Lyceum Course - Internet Genealogy - Search Strategies
- Different Research Problems Need Different Search Strategies
- A Search of on On-Line Telephone Directory
can be Instructive.
Switchboard -
Good Telephone Search Site (Then click on "Find Person")
For Example: In one of the national telephone
data bases there are at least 8 entries for "Jay
______" "______" being my surname. None of
them is a correct entry for me,
though I am in this particular directory. I am also listed in
the same phone data base by my first initial, which is not "J".
If the extra incorrect
entry were not there, then -
- A search using my first name would not find me. There
are three entries, but I don't use my first name.
- Without knowing my first name and thus my first initial - Knowing my
location might not narrow the search enough
- Just by State - NY - Too many
people with my surname (More than 100)
- Of course if you know the city where I
live it would be easy. But there is no sub-category
of NY called "Southern Tier" or "Broome County" and
besides for all you know I might live close-by in Pennsylvania.
- Even if you think you "Know" the city because
you know my mailing address - even this might not suffice.
- We used to live in Somers NY but received mail
through the Yorktown Heights post office so friends
thought we lived there - Even the Phone Operators
could not find us!
- Using the same phone directory, key in "William _______", choosing a reasonably
uncommon surname. Perhaps the results will have some named Bill _______ listed as well.
Then key in "Wm ________" and perhaps you will see that some of the same Williams (but not
all) can be found.
- Remember - Others don't have your
perspective - Or rather, you don't necessarily think
like others do.
- Remember - A productive Search Method for a given Data Base is not
always intuitive
© Prepared by Jay January 21, 2012