Saturday, February 19, 2011

Saturday Night Genealogy Fun - Go For A Better Google Search

From Randy Seaver over at Genea-Musings:  It's Saturday Night -- time for more Genealogy Fun!! 

Your mission - should you decide to accept it, is to:

1)  Go to genea-blogger Randy Majors website (http://www.randymajors.com/).
                       Done!

2)  Add his blog to your RSS reader, if you don't have it already.
                       Done!

3) Read his blog post AncestorSearch using Google Custom Search - BETASee the link at the top of the page that says "AncestorSearch using Google Custom Search - BETA?"  Click on it.
                       Done!

4)  Test out his Custom Google Search form to help you find online information about your ancestors, especially for their marriages. 
                       Done!

5)  Tell us about your results - was this useful? Did you find something new?  How can Randy improve it?
                       I searched on three different ancestors (couples) searching for marriage records, along with anything else out there.  I didn't have stellar results, but I did find some sites I had never seen before.  I did not find any actual marriage records, but I did find family websites that included the people I was searching for and listed their marriage dates.  Not concrete proof, but a start. 


 I do like Randy's custom search; it really cuts through all the excess site results and gives me focused results.  It is so much better than having to wade through thousands of results!

  The only improvement I could suggest would be saved search criteria if you use your browser's back button to go back to the search page.  Sometimes, I wish to change one item of search criteria, but I have to re-type everything.  
 
  Oh, and I agree with Randy about the middle initial wild card, but I would take it one step further.  It would be helpful to have a middle name/initial search box.  Especially here in the south, people used their middle name mostly (and still do!) and would even sign legal/official documents that way. 

6)  If you like Randy's Custom Search, add it to your Bookmarks or Favorites.
                        Done!

(And as far as last week's Saturday Night Fun, Randy:  Those questions were HARD.  I was traveling with my mom, and she didn't know the answers, either!)

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