Check which sources:

Search Hints

1.  Searches are not case sensitive.
2. Remember that neither the census nor the tax lists give slave names.  Including a slave name in your search will exclude searching those types of records.
3. Use the percent sign (%) as a wildcard.  It will replace any number of characters.  A search for last name of “And” returns nothing.  Search “And%” returns Anderson and Andrews.  Search “%And%” returns Anderson, Andrews, Sanderson, McFarland, and others.
4. ALWAYS use wildcards on first names, as there is frequently a title or honorific attached to the first name (e.g. “Capt”, “Esqr”, “Jr”, etc.).
5. Many of these names have a wide variety of spellings.  Also, given names were often abbreviated (e.g. for Alexander: Alescander, Alexander, Alexander (Capt), Alexander (Junr), Alexandr, Alexdr, Alexr, Alexr (Esqr)).  Be creative in trying various spellings with wildcards.
6. Use soundex to search for similar names.  Note you cannot use soundex and wildcards on the same search term.
7. Free people of color where often enumerated as “Black Jim” or “Negro Sal”, meaning their given name will be stored as a surname.  Consider searching for the ancestor’s given name in the Head of Household surname field.

Feedback

I would love feedback  on this, particularly if you encounter bugs or suspected errors in the data.  Also if you would like to help compile similar records to be included here.  Use the Contact button at the top of the page to email me.