Not in the Record

If the ancestor is not in a set of records and you expected them to be in that set of records, then ask yourself:

• Have I looked for all spelling and name variants?
• If searching manually, do I understand how the records are organized?
• If searching with an index or database, do I understand how that index/database was constructed and how the search actually works?
• Do I understand how people came to be listed in the records?
• Do I understand the original purpose of the records?
• Is it possible that I am wrong about my ancestor being in the record?
• Are there things about my ancestor that I think are true that might not be?

Join me for three days of research at the MidWest Genealogy Center.

Download our Charts Webinar or our Full-Text Searching at FamilySearch Webinar.