Google Quick Helps

Google detailed referenced guide for Ancestry Research.

The following is a quick reference to the many Google resources discussed throughout BeginMyStory.com (e.g., wildcards, operators). Find examples of simple to advanced search queries that you can immediately use and modify for your own research.

Google Quick Helps for Ancestry Research
Table of Contents

Google Quick Helps:
Search Parameters with Boolean Operators
Boolean operators define the relationships between words or groups of words and are used to broaden or narrow a search.
Name Description Example
AND Operator AND operator narrows a search by telling Google that ALL keywords used must be found in a page in order for it to appear in your results list adams genealogy arizona
richmond virginia johnson
OR Operator OR operator broadens the search and retrieves records containing any of the words it separates. Tahiti OR Hawaii
Georgia | census | tax
(-) NOT Operator The (–) NOT operator is a special command that removes/excludes pages that mention a specific term from your search results Alex Rice –university –recipes

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Google Quick Helps: Wildcard Searches
Many website search engines have incorporated the use of the asterisk (*) and the question mark (?) for queries which are known as wildcards.
Name Description Example
(*) Asterisk Wildcard Google treats the (*) asterisk wildcard as a placeholder for one or more words or letters. educat*
“Ora * Jones”
(?) Question Mark Wildcard A (?) question mark wildcard is used to represent a single letter. Sm?th
(_) Underscore Google Suggest Wildcard When you are typing in a search query but are not sure of the exact phrase to use, let Google make the suggestion for you by using the (_) underscore best_in Utah

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Google Quick Helps: Google Operators
Google has several operators or commands, that can be typed into the search box to request specific information.
Name Description Example
(” “) Quotation Marks Operator Use the Google (” “) operator command to force Google to search for an exact phrase or word. Only use this if you are looking for an exact word or phrase, otherwise you will exclude many helpful results by mistake. “kati”
“Ora * Jones”
allinanchor: Operator Use the “allinanchor:” operator to search for sites/pages that have specific key words in the anchor text that point to the pages. The anchor text is the visible, clickable text in the hyperlink present on the page. allinanchor:welch genealogy
inanchor: Operator Use the “inanchor:” operator to search for sites/pages that have a specific key word in the anchor text that point to the pages. The anchor text is the visible, clickable text in the hyperlink inanchor:germany
allintext: Operator Use the “allintext:” operator to search for multiple words in the body of the search results. allintext:travel packing list
intext: Operator Use the “intext:” operator to search for a single word or phrase in the body of the search results intext:nicknames
allintitle: Operator Use the “allintitle:” operator to search for multiple words in the title of the search results. The title of the page is the text that appears in the page’s title bar. allintitle: 1940 census tutorial
intitle: Operator Use the “intitle:” operator to search for a single word or phrase in the title of the search results. The title of the page is the text that appears in the page’s title bar. intitle:pennsylvania
intitle:”color-coded”
allinurl: Operator Use the “allinurl:” operator to search for multiple words in the URL of the search results. allinurl:german genealogy
inurl: Operator Use the “inurl:” operator to search for a single word or phrase in the url of the search results. inurl:military
cache: Operator Use the “cache:” operator to see a cached version of a website/page. The search engine keeps the text of many documents that it crawls in a backed up format known as “cache.” cache:beginmystory.com
define: Operator Use the “define:” operator to get the definition of words, phrases, and acronyms from various web sources. The operator can be used with “define:” or without the colon “define.” define:patronymics
define patronymics
filetype: Operator Use the “filetype:” operator to search for specific file types (e.g., doc, docx, pdf, ppt) filtype:pdf
Info: or id: Operator Use the “info:” operator to tell Google to bring back information about a specific domain. You can also use the “id:” instead of “info:” info:beginmystory.com
id:beginmystory.com
links: or link: Operator Use the “links:” operator to search for linkbacks for a specific domain. A linkback is when another website/person is linking to or referring/pointing to a website/article content. link:beginmystory.com
links:beginmystory.com
phonebook: Operator Use the “phonebook:” operator to display phonebook listings. phonebook:John Jones, Saginaw
bphonebook:hardware
rphonebook:higbee 46012
AROUND(n) Operator The AROUND(n) is an undocumented Google operator that will help you find documents/records where the distance between the terms is around ‘n’. The higher the number the less in proximity between the two words. “Albert Williams” AROUND(5) 1863
“Albert Williams” AROUND(7) Allred
NEAR Operator The NEAR operator allows you to search for terms situated with a specified distance of each other in any order. NEAR can be used by itself or without a distance parameter. When NEAR is used by itself, Google will usually look for the words within 1 to 20 words. The closer the terms are to one another, the higher the page appears in the results list. “Spanish Fork” NEAR Utah
“John Jones” NEAR/5 Georgia
(..) Number Range Operator Use the (..) number range search operator to search for documents/pages that contain numbers within a range. You can set numbers ranged for weights, dimensions, prices (dollar currencies only), and so forth. Hansen obituary 1930..1935
president 1940-1950
related: Operator Use the “related:” operator for searches that are similar to a specific URL. related:beginmystory.com
safesearch: Operator Use the “safesearch:” operator to screen for explicit sexual/adult content and delete from your search results. safesearch:breast cancer
safesearch:sex education
site: Operator The “site:” operator will allow you to confine/restrict your search to a specific domain. Genealogy websites often have their own search engines that will only search their domain. Rather than going to each individual website, you can use the “site:” operator to freely move and search and/or exclude domains from your search. site:familysearch.org Martin Oberman
“Civil War” –site: en.wikipedia.org

