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Genealogy Databases
Frequently Asked Questions

Q. What resources do HeritageQuest Online and AncestryLibrary have?

A. HeritageQuest includes U.S. Census Records indexed through 1920 and more than 25,000 family and local history books.

AncestryLibrary includes a variety of databases, including U.S. Census Records, the Social Security Death Index, pension indexes, some passenger and immigration lists, and much more.

Q. What database should I use to get Census records?

A. It depends on the information you are seeking. For a detailed discussion about the individual census and the records of HeritageQuest and AncestryLibrary, see the handout from James L. Hansen, Wisconsin Historical Society at www.scls.info/reference/eresources/genealogy/census.pdf.

Q. Why isn't my family in the census?

A. There could be any number of reasons. For more detailed explanations, see the handout from James L. Hansen, Wisconsin Historical Society at www.scls.info/reference/eresources/genealogy/census.pdf.

Q. Why is census data posted after 72 years?

A. The first U.S. census was taken in 1790 and a census has been taken every 10 years since, through the census of 2000. Because the law requires that the records of a census remain closed for 72 years, only the original records of the censuses from 1790-1930 are currently open to the public. The records of the 1940 census are expected to be made available in 2012.

Q. Can census records be printed?

A. Printing census records is difficult in either database. Instructions for HeritageQuest will be on the South Central Library System website at www.scls.info/reference/eresources/genealogy/hprintcen.pdf.

Q. Can I use wildcards in searching for names in Census records?

A. Yes, in Ancestry Library. Wildcards are special symbols that are used in searching to represent some number of unknown letters in a word. They are especially useful for searching for words or names with alternate spellings when you don’t want to view all the extra hits that Soundex searching can create. (see online help screen for more information).

Q. Can I search for names that sound like my name?

A. Only in AncestryLibrary (use Soundex feature).

Q. When searching for birthplace, how specific a term should I put in?

A. Enter a state or country. In HeritageQuest you can then use the browse list feature to make sure you get it right.

Q. My ancestor is not appearing in the Social Security Death Index. Why not?

A. The Social Security Death Index includes basic information about individuals with Social Security numbers whose deaths have been reported to the Social Security Administration. If the person died prior to 1962 (when the Social Security Administration began using a computer system to process requests), there is a 99 percent chance that their death will NOT be included in this index.

Q. How do I see all available databases or categories of databases in AncestryLibrary?

A. Click on the Advanced Search tab or the “list all databases” link at the bottom-right corner of the screen.

Q. Will the index of the 1930 census ever be complete in HeritageQuest Online?

A. It is unlikely. The full index of the 1930 census can be found in AncestryLibrary.

More information about AncestryLibrary and HeritageQuest is available at www.scls.info/reference/eresources/genealogy.

For more information about reference databases, contact Cheryl Becker.

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