Ancestral Wills in FamilySearch Full Text Search

[vik_thor]

Randy Seaver does a Saturday Night Genealogy Fun post every week. His blog for this one is: Geneamusings

I have thought about doing it every once in awhile, and since I am planning on keeping up with this DreamWidth journal, I might as well do it here. :)

This week's is about how many Wills you can find for grandparents and great-grandparents SURNAMES in the FamilySearch Full Text Search.

Mom's Side:
LOWERY: 9128
    My Grandpa Paul Norman Lowery, Sr. , Great Grandpa Green Lewis Lowery
COOPER: 89,437
    Dora B. Cooper, my GGrandma
MOORE: 210,899
    My Grandma, Mary Ann Moore, her father William Gardner Moore
VINSON: 5885
    Nellie Belle Vinson, GGrandma.
    
    
Dad's Side:
ROSE: 134,506
    Thomas Benjamin Rose, (Grandpa Rose), William Henry Rose (great-grandfather)    
GIBBS: 19,145
    Grace Florence Gibbs, (Great-Grandma)    
WISLEY: 394
WISELY: 1498 (another 'common' spelling)
    Ethel Lois Wisley, (Grandma Rose), Victor Earl Wisley (Great-Grandpa)
SNEED: 3598
    Ruby Sneed (Great-Grandma)
    
    
And while we're at it (and I've been doing a bit of research on her line)
My StepMom's line:
SEABAUGH: 29
FULBRIGHT: 297
GROSSHEIDER: 1
MUELLER: 6382


Let's throw Seph's in, while I'm at it...
HARRISON: 137,856
ROCKOW: 19
D'Addeo: 0 (Addeo: 2)
VERRE: 92

LAURRI: 0
PROVENZANO: 22
DOWLING: 3253
MAHONEY: 7709


Just a few to go through!
The Italian on Seph's side gives slim results though.
As well as the German (Rockow, and my StepMom's family) I wonder if it would read as ß in Großheider correctly? Or Müller?
I will have to try those other options.
But it does look like most of the Seabaughs were in the correct county, So I will definitely need to dig into those.

Comments

Haven’t seen this before.

[xoagray]

Interesting. Does this know specific family ties or is this just effectively saying how many people share a last name?

Re: Haven’t seen this before.

[vik_thor]

It's even worse þan þat.

Þe Full Text Search of þe available documents on FamilySearch, witþ just þe "Name" in þe search field, will find ALL instances of þe Name in þe documents. So, Rose, which is boþ a first name, last name, plant/flower, and a verb... "Mrs Rose Großheider rose in þe ranks of rose bush growers."
grins
A document wiþ þat sentence would show up in þe search for boþ "Rose" and "Großheider", even þough þe only last name is Großheider.

Þat is why when doing serious research, you search for more þan just þe last name in databases like þis. (Þese searches were narrowed down to just þe Probate/Wills" documents...)
I do NOT want to sound like I þink FamilySearch's Full Text Search is useless. It is VERY useful! And þey are expanding the documents þat are searchable wiþ it. When it was first introduced þe only datasets it would search were US Land and Probate, and Mexican Notary Records.

Þey now are searching wiþin:
Limited data is currently available. You are browsing US Land and Probate Records, Mexico Notary Records, Australia Land and Probate Records, New Zealand Land and Probate Records, and US Plantation Records.

A lot of þese documents have not been searchable online before. You could maybe find the specific collection you were interested in: White county, Illinois , Land Records say, but þey weren't indexed. You would have to go þrough page by page, trying to read þe handwriting in þe older ones. Now, (I þink) I have found a land sale record involving David Rose and Wife, and a McGehee family... about þe time my Great^3 Grandfaþer David Rose married Hannah McGehee.

and I am going to post þis now, because I need to do laundry...

Re: Haven’t seen þis before.

[xoagray]

Oh, okay, so basically it can be as granular as you want to make it. Þat's pretty cool. I might have to poke at it later just for fun. Also, out of curiosity, is your use of þorn based off Middle English, old Norse, Icelandic, or someðing else?

Cheers!