If you are looking for an entire family in a record where the entire family is specifically named, consider searching for the “easiest” name first. Is there a child with a name that is more difficult to spell than other names? Searching for son John may be easier than daughter Evangeline.
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5 Responses
Hmmm:}
I would have done the reverse. John is such a common name, I would likely find a host of them to plow through but Evangeline would likely stand out. This is assuming the surname is also common, but then again, I think I would start with her.:}
It depends upon several things. I’ve got some families where the names are non-English and other names get so butchered that it’s easier to look for John 😉
I have had the opposite experience where the last name has been butchered so badly that when I search for the unusual first name I find the entire family. I am referring to census records searches. But I would say try both ways!
It really depends, but it pays to be creative.
If you can’t find one name (but ‘know’ the record is there) try another. I have found several census records by using the wife or a child’s name (the husband was there but they misspelled his name or just used an initial.