Using Google for genealogy searches just makes sense because Google has the ability to find information from the far reaching corners of the Internet. But combing through a million results doesn't sound very sensible, does it? This week I have a tip from my book The Genealogist's Google Toolbox that can literally clear centuries of websites out of the way!
What do I mean by centuries? Well, let's look at my Great Great Grandfather George R. Moore who lived from 1853 to 1923 as an example.
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My only photo of George R. Moore |
He has a pretty common name. And there are likely loads of people in the 20th and 21st century with the name "George Moore" that I don't want to waste time reviewing. By using the NUMRANGE search operator in Google, I can literally remove three quarters of the 20th century, and all of the 21st (so far) from my results. Here's what that looks like:
"George R. Moore" 1853..1923 Oklahoma
With this search, I've just told Google that I only want web pages in my search results that include the numbers 1853 or 1923 or any number between the two. With that, I've eliminated web pages that only mention years (numbers) before 1853 and after 1923. Awesome!
Try it for yourself. Run a search without the NUMRANGE operator, and then run one with it. I think you'll like the difference!
I could even broaden my search a bit like this:
"George R. Moore" OR "George * Moore" 1853..1923 Oklahoma
Notice the quotation marks, asterisk and the word "OR" in my search? Those are all search operators that translate what I want into a language Google understands, and obeys! Tune in next week for more on those little gems.
If you already have a copy of my book or have watched the Premium video Ultimate Google Search Strategies, I hope this refresher reminds you to put them to work for you on a daily basis in all your online searches.
Thanks for listening friend,