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Google Quick Helps: Expand Your Use of Google
 Thirty-seven queries to provide everyday information you can use.
Name Description Example
movie: Operator Use the “movie:” operator to search for a movie by name or location with movie review, show time and theater movie: 30516
movie: star wars
flights: Operator Use the “flight:” operator to search and explore flight information. Begin the query with “flights:” flights: KS
flight schedules Find flight schedules to or from a particular destination by typing “flights from” or “flights to” followed by the city or airport of interest. You can also add another location with to or from and view the schedule for a specific route. flights from dallas to seattle
flight times View live arrival and departure information for U.S. flights by searching the airline name and flight number. frontier 667
southwest 2952
FAA airplane registration number Enter the plane’s number, usually found on a plane’s tail n199ua
Airport weather and delays View conditions for a specific airport. Enter the airport code followed by the word airport. jfk airport
music: Operator Use “music:” operator to track album information for your favorite group/artist. Also use “music:” with a specific word and Google will restrict the results to music albums containing that word in the title of the album, the name of the artist, lyrics, or the name of a song. music: beatles
music: tina turner
music:remember
stocks: Operator Use the “stocks:” operator to search information about stocks. stocks:ibm
stocks:google
Mathematical expression Use Google to solve a math problem. Enter a valid mathematical expression and Google’s calculator function will provide the answer. Google can do simple to advanced mathematical equations. + addition, 2+2
– subtraction, 2-2
multiplication, 2*2
/ division, 2/1
% of percentage, 2% of 100
Currency conversion Use Google search to calculate currency conversions. 25 yen to dollars
25 euro to dollars
25 gpb in usd
Measurement conversion Use Google search to get measurement conversion. mph in speed of light
50 miles in kilometers
7 ml in teaspoons
Area code lookup Use Google to find where an area code is located by entering just the area code. Google will return the geographic location and map that corresponds to the area code 702
425
Map and street address When you enter a street address or location, Google will automatically return street maps. 2156 west main street 50530
40.1044° N 111.6400° W
dayton oh
Weather Use Google to find weather conditions and forecast for a specific city. Google will return current conditions and seven day forecast. weather orlando
Time Find the time anywhere in the world, search time and the city or country. time north carolina
time japan
time london
Sport scores and schedules Check scores and schedules for favorite teams NBA, NFL, NHL and MLB and college teams simply by typing the team or league into the search box. miami heat
usc Trojans
dodgers vs mets
USPS tracking numbers Enter the number as received from USPS, including spaces. 1234 1234 1234 1234 1234 1234
UPS tracking numbers Enter the tracking number. 1Z9999W99999999
FedEx Tracking Numbers Enter the tracking number. 9999 9999 9999
Vehicle ID Numbers (VINs) Search the history of a vehicle using the “vin” number. Enter the number without spaces or dashes; be sure to include the first and last numbers. 1AAAAA999A9AA99999
UPC code Enter the number without spaces or dashes; be sure 073333531084 7.333E+10
to include the first and last numbers.
Telephone numbers Receive a call from a number you don’t know, try telephone number reverse lookup. Enter the 10-digit number. You can also use the traditional format, with parentheses or hyphens, but the format with periods will not work. 4.236E+09
(reverse lookup) (423) 555-1212
423-555-1212
Patent numbers Search for information related to a patent. Put the word patent before the patent number. patent 5123123
Locate earthquake activity Type earthquake in the search box and your results will feature U.S. Geological Survey info showing the time, place and magnitude of recent earthquakes. earthquake
Sunrise/sunset times Find the exact times of sunrises and sunsets in cities around the U.S. and the world sunrise Baltimore
sunset duluth
Search by location with zip code Add a zip code to a search term and get results along with phone numbers, maps and even reviews. library 35201
chinese restaurant 09874
shoe repair 84012
Search by location with county/town/city Add a location identifier such as county/town/ city to a search term and get results along with phone numbers, maps and even reviews. library cook county
chinese restaurant lubbock
shoe repair davis county
Research health conditions Find information about a common disease or symptom by entering the medical term. asthma
heart attack symptoms
abdominal pain on right side
Find medication information Search the name of a generic or brand-name prescription drug and get its summary and description and other information such as side effects, dosage and precautions. zyrtec
generic prilosec
lipitor
Release dates for movies, games, and more To find the release date of games, software, movies, etc., simply enter the name/title followed by the term “release date” and get the latest information. star wars vii release date
mary poppins release date
league of legends release date
Dates for holidays and events When you want to know what day of a week a holiday lands or when a big event starts (e.g., Presidential Election, Super Bowl, Olympics). christmas 2016
olympics 2016
Find simple factual information You can find specific details for a topic by entering the name and specific fact you want to know. leonard nimoy death
black mountain elevation
fargo nd population
Word definitions and synonyms Find the definition, synonyms, or pronunciation of a word, type ‘define’ before the word. define genealogy
define minerals
Translate words instantly Google Translate is a great tool for translating large blocks of text. You can translate single words/phases right from the search bar by entering “translate [word] into [language].” Google will even teach you how to pronounce the translation. translate genealogy into german
translate what’s new into Spanish
Episodes of your favorite TV shows Use Google to search broadcast dates of all your favorite TV shows, such as one of my favorites “Star Trek.” Also learn more by tapping on the individual episode. star trek episodes
leave it to beaver episodes
Use Google as a timer Use Google to count down the bake time of your favorite meal. Enter the word “timer” into the search box. Set the countdown and hit the start button. When the time is up you will be notified by a beeping sound. timer
Diagram search If you’re looking for part of a machine or gadget but don’t know the name of it, try including the term “diagram” in your search. bicycle diagram
Examine public data Search demographic terms like population or unemployment rate, followed by a county, state or country, and you’ll get instant data about your chosen location directly from the U.S. unemployment rate colorado
population Montana

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Additional Google Articles on BeginMyStory.com

The following are other articles you may enjoy to help you Google your ancestry.

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