Friday, October 2, 2009

Updated List of Unindexed Ancestry.com Databases

I posted Unindexed Databases on Ancestry.com Redux back in May, and wanted to update the list, since it appears that there are more databases that are not name indexed now on the list. They can be searched only by browsing page by page.

I used the Google site search string of "no search function for names" and received these results:

* Missouri Still Birth & Miscellaneous Records, 1805-2002


* Selected U.S. Naturalization Record Indexes, 1791-1992 (World ...

* U.S. Revolutionary War Miscellaneous Records (Manuscript File ...

* U.S. Index to General Correspondence of the Record and Pension ...


* War of 1812 Pension Application Files Index, 1812-1815

* Hamburg Passenger Lists, Handwritten Indexes, 1855-1934

* Returns from U.S. Military Posts, 1800-1916 (World Archives ...


* AJHS New York Hebrew Orphan Asylum Records, 1860-1934

* AJHS Industrial Removal Office Records, 1899-1922

* AJHS Selected Mayor's Court Cases, New York, 1674-1860

* AJHS Selected Insolvent Debtor's Cases, 1787-1861

* Paris & Vicinity, France, Death Notices, 1860-1902


* New Orleans, Louisiana, Slave Manifests, 1807-1860 (World Archives ...

* Dept of Interior Decisions on Pensions and Bounty-Land Claims ...

* London, England, Baptisms, Marriages and Burials, 1538-1812 ...

* U.S. Virgin Islands, St. Croix Slave Plantation and Head Tax Lists ...

* Lübeck, Germany, Births, 1813-1875

* U.S. Freedmen's Marriage Records, 1861-1869

* Summit County, Ohio, Death Records, 1870-1908

* Selected U.S. Federal Census Non-Population Schedules, 1850-1880 ...

* World War II Japanese-American Internment Camp Documents, 1942 ...

* Returns from Regular Army Regiments, 1821-1916

* U.S. Circuit Court Criminal Case Files, 1790-1871


* Lübeck, Germany, Marriage Banns, 1813-1871

* Lübeck, Germany Citizenship Register, 1591-1919

So there are 25 databases without any name indexing now - there were only 15 on this list in May 2009. Some of these databases being indexed by the World Archives Project may have an index later.

My May post also pointed out that many of the Massachusetts Vital Records to Year 1850 books are not first-name indexed, and that the US Revolutionary War Compiled Service Records database is arranged by State and Regiment.

Now I need to figure out how to find all of the FREE databases on Ancestry.com.

What happened to the ability to search the Ancestry.com Card Catalog list of over 29,000 databases by size of database, date of availability, etc.?

2 comments:

Sue Aprea said...

You give me hope that one day I may become as adept as you are at all of this! Keep doing what you do, you are a beacon!

Geolover said...

I would tentatively add to your list the very large databases that are key-word indexed so you cannot retrieve an exact name.

The various Civil War /Reports of the Adjutant General/ for several states (they have somewhat differing names) may only be indexed by surname, but I keep getting hits that fit only a first name. A lot of the names are not indexed at all (I estimate upwards of 5%).

The California Voters' Lists is infamously difficult for retrieving anything but very rare names, since street names are indexed as well as peoples' names. Want Archibald Moore? You will retrieve all the Archibalds who are listed on the same page as someone on a Moore Avenue, and all the Moores listed on the same page as listing on Archibald St. Using the keyword "exact phrase" often does not work at all.

The newspapers are keyword indexed and do not distinguish between surnames and ordinary words such as weaver, wells, wing and wick.

The England and Wales BMD keyword indexing is similarly difficult, and only partially indexed at that.

There are also sections of US Federal Census enumerations that are not indexed at all. Locating them is analogous to the proverbial "please let me know if you do not receive this" line in a letter.