Tips for Searching

When searching for names, use the following examples:

To search for just a surname, simply type it in. For example...

johnson

To search for both a surname and given name, use the word "and" to separate the names. For example...

steve and johnson

To add a state with a name, again, use the word "and" to separate. For example...

steve and johnson and california

And versus Near

Rather than use "and" you can also use "near". This will cause the search engine to rank the pages based on the proximity of the two names. For example...

steve near johnson

Will return all pages where the two names are found, and will rank them in order of how close they are found together.

Prefix Searches

Use the asterisk (*) to search for a prefix. For example...

john*

Will return all pages containing "John", "Johnson", "Johnston", etc.

Quotations

Add quotation marks to your search terms when a surname is comprised of two words. For example...

"de briones"

Will return all pages where the exact quote is found. Whereas without the quotation marks, it will return all pages where either "de" or "briones" are found.

Free Text Queries

• Check the Free Text Query if you want to enter queries using natural language. The Search Engine will examine the query, extract nouns and noun phrases and construct a query for you. With free text queries you can enter any text you want, from a proper question, to a string of words and phrases, without worrying about the query language. For example, if you type in the following query:
  
  "Where do I find Steve Johnson?"

  The Search Engine will create a query for you automatically and begin the search. Note that when you're using free text queries, the regular query language features are disabled and keywords such as AND, OR, and NEAR are interpreted as normal words.