Search Tips and Examples

• You don't have to fill out all of the fields, but you must at least fill out the "Last Name" field. If you leave a field blank, Family Finder will allow anything in that field. It is usually a good idea to leave the "Middle" name blank unless you really only want matches that are listed with that name (remember that not all information may have been typed in with the middle name).

• If you only enter an initial in the "First Name" field, the Family Finder will find names with that initial. For example, if you search for "J Smith", this will find "J. Smith" and "J Smith".

• Do not enter titles (like Dr., Earl, or Queen) or suffixes (3rd, III, or Jr.). Just search for the name without the title and then check the results for the ones you want.

• The Family Finder is constantly searching the Internet for new names. If it did not find what you wanted, try again in a few days. If you know of a new genealogy page or site dealing with genealogy, it is possible that the Family Finder has not found that page yet, so please tell us about your page so we can add it.

• To search for accented characters in names, do not type the accents in your query. That way you will find the name even if the person who typed in the information was not able to put in the accents.

• Occasionally, if you search for a very common name or last name, the Family Finder will report that there are too many matches for the name you entered. This is to save you and us from wading through thousands of matches. To reduce the number of matches to a manageable quantity, make sure to enter both a first name and a last name. You may also want to try narrowing down the results by entering birth and death information, if you have it.

• More information and frequently asked questions about the Family Finder.

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