How to Search Ancestry.com Using Wildcards

[@richardhoover4471]

Thanks for video, Connie! I had not thought of using wildcards when searching names on Ancestry. I had always relied on using EXACT, SIMILAR, or SOUNDS LIKE boxes! Thanks for the hint!😎

[@wb1375]

Yes, people did not care about spelling 😭 Boy do I ever know that from searching for ancestors. Thanks for the wildcard tip😊

[@susierock8229]

Thank you for this!!! I have some ancestors named Tressillian who immigrated from Ireland. You'd think with such an unusual name, they'd be easy to find. Some are so bad, I think it can't possibly be the person I'm looking for. Travellyan comes to mind.

[@denisepayne7283]

Thanks for the information

[@frankename1984]

Connie.. This is really helpful.. Can't wait to try it on my search. Is there a way i can print my entire family tree with all members with their photo using ancestry.com?

[@GenealogyTV]

You know I've not tried from Ancestry. I've done it from Family Tree Maker but I find it to be a waste of paper... I end up with a huge chart. You might try Chart Masters... or someone like them.

[@kirstenh8839]

Most helpful !

[@michaeldaniel8736]

We have been searching for where my wife mother is buried, but to no avail have we had any luck! But everyone on my wife mother side seemed to have passed away Can you give us any ideas to start a way to search. Possibly find a grave? We using Ancestry and Family Search but keep hitting dead ends.

[@GenealogyTV]

Do you know where she died? Look on her death certificate, if you can find it. Look at Find A Grave, Billion Graves, Cemetery Census. It helps if you know at least the state. Then you can also dig around on the state archives. Do you know when she died, is helpful too? If you know where she died, investigate every cemetery in the area and drill into each one on Find A Grave.

[@sr2291]

I use Google a lot looking for deceased people. Google her married name or married last name, date or year of death, family members names and the word obitiuary or death. You may find an Obituary or Death record with the burial information. Also if you can find out where her husband or immediate family was buried and search the records of the cemetary you may find her listed there as well.

[@kevingarvey1341]

These wildcards do not work in Ancestry *Tree* Search, do they? Tree Search helps me find names in my own tree but I cannot differentiate these: Côté Coté Cote Any suggestions? I suppose I might make a global "replace" and change them all to "Côté"

[@GenealogyTV]

I just tested it and it does not appear that the wildcards work on tree search, only in records search areas. Keep in mind that Ancestry already looks for similar spellings of names... i.e. Madson, Mattson, Madsen, etc.

[@kevingarvey1341]

@@GenealogyTV Ancestry might use spelling variations but it does not recognize special characters like my Cote example. I found the “Common Ancestor” feature under DNA matches very helpful but it does not recognize a common ancestor unless the spelling is exact. Thanks for your response.

[@denisepayne7283]

FI still remember my soundex code P500

[@GenealogyTV]

H540... Henley :)