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Archiver > ROOTS > 2002-05 > 1021846059


From: Baldwin <>
Subject: [ROOTS-L] Searching the Census at Ancestry
Date: Sun, 19 May 2002 15:07:39 -0700 (PDT)
In-Reply-To: <200205191826.g4JIQWn16796@lists5.rootsweb.com>


The census that they do have from 1850 - 1920 do list everyone. The problem is about 50% their names are not listed even if head of house hold as the transcribing has omitted them. I find lots of errors and returned zero results. Also the surname search has a nasty habit of returning zero results at odd times.
This is going to sound time comsuming but you may have to go page by page at thru the county. It can be mind numbing and has taken me literally 5 hours a day for a week to search one county. I have even found relatives living with their brothers and sisters who have diferrent last names, but the ones I am looking for are listed as borders. So if sister Nellie Morrow was getting a divorce and moved in with Sister Matilda Harbaugh then she is not going to show up in the results. I just happen to know who Matilda married and used his name as the look-up
Also for some hush hush reson on Ancestry you can do a census look-up on the Mirodex and get info that is not available under census search. Why I have no clue, but that has helped me as well.
Good luck -Stephen


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