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The initial letter is combined with the first vowel of the surname. Surnames Campbell, Chandler, and Craig would be found under the heading “CA.” | The initial letter is combined with the first vowel of the surname. Surnames Campbell, Chandler, and Craig would be found under the heading “CA.” | ||
== Other Indexes == | == Other Indexes == | ||
Some indexes don't fit into these categories. For instance, the [[New Hampshire State Vital Records Index|New Hampshire]] vital records are indexed using the first and third letter of the surname. | Some indexes don't fit into these categories. For instance, the [[New Hampshire State Vital Records Index|New Hampshire]] vital records are indexed using the first and third letter of the surname. | ||
== Tips for Using Indexes<br> == | == Tips for Using Indexes<br> == | ||
• Introductory pages to a record or a book might explain how the index is arranged and provide a key to abbreviations used.<br>• Indexes might appear as a separate record, at the beginning or end of a record, in each volume, or in the initial or final volume only | • Introductory pages to a record or a book might explain how the index is arranged and provide a key to abbreviations used.<br>• Indexes might appear as a separate record, at the beginning or end of a record, in each volume, or in the initial or final volume only. | ||
• Don’t assume that the index is complete. Many indexes do not include everyone mentioned. A land index, for instance, might only list the husband, even if the wife is mentioned in the record. | |||
• Radoff, Morris L., Gust Skordas, and Phebe R. Jacobsen. The County Courthouses and Records of Maryland, Part Two: The Records, Publication No. 13. Annapolis, Maryland: The Hall of Records Commission, 1963.<br>• Sittner, Kathi. “Documents in Detail: Land Deed Indexes,” Ancestry 12 (November/December 1994).<br>• Sperry, Kip. “The Index: A Tool for the Genealogist,” The Genealogical Helper 30 (January 1976).<br> | • Check all possible spelling variations.<br>• Check to see if additions or corrections were included in a special section at the end of the index.<br>• Don’t stop with the index; examine the original record, if possible.<br>• Expect indexing errors to occur.<br>• If the person isn’t located in the index, check the record anyway. | ||
== References<br> == | |||
• Radoff, Morris L., Gust Skordas, and Phebe R. Jacobsen. ''The County Courthouses and Records of Maryland,'' Part Two: The Records, Publication No. 13. Annapolis, Maryland: The Hall of Records Commission, 1963.<br>• Sittner, Kathi. “Documents in Detail: Land Deed Indexes,” ''Ancestry'' 12 (November/December 1994).<br>• Sperry, Kip. “The Index: A Tool for the Genealogist,” ''The Genealogical Helper ''30 (January 1976).<br> | |||