There are databases I use on Ancestry.com or FamilySearch on a regular basis. Sometimes it can be difficult to find the database again on their site. One easy way to find it is to perform a Google search using the title of the database in quotes along with ancestry.com or FamilySearch as an additional search term.
I’ve done this with census indexes on FamilySearch, the probate indexes on Ancestry.com, United States passport applications on both sites, etc.–things that I already knew were on the site. One should still use the various search features on the sites that allow you to search their catalog to determine exactly what they have and all of what they have–Google searches do not find everything and are not perfect. It’s just that when I know it’s there and want to find it quickly, this is a good approach.
4 Responses
Great Tip!! Drives me crazy when I can’t find something that I know is there.
Thanks!
Sometimes Google is just faster–when you know you’ve used it before.
Don’t bookmarks work? I have a folder in my bookmarks “Ancestry databases” and keep my favorites there.
Yes they do. Some of us prefer not to use them or simply choose not to bookmark everything.