 Search smarter with
The Genealogist
Get better results from your census and BMD searches, and see a host of new records, at www.thegenealogist.co.uk |
When it comes to searching census and BMD records, it's easy to assume that all the family history websites are the same. In reality, as well as having BMD indexes from 1837 to 2005 and complete census images and transcripts from 1841 to 1901. The Genealogist offers a range of tools and features that you won't find on any other site.
At www.thegenealogist.co.uk, searching for your ancestors is easier than anywhere else. Its exclusive SmartSearch tools let you make the most of the information you know about your forebears, and work around any brick walls you come up against. |
For example, you can use the mother's maiden name in birth searches after 1984, and search censuses for groups of forenames rather than specific surnames.
A recent addition to The Genealogist is phonetic matches for name searches. The idea behind this new technology is that, in the past, many record takers had no idea how to spell the names given to them and therefore just wrote them down as they heard them. The phonetic engine automatically finds names that sound similar to your ancestors' surnames, and presents them in your results.
The phonetic matches work in tandem with a similar technology that looks for |
common errors in transcribing - such as letters that can easily be mis-read. This means that The Genealogist makes provisions for errors that could have occurred at any stage of the record-taking process, ensuring that your family doesn't go unrecognised. At present, these name variant matches are only available in census searches, but they will gradually be spread across the site.
The guide below shows you how to make the most of the search features. But there's far more to the site than just census and BMD records - see the box below for details. |
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| Website Guide: The Genealogist |
| You can access all the major collections from the Research View page. |
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| Step-by-Step: Trace your Ancestors |
| Make the most of exclusive features at The Genealogist |
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1 Before you can access the wealth of data at The Genealogist, you'll need to choose a subscription package. The site offers a number of pay-as-you-go options. However, most people will get the best value out of an all-inclusive subscription, which starts at just £4.66 a month! You can choose your package at www.thegenealogist.co.uk. |
2 When you have a username and password, log in to go to the Research View screen. Here, you can search for your ancestors in any of the datasets, or across the whole site. Choose between two Master Searches. Enter a name or keyword and hit Search to see a summary of the records that it appears in. |
3You can pin down your ancestors by performing a more detailed search of any record. For censuses, click Full Search, and then the search page for the county you're interested in. Among the features are options to look for nicknames (such as Beth as well as Elizabeth), and different spellings of a name, using The Genealogist's new phonetic engine. |
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4Another option exclusive to The Genealogist is to search for groups of forenames (for example, if you're unsure or their surname). Select Family Forename Search from the Research View screen. You can then enter a number of forenames to look for (with ages if you like) and specify either a year or county to search. |
5Once you've found an ancestor in the censuses, you'll want to move onto the BMD indexes. Here, there are even more 'SmartSearch' tools. Go to Birth, marriage and Death Indexes on the Research View screen, and choose BMD Indexes 1837-2005. The 1984-2005 records are in a database format - choose these to see the search screen. |
6Two SmartSearch options are immediately apparent. You can search death records using birth dates straight from 1865 (letting you jump straight from a birth to a death record), or find a birth record using the mother's maiden name as well as the parent's current name. Click on 'more SmartSearch options' to define your criteria. |
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Going further
What else can you find at The Genealogist?
The Genealogist is the fastest-growing family history site on the web, with new collections being added all the time. Here are just a few examples of further records you'll find at the site:
~ PARISH REGISTERS
The site has a huge range of both transcripts and printed books containig parish material from counties all over the country.
| ~ NONCONFORMIST RECORDS
The Genealogist is the official web providerfor The National Archives' nonconformist material.
~ DIRECTORIES
You'll find a huge selection of 19th-century trade and Post Office directories covering towns, counties and regions.
~ WILLS AND PROBATE
The Genealogist has an index of wills proved at the Prerogative Court of Canterbury, together with scanned images of the records. It also has six other will indexes for different parts of the UK.
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| You can keep track of the latest additions to the site at www.thegenealogist.co.uk/news.php |
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7To help you track your family across the country, TheGenealogist offers surname concentration maps for both census and BMD data. For the BMD maps, choose BMD Indexes 1837-2005 again, then select the maps option. Enter a surname, choose a year range, and hit Search to see the relevant map. |
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