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Friday, July 28, 2006

1910 Census Search at Ancestry is fixed, and more...

Several weeks ago, during the hoopla about Ancestry finishing the Every Name search option for the 1910 census, and then announcing that 1790 to 1930 were complete, we found that the "new" 1910 census search engine had some problems.

Initially, you could only search on the name (but you could use a wild card), not using birthplace or age or any other search items to narrow a search. Then folks figured out that you had to delete Temporary Internet files on the computer and it worked. But for people like me using Ancestry Library edition at the Family History Centers or a library, that wasn't possible. So we wrote messages and complained a bit.

Ancestry has fixed it now, and the 1910 census Every Name search, using wild cards and other items to narrow a search, works like a charm.

Ancestry also changed the user interface on the Census Records. Before, you had a choice of a "Ranked Search" or an "Exact Search" using different color input entry forms. Now there is one input entry form, with a small box to check if you want to do an "Exact Search." If you don't check the box, you get a "Ranked Search." I don't use "Ranked Search" much, since I'm usually looking for specific people and find it easier to vary the spelling of the name or search using birthplace, age, along with a given name in a specific place.

There are probably other changes to some of the databases which I wasn't smart enough to see, but I'm sure somebody will tell us of the great and wonderful changes at Ancestry.com.

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