bigpigeon.us webpage Home > Resources  > Search Engines, updated by RAC 11 Apr 2021.
Use and comparison of web search engines such as ancestry.com.

​Here are five search engines for accessing on-line genealogical data:
  • Ancestry.com is the most widely-used subscription service for genealogical research. Annual membership is expensive. However, you can access ancestry.com at no cost at most libraries.
  • MyHeritage.com is a newer subscription service. I found it helpful in researching late 19th century family members in Denmark.
  • FamilySearch.org is sponsored by the Latter Day Saints church and is free, but requires registration.
  • Google.com - Unlike the above three, google is a web-wide general-purpose search engine. Of course, it is free.
  • fold3.com is a subscription service more specialized than any of the above. It provides access to several WW II databases of interest to me. Here is a list of 120 WW II related US publications available at fold3: https://www.fold3.com/browse?military.conflict=World+War+II&place=rel.148838:United+States+of+America 
ancestry.com and familysearch.org:​
  • Both of these search engines allow you to simultaneously search a large number of databases. These databases include United States census records through 1940, vital records for many states, the Social Security indices, and much more.
  • To do a basic ancestry.com search, log in if necessary, click on Search in the main menu, click on All Selections under Search, fill in the name fields and other relevant fields, and click on the Search button. 
  • To use familysearch.org, click on Search in the main menu, fill in the name fields and other relevant fields, and click on the Search button.
I know of three advantages in searching via ancestry.com:
  • One can restrict the search to a particular county, and within that county to a town or township.
  • Ancestry.com generally searches a larger number of databases than familysearch.org.
  • Ancestry.com optionally allows searching a large number of user-submitted family trees.
With familysearch.org, two advantages come to mind:
  • familysearch.org is free!
  • familysearch.org accesses more data for certain countries such as Denmark.
If you want to see the databases accessed by ancestry.com and familysearch.org:
  • In ancestry.com, click on Search in the main menu and then click on Card Catalog under Search. As of 11 Apr 2021, there were 32,957 databases.
  • In familysearch.org, click on Search in the main menu and then click on Browse All published collections in the search screen. As of 20 Mar ’17, there were 2204 databases.
  • https://www.familysearch.org/search/collection/list/
I assume you have previous experience using Google to search the web for material of interest. Here are a few Google features you may not know about:
  • Put a multi-word search string inside quotation marks. For instance, to search for John Drebis, a friend of my great-grandfather, enter “john drebis” in the Google search box.
  • One can use multiple search strings. For instance, to search for the Grange Cemetery near my birthplace, enter “grange cemetery” “boomer township”.
  • One can restrict a Google search to one website. For instance, to search for references to the Grange Cemetery in the on-line version of the Council Bluffs Nonpareil, enter “grange cemetery:nonpareilonline.com”.
Google advanced book search: https://books.google.com/advanced_book_search
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For evaluations of other genealogical sites of potential interest to you: