FAQ - Frequently Asked Questions - Tips for searching the database

Nature of the Search

Surname variations

Forename variations

Location

Timeframe

Cautions

See also Examples of Searches for additional information.

Nature of the Search

It is important to recognize the nature of the FreeREG search engine in preparing a search. The search engine will conduct a search for a combination of the specified Surname and Forename that occur in ANY of the name fields of the selected database (Baptism, Marriage or Burial) for the year(s) and location(s) specified. The Forename search field is optional and MAY BE LEFT BLANK. The output of the search is a listing of those records that satisfy the criteria. It is important to remember that the forename DOES NOT HAVE to be the forename of the person being baptised or married or buried. It IS the forename of one of the persons associated with that specific record. At this point in time the search engine uses the exact names specified in the forename field. It does permit use a soundex form of search for the surname but not for similar sounding forenames nor does it look for abbreviations of the forenames or their latin equivalents. These latter features for forename searching may be added in future versions. There is currently NO capability to introduce a "wild character". If you include an * or ? in the name, the search engine will look for a name containing that character in that position in the name. Top of page | Go to Search | FAQ Index | General Questions Index | FreeREG Home Page

Surname variations	Surnames are entered into the database exactly as they appear in the register. There may well be several (or many) variations as there was no real standardization of the way that names were spelled until well into the 1800s. Even then people made mistakes! Transcribers are often uncertain of a name even when they have entered all letters. In these situations they may have added a ? at the end of the name. When using the Basic Search Engine it is always advisable to conduct a further search with the ? at the end eg SMITH? Never assume that your name was always spelled the same way that it is now. There will always be variations, even for the same person's baptism, marriage and burial. Rod Neep has, for example, recorded 53 variations of the surname BRITTAIN, and 64 variations of FOULKES during his research. It is really a matter of getting used to, and allowing for,  the possible variations of the name when searching the database. To assist you in searching for similar names you can place a tick in the SOUNDEX button. With this option the search will be conducted for similar sounding names, as pronounced in English. Soundex is the most widely known of all phonetic algorithms. It is important to remember that the Soundex algorithm ASSUMES that the first letter of the name is correct; as a result, you may wish to consider additional searches for similar sounding surnames but using different first letters. If using this option you still enter the surname as you might expect it spelled. Do NOT enter the Soundex Code. Top of page | Go to Search | FAQ Index | General Questions Index | FreeREG Home Page
Forename variations and abbreviations	Transcribers are encouraged to transcribe the forenames as they were written in the register, except in those situations where the transcriber is unable to input what was actually written in the register. (The latter situation involves the use of practices, such as horizontal bars for abbreviations that cannot be easily entered into the database; in these situations the transcriber is permitted to enter their interpretation of the forename.) As a result, the database will contain many variations for a specific forename. If the register states Gulielmus or Gul. or Wm. or Willm. then this is what will be in the database if the transcriber followed the rules. Nor are the multiple forenames separated into the individual fields. In other words, the database normally contains a literal transcription of forenames. If you search for John, then the search will produce just those records that contain John and nothing else. Therefore you will also want to search for the Latin equivalent Johannes, and the abbreviation Jno as well as any other possible abbreviations. Similarly, if the forenames were entered as John Edward then the record will NOT be retrieved in a search that has just John or Edward entered. To retrieve the record you would have to search for John Edward. However, we are working on a search option that will give you all of the options for the forename. This is NOT yet implemented so initially when searching the database you may well wish to leave forename field blank; thus ensuring that you see all possible alternatives that are currently in the database. See : a list of common abbreviations and old English names See also : a list of Latin names Top of page | Go to Search | FAQ Index | General Questions Index | FreeREG Home Page
Location	There are two elements to localizing the search. Firstly there is the county; secondly there is the parish. One or more counties must be selected for a search. It is NOT possible to search ALL counties at one go. The computation resources are just too demanding. It is possible, however, to select up to 10 counties at one time. To do so simply hold down the control (Ctrl) key on the keyboard when selecting the counties in which you are interested. Please note that only those counties with data available will be shown in the drop-down box. For parishes there is a drop down list of all parishes contained within the database. It is possible to search for a person within all parishes in a county. Simply select ALL. A word of caution on selecting a specific parish. It is possible that different transcribers have used slightly different names for the same parish. The County Coordinators are working to eliminate this problem but check for different names in the drop down list when preparing your search. Top of page | Go to Search | FAQ Index | General Questions Index | FreeREG Home Page
Timeframe	It is possible to specify the time frame for the search. Enter the year and select the specific range button that follow. eg. Exact; +/- 2 years; +/- 5 years or +/- 10 years. Leaving the year box empty will select all years for the specified parishes and counties. Top of page | Go to Search | FAQ Index | General Questions Index | FreeREG Home Page
Cautions and warnings	It is important to realise that we have not recorded a literal transcription of parish registers in the FreeREG Project. We have recorded the basic data. Why not a complete transcript? The submission of some data that was transcribed before the start of the FreeREG project may contain some Latin Christian names or name abbreviations. All new data transcribed for the project has been entered according a certain standard set of contents However it is not possible to ensure that this has actually occurred.. Once you have found a record, it is *always* essential to review the actual register for the full details of what was written. Remember the FreeREG database is just a finding tool. It should not be considered to be *proof*, or indeed that it is always 100% accurate, or contains all of the information in the actual register. Top of page | Go to Search | FAQ Index | General Questions Index | FreeREG Home Page