Google - My favorite side piece

To simplify a puzzle, I think most people find the side pieces and put those together first.  I think the reason for this is because it’s the easiest part of the puzzle.

So, what is the easiest part of genealogy or family history?  I’m sure this is different for everyone, but the easiest part of genealogy for me is what is most easily accessible. Basically, what I can do from home and for free.

Google is one of my favorite side pieces. Here are a couple of ways I search Google. You will find that there are many ways to search and the more creative you get, the more you will find. If you have an ancestor with a unique name (like James Marberger), you’ll want to widen your search. If you have an ancestor with a common name (like, John Taylor) then you want to narrow your search.

Here is a step by step:

1. Go to http://www.google.com or any search engine that you prefer.
2. Put your ancestor’s name in quotation marks. For example: “James Marberger” Any time you put something in quotation marks, the search engine will conduct an exact name search.
3. If you have an uncommon name, then you may end up getting “no results”. You’ll need to widen your search. Try searching your name without quotations. For example: James Marberger
4. If you have a common name, then you may end up getting several results. You’ll need to narrow your search. Try searching your name in quotations and adding the city, county, or state where your ancestor lived. For example: “John Taylor” and Kentucky.  Or “John Taylor” and Warren, Kentucky. Or “John Taylor” and Bowling Green Kentucky.
5. If you still need to narrow your search more, try using one of your ancestor’s sibling’s names. One less common.  For example: “Pleasant Taylor”
6. If you still need to widen your search, try using just a surname and location. For example: Marberger and Schuylkill Pennsylvania.

I have found several resources from searching the search engines. I have found histories that people have written, wills, other people searching for the same ancestor, and even pictures. Have fun with it, but remember last week’s post: Check your source. Just because you find it on the internet doesn’t make it true. You’ll want to double check it with your other sources and use it as a guide to help you find more pieces of your puzzle.