searches, don't show pages with certain words, etc.

These things can be done from the main Google page (usually) but the advanced search makes it easier.

Searching on Footnote.com

Footnote.com is not always the easiest site to search in my opinion. I usually browse using the main page until I get to the era I want for the database I'm searching. Then when I'm on that specific database, I search just that database. Personally I rarely search the entire database because I am not happy with the ways to refine searches. 


If you've had difficulty using Footnote.com you might want to try searching specific databases instead of the whole site. Even that has problems, but I've generally had better luck tackling specific databases. 

Casefile Clues Memorial Day Offer

Over the Memorial Day Holiday, you can take advantage of our Casefile Clues subscription offer--$25.50 for the first 35 issues of Year 2--plus another year of issues. A list of topics from year 2 can be viewed here.

Orders can be processed here with a credit card (PayPal account not necessary although PayPal processes our payments).

Subscribe now before you forget--this post will be pulled when the offer is over.

You can request samples by emailing samples@casefileclues.com.

Are You Searching Randomly?

Are you tracking your online searches? Are you thinking systematically about how you enter search terms to query databases?

Making a list of what you have tried is a good idea also.

It is difficult to troubleshoot your searches if you are not tracking what you are doing. This is especially true if you are not successful in the first few minutes of your search.

Do You Estimate a Year of Birth for Everyone?

There are many reasons to estimate  a year of birth for an ancestor. One of the best ones is that it is difficult to filter your database if you do not. Searching the Bureau of Land Management website for ancestors and relatives of the right age to be in the War of 1812 is an excellent idea.

But you cannot search your database for men born during the right time if you have not entered at least an approximate year of birth for them.

Search for More than Names

Downloaded that history of the county where your ancestor settled? Besides searching it for names, search it for the county where the ancestor was from--there may be others mentioned in the county history who were from the same place and full-text searches are a great way to make those discoveries.