50 FAMILY TREE MAGAZINE SEPTEMBER 2019
4
USE WILDCARD CHARACTERS IN SEARCHES.
Although we’ve talked before about how to
use wildcards on FamilySearch.org <www.
familytreemagazine.com/articles/genealogy-web-
sites/familysearch/born-to-be-wild-how-to-use-
wildcards-in-familysearch-org-searches>, the tip is
worth repeating. By using wildcard characters, you can broaden
your search to include spelling variations. This ability is critical
when researching records that may have been poorly indexed or
transcribed incorrectly. Specifi cally you can use a question mark
(?) to represent one missing letter, and an asterisk (*) to represent
zero or more characters. For example, a search for Henders?n will
return Henderson, Hendersyn, Hendersan and Hendersen.
5
SWITCH BROWSERS.
If you have trouble viewing
records on FamilySearch.
org, then try looking at them
in a diff erent browser. Some
browsers play nicer with
FamilySearch.org than others. Simply
copy and paste the URL into a diff er-
ent browser window (such as Google
Chrome, Firefox or Internet Explorer).
You may have to sign in to your account
again, but doing so will hopefully allow
you to view the records correctly.
3
DIVE INTO THE FAMILYSEARCH WIKI.
Yes, FamilySearch.org has billions of records
and an extensive online family tree. But
did you know the site also sponsors a free
online encyclopedia? The FamilySearch Wiki
<www.familysearch.org/wiki/en/Main_Page>
boasts more than 80,000 free articles about thousands of
research topics, from New York City vital records <www.
familysearch.org/wiki/en/New_York_Vital_Records> to
German gazetteers <www.familysearch.org/wiki/en/
Germany_Gazetteers>. Several articles also contain links to
relevant records collections on FamilySearch.org, making
the wiki a useful gateway to the rest of the site.
