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Subject: [WILLIAMS] Finding Aid for Williams (and other US residents) Up to 1850
Date: Sun, 21 Jan 2001 21:59:08 EST

Dear Researchers,

For anyone near an LDS family history center, I am told that each LDS FHC has
a finding aid (on many, many microfiche) which should be used for anyone
seeking an ancestor who was in the US through the 1850 census. For some
areas of the US, the AIS goes beyond 1850, such as territories which later
became states.

It is called AIS = Accelerated Indexing System (on microfiche)

It is a consolidated index for ALL of the US as it was constituted in that
particular census year. All who use this finding aid reguarlary admit it has
its flaws--omissions, duplications, misreading of surnames or given names,
etc. Perhaps your ancestor was in one state in 1840 census but in another
state by the 1850 census. But you don't know of the move. The AIS may
supply the missing info (no guarantees in genealogy!)

The Search 1 is for the first censuses, with some tax lists thrown in to make
up for lost censuses. Search 2 will be for the next census, probably 1820.
Search 3 is for the next census year, and so on. There are about 9 searches
altogether.

There are instructions (generally in a notebook) along with the microfiche,
and some FHCs may have a four-page print-out to tell you how to use this
finding aid. The print-out, I believe, is free.

Do know that like all items in print (or on the web), it is flawed, but if
you find your people, it is GREAT!!!

Try it for a known ancestor, and then try it for an ancestor whose
whereabouts are unknown. Possibly you will find him/her.

One of the searches is a mortality index. I don't use this finding aid as
much as I should, but it can be quite useful. The mortality schedule is for
persons who died in the 12 months preceding the census year. (It does not
exist for every census year.)

Remember, for any ancestor who was living in 1850 or prior, try this tool.
All experienced genealogists use this.

E.W.Wallace
who has three colonial Virginia Williams lines (woe is me!)

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