Expert Census Advice

by Julie Hill

Posted on August 27, 2009

Have you ever looked for your ancestors in U.S. census records and been overwhelmed by misspellings and handwriting inconsistencies?  Go no further. Expert Series author Craig Rice shows you how to overcome these common concerns in the article Even a Beginner Can Search Census Records Like an Expert.

Craig Rice has over forty years experience as a family historian, and 6 as a professional genealogist.  He provides readers not only with helpful tips, but also with examples from his own research.
 
Rice says, "Indexers misinterpreted shaky handwriting or just shortened long, confusing names as a matter of expediency. To complicate matters, multiple immigrants had similar-sounding names so even if you find the name you're looking for you may not have found the person you're looking for...Fortunately there are techniques you can use to find that hard-to-find record."

Read the entire article here.  Use these expert techniques to search the census like an expert!  Please post comments and questions below.

If you're interested in writing for the Expert Series please email your credentials to [email protected]
 

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