June 7, 2009
TRACING OUR
ROOTS
WILD CARDS AND OTHER MISCELLANEA
Brenda Kellow
Wildcards tend to remain a mystery to some researchers. Wildcards use the
asterisk symbol in place of letters or numbers. Example: Kel* returns words like
Kellow, Kelley, Kelly, etc. Remember to use at least three letters before it.
Use wildcards to match distinct but similar words, or to replace characters from
zero, or more. A question mark replaces only one character. Example: Johns?n
brings up matches to Johnson, Johnsen, etc. It will not bring up Johnston, but
by can by using two question marks such as Johns??n.
It is really simple to use.
Searching this way is really preferred when searching names with many spellings.
It is particularly helpful when searching censuses.
Do note that different sites
use different wildcards. Some do not use them at all. Become familiar with the
search engine you are using. Check out their ‘Help and Advice’ page to insure
success.
HELPFUL DATABASES:
Family History 101; My Texas Genealogy; The PERiodical Source Index;
and the local Genealogy Friends Research and Development site.
IRISH RESEARCH:
For my Irish friends, check out Irish Family Research. It does require
registering, but it has a free and a paid subscription.
www.irishfamilyresearch.co.uk/.
ANCESTRY.COM: Ancestry has just released the most current
additions to their huge database. Of interest are the returns from United States
Military Posts, 1800-1916, for the states of Illinois, Michigan, Indiana,
Virginia, West Virginia, North and South Carolina, Texas, Kansas, Nebraska,
Oklahoma, Colorado, Idaho, New Mexico and Utah.
GENEALOGY
FRIENDS WINS AWARD:
Congratulations to Genealogy Friends of Plano Libraries, Inc. for winning the
Certificate of Appreciation Award from the City of Plano Heritage
Preservation Commission on May 28 for “their efforts and guidance in the
addition of the Genealogy, Local History, Texana and Archives [GLHTA] section of
the W. O. Haggard Library.” Way to go Genealogy Friends! You deserve it.
COLLIN COUNTY HEADSTONES: Having someone offer to photograph an
ancestor’s tombstone when you live in another state is a genealogy act of
kindness. Having a picture of the stone or a rubbing of it can clear up decades
of incorrect transcriptions and burial information. A few years ago, a local
historian contacted a lady in Kansas for help in this matter. The picture of the
birth and death dates did indeed correspond with the proof collected on the
deceased that had caused all the problems in the past. The picture verified the
correct person was buried in the cemetery and that previous dates by other
researchers had perpetuated the typo made on a set of lineage papers many years
ago.
If you
want a picture of a grave, there is a volunteer who offered to go to any of the
Collin County cemeteries and photograph it. A rubbing can also be made and sent
to you. Contact Genealogy Friends of Plano Libraries at
GenFriends@GenealogyFriends.org if you are interested. This busy person has
already partially inventoried a couple of cemeteries in McKinney and Fairview,
and taken pictures of each stone. Her database may soon be available online.
Watch for it to appear.
FAMILY SEARCH: Family Search is constantly adding new digitized
records. Some of the latest are
Alabama Statewide Deaths 1908 to 1974 (Index); Arkansas County Marriages: 1837
to 1957; Civil War Pension Index Cards (Digital Images); Florida Deaths 1877 to
1939 (Index); Florida State Censuses: 1855, 1935, 1945 (Digital Images);
Freedman Bank Records: 1865 to 1874; Freedman’s Bureau Virginia Marriages 1855
to 1866; Georgia Deaths 1914 to 1927; Louisiana War of 1812 Pension Lists
(Images); and Virginia Fluvanna County Funeral Home Records 1929 to 1976
(Digital Images).
Brenda Kellow has a bachelor's degree in history,
teaches, and lectures on genealogy. Before retiring to publish her family’s
histories in 2007, Brenda held certification as a Certified Genealogist and as a
Certified Genealogical Instructor. Send reunions announcements, books to review,
and genealogy queries to: TracingOurRoots@gmail.com.
