Genealogy Chat

Hi Kathy - My Gilchrists go back a long way in Scotland, except for the Gilchrists who from Cornwall and they are descended from Scots anyway!

The LDS site. I use it the way it lets me. :-D I don't get results if I don't use " * " - I use it the way I was advised by LDS by telephone. and email.

If I get no results I have to go Back, and the spaces are blank, so I have to enter the info again.

That reminds me....... sometimes "Gilchrist" appears as "Gilkerson"

Scozzie - Re "Saves time anyway, as we have to re-enter all the info."

No, we don't. Say I look at a collection like:
Scotland, Births and Baptisms, 1564-1950
and I enter a surname, say Slessor
I get 1388 hits - but on the page(s) of hits, off to left is a "refine your search" panel, so I can choose residence=Aberdeenshire and cut the # of hits way down to 1281 (well I didn't really expect otherwise). I can refine more and add parents names = William & Christian and out pop my g grandad's aunts and uncles - seems his mum and a couple of her sibs weren't baptized.

When I first searched for them on the old site, I would have to try Slessor/Slesser/Slessar, but later on, the old site improved. Years ago, I bought the LDS transcription of the 1881 census - this had a couple of discs for Scotland - ScotlandsPeople used to sell this 1881 transcription for 1 credit as they hadn't imaged that back then. Along with all the data files were some auxiliary files - if you looked at them, they would have a lookup table that converted Bill, Will, Willm, Wm into William for the duration of a search, then it would go back to output the results as transcribed. There was no Jane=Jean, (nor Janet=Jessie, Grace=Grizel, etc - obviously the table compiler had no Scottish experience). I don't know if they still do a table lookup as part of the search.

Scoozie

Great tips! I hope others read this, there must be swags of others wondering how to go about the new FamilySearch.

I've just noticed your researching Gilchrist, so am i, mine were Irish exports mainly to Scotland.

Cheers Kathy :))

Forgot to say..........

The tip about using three letters and " * " was given to me by an LDS person, so I didn't make it up.

Very helpful man, he telephoned me after I sent a message about using the new site.

I live nowhere near any sort of research place.

mgnv - I don't tick the box..... but I've found if I don't use " * " I get no results. If I give mother's name as Jane I get no results if it's Jean etc. Saves time anyway, as we have to re-enter all the info.

I'm NOT complaining, it's a great site, especially as it's free! :-D

I have found submissions on the NEW LDS site. They're wrong - my rellies, and I have the documents.

There are some collections on FS where it often doesn't matter how you spell/misspell a name

Consider the Greater Manchester collection under:
https://www.familysearch.org/search/collection/list#page=1®ion=BRITISH_ISLES
namely
England, Lancashire, Cheshire, Yorkshire, Parish Registers, 1603-1910 947,377 9 Jul 2011

Just below the search screen, we see:
View Images in this Collection
Browse through 332,814 images

Now, a typical baptism/burial rego has 8 entries per page, (so 8 on a single page image and 16 on a double page image.)
A typical marrl rego has 2 entries per page, (so 4 on a double page image.)
Given less than a million records are indexed, it's clear not all images are indexed yet.


The collection I use most:
England, Diocese of Durham Bishops' Transcripts ca., 1700-1900 Browse Images 24 Aug 2011
is entirely unindexed.

Wow thanks sylvia

Kathy

you certainly do not have to use exact spelling on the new familysearch!

It's one of the reasons why I like it for the Parish Records ......... ti will find Helen, Ellen, Eleanor, etc etc



The other thing is that the records on the new site are all extracted .............



.............. and there is none of the submitted nonsense that you get on the old site.




sylvia

mgmv thanks, it will all take practice...i guess .

Was really annoyed about the tree/issue this morning as i'd just found a gigantic PAF & wanted to explore this some more --then the old tree was just gone.

Its ok. ta

Cheers Kathy :)))

should be handy for my canadian fam. x

Well, the new site has a much better selection of records, but it's a real pain to copy & paste your hits - each hit takes me over a minute to tidy up all the blank lines they introduce - the old site was straight forward.

Scozzie - you don't have to use exact spelling if you don't check the box.
I didn't know abt * - I'll have to try that. (I did know that one can search the 1881 Canadian census using wildcards at LAC, and it's the LDS database I'm searching - this gives me access to the image too. Sim for 1891, but I don't know that that's the LDS database at LAC, although I guess it is)
http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/databases/census-1881/index-e.html

Thanks Scozzie all tips help me - really should have called this thread something like: A How To For All New Familysearch Numpties.

Ha!!!

Cheers Kathy :))

The new site is good, but you must use the correct spelling. I've been told you can use " * " and a minimum of three letters.

You don't need to know both first names (for parents) when searching, which is good if your female rellies (like mine) are Jane/Jean/Jessie, Isabella/Isobel/Isa, Margaret/Maggie, Ellen/Helen (use *len).

If you have surnames like McDonald..... type M*Donald. I have lots of Pryde names, so use Pr*de.

<3

Kathy


I almost never use the old site now .............. I much prefer the new one.


But have had no problems when I have tried the old one ....last time was weeks ago though!


I have heard that there are plans to do away with the old site.




sylvia

Sylvia
Tried your link to the 'old familysearch' looked promising but when i filled in the parent boxes as i'm searching for the family --once again it reverted to the dreaded maintenance please be patient message.

I think they are strongly persuading the reluctant plodders like me to start playing the new game.

Do so appreciate your help

Cheers Kathy ;)))

Hi Kathy


try this for old family search, click on the cross in the upper right corner to get rid of the "trey the new updated site" sign ................

http://www.familysearch.org/eng/




and use this for the new site ............

https://www.familysearch.org/




sylvia

Thank you Reggie and Sylvialn somehow i think i've partly got it all wrong. I'd kept refreashing the old familysearch, then suddenly all i got was a maintenance message & to be patient. Well after nearly seven hours i got fed up. I've just tried it again re-typing fam..sea..& hey presto, its back, but only the new version. I am grateful for this--for now.

Good to have an explanation!
Thanx all you lovely helpers --i plod along--with your help.

Cheers
Kathy :)))

both new familysearch and old familysearch sites are working fine for me.


and I'm in Canada

Which of their sites are you trying to access?

Big thanx Lynda & Kathleen you've answered my question its out in NZ -guess will just have to settle for a spot of dusting & talking my old hoover Henry for a stroll.

Cheers & happy day Kathy :-))

I've just tried too and got in o.k. I'm also in England.

Kath. x