Google Gimmicks for Finding Someone



google searchYou need the little ‘tricks of the trade’ in using the search engine ‘Google’ to have the greatest chance at success. So here are a few pointers to try.

To search multiple dates at one time without having to enter them individually, use this method. This is hugely helpful if you are looking for birth, marriage or death records (or any date based source) but don’t know the exact date of an event. If you need to check between 1890 and 1910 place in the Google search box 1890..1910 — you are placing two periods in between the dates along with the keyword (a surname, a person’s full name or a location). So in your search place the name in quotes and then the dates: “Smith, John” 1890..1910

Excluding a name, date or place is needed many times. To do this in your search box place a minus sign – just before the name or keyword you Do Not want found. You will place the ancestor’s name you want but this way using the minus sign those dates or places you keep seeing which do not apply to your ancestor will not in the in final results. Example: “Smith, John” -New York-1850-Rhode Island. Note no space places before or after the minus mark. Google box

When looking for a date with a specific person you can narrow that search by having the date and name close to each other rather than maybe part of someone else’s information. You use the word ‘around’ and then how close the date and name are to each other in the number of words in the information. So place the name “Smith, John”AROUND(8) 1910.

Use of the tilde symbol (~) will force Google to show additional synonyms (and related words) for your query. If you searched: Vital records “Smith, John” by placing the vilde ~ after your keyword such as “Smith, John”~vital records will also find documents, records, databases, and individual birth-marriage and death records. Do the same for an unusual surname such as Musselman then place the vilde ~ and genealogy. If provides more selection than you would have thought of.

Google hand heldTry a * (wildcard) in the search for a location, name or date you have no idea of. Say you have no idea where your ancestor lived. Place the name in quotes then the star *. You can narrow it down with “Smith, John” lived in *, this would include births-residences and death locations.

So a few hints to use the next Google search you are on.

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