Ancestry Library Edition - basic hints and tips

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Ancestry Library Edition

Basic hints and tips

What is Ancestry Library Edition?

Ancestry is a large database that contains thousands of databases of collections of records

from all around the world used by people to research their family history. Ancestry Library

Edition is the public libraries access.

Key features:

 Quick name searches

o Search across multiple records, countries and time

 Access to digitised images

 Continually updated and added to

 Access previously inaccessible British and Australian records

Ancestry databases

Wide variety of records available including:

 England, Wales and Scotland censuses 1841-1911

 Civil birth, death and marriage indexes for England and Wales

 Selections of British parish records

 UK Incoming Passenger Lists, 1878-1960

 UK Outward Passenger Lists 1890-1960

 Australia-wide birth, death and marriage indexes

 NSW passenger lists 1826-1922

 Victoria passenger lists 1839-1923

 Some 20th Century Australian electoral rolls1903-1980

 NSW – Sands Directories 1861-1933

 Various Queensland post office directories and Pugh’s almanacs within “Australia,

City Directories, 1845-1948”

 Queensland government gazettes 1903-1910

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Home Screen - Two ways to get to “Search” screen

4 ways to search – the closer you get to an individual index the fewer the results will be.

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1. Basic and Advanced searches will search everything that is available in Ancestry

Library Edition. A Basic search will provide a broad array of results. Using Advanced

search and adding additional information such date of death, parents’ names or a

spouse’s name can help narrow the results.

The following ways to locate databases can help narrow down the results:

2. Searching using Explore by Location provides an opportunity to locate databases

and information from a specific geographical location.

a. Click on the black text to locate indexes for a geographical area

b. Click on the blue text to locate indexes from a specific country or state.

c. Click on the collections icon to view a list of related indexes, choose index

and search

3. Searching using Special Collections (right hand side of search screen)

a. Makes locating and searching specific collections in a subject area easier i.e.

locating “Australia, electoral rolls, 1903-1980” under “Census and Voter Lists”

4. Searching using +Card Catalog provides the ability to search for records from

specific collections, locations or time periods.

a. Search by Title or Keyword to locate a specific index.

b. Can filter by Collection, Location, Date and/or Language

Searching

General search tips

 Start with a broad search then slowly add information to narrow results

 Try different search terms and combinations of them

Basic

Advanced

Click on the blue text to add

extra information such as

parents’ names, spouse etc.

Need further information?

(07) 3840 7810 | http://www.slq.qld.gov.au/services/ask-us

This guide is licensed under a Creative Commons

Attribution 3.0 Australia licence. You are free to

copy, communicate and adapt this work, so long

as you attribute State Library of Queensland.

For more information see

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 To locate all alternative spellings use wildcards

o ? when replacing a single letter within a name

E.g. Sm?th searches Smith & Smyth

o * when replacing more than 1 letter in a name

E.g. John* searchs John, Johns, Johnson, Johnsen etc.

 For unusual spellings try limiting to:

o Exact – searches for the exact spelling typed.

o Sounds Like (or Soundex) and Similar – alternative spellings of a name

o Phonectic – Useful for European names that are spelt different to way

pronounced

Hints

 Indexing problems are many and unpredictable, accidental or otherwise:

o Given and surnames may be reversed e.g. Munro Colin

o Spelling may be inconsistent in original index/document e.g. Hunley for

Stanley; Eyer for Eyre

o Informal rather than formal names may be used e.g. Frank for Francis and

Harry for Henry

 Be wary of making assumptions

 Ages may be inconsistent

 Be aware that ‘Suggested Records’ may not relate to your particular ancestor or may

link to a different document altogether

 Indexes can be static so check government web sites as well e.g. Australian states’

births, deaths and marriages indexes go beyond what’s available on Ancestry Library

 Check original documents for context and crosscheck them with others e.g. Trove,

other censuses, British Library newspapers; to see if the error is an indexing one or

an inconsistency in the records.

 Search individual databases for more individualised results i.e Australian Voter Lists

 Public Family Trees can be useful but be aware they are often incorrect so be sure to

crosscheck any information

Explore Ancestry

Explore what is available but easily missed:

 Full Hamburg emigration lists

 Dictionary of Biography is available

 The Illustrated London News is searchable by name

 Check the recently added/updated collections