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 !!! - Start with Elder Moon's training site (to improve proficiency with Family Tree):

1.Level one = http://broadcast.lds.org/elearning/fhd/Community/en/FamilyTreeCurriculum/level01/levelone.html
2.Level two = http://broadcast.lds.org/elearning/fhd/Community/en/FamilyTreeCurriculum/level02/leveltwo.html
Level three = http://broadcast.lds.org/elearning/fhd/Community/en/FamilyTreeCurriculum/level03/level%203.html

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

RootsMapper.com - GREAT
• Locations will help “see” where your ancestors lived or died
• Select several generations - RootsMapper will download from FamilySearch ancestor's “locations,” and display them with links on the World Map.
• To display single lines, and not all of them, here are the instructions: “http://blog.rootsmapper.com/2013/10/feature-focus-expand-parents.html”

CreateFan.com - GREAT
• Print out your own FanChart in color ($ 0.60 or with lamination will cost $1.60)
• NEW *** Use “Source Tracker” for Census, and “Name Cloud” (for fun)
• 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

SearchEngineColossus.com
• International Directory of Search Engines by Country

GenealogyInTime.com – GREAT RESEARCH
• Stories, Books, Newspapers, Genealogy links - great place to start research
• Use both (1) Individual, and (2) Family Genealogy searches (Located on left side of page)
• Rare Book Search will take you to “google books” (free) or archives.com (pay site)

Google Images =  http://google.com/images
• Search on a “picture” One of the first places to look – but you will need to scan a picture in order to upload it into TinEye.com
• If anyone is using that same picture on the internet, you will be given the internet locations

MillionShort.com – GREAT RESEARCH
• Many “personal” websites 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”

Linkpendium.com - when you need additional links to places to look for your ancestors How_to_articles