Searching Advice - Historical and Genealogical Index
Below are explanations of the various types of searches that could be performed in the Historical and Genealogical Index and information about how headings are structured. It is recommended that users consult the concluding section on "Using the Browse Index features" before starting searching, as the information presented there should be most helpful in assuring successful searches in the Index.
Generic searches
Type in any text, such as "john busey" or "1103 stoughton." Once you initiate the search by pressing the "Enter" key or clicking on the "Search" button, the program will search the entire database of text and numbers looking for matches to the text you entered. The program will then display all the indexing records that contain these pieces of text.
This kind of search can yield a large number of records, however not every record may contain indexing terms corresponding to "John Busey" or "1103 Stoughton". As the program looks for each piece of text independently, you could get records containing "John," as in "Smith, John" and "Busey," as in "Busey, Miranda" in the same record. And, with the example "1103 Stoughton," you may get records with "1103," as in "California Ave (Urbana), West, 1103," and "Stoughton," as in "Stoughton St (Urbana), West, 1009."
Directed searches
The simplest way to increase the number of relevant results returned for a search is to structure your search to match how Archives personnel have created index headings and then surround that text with quotation marks so that the program will search that text as a unit, not individual pieces of text as in the generic search described above.
Searching in this directed fashion works best with personal names. Names appear in the Historical and Genealogical Index in "telephone directory" fashion, i.e. last name first, followed by given and middle names in full or abbreviated. Examples of names in this format are "Johnson, Robert" or "Schwartz, H.C." or "Martin, Jacob Matthew." To initiate a search for a specific name, enter it in the search argument box surrounded by quotations, thereby indicating to the program that you want to search this complete term as a unit.
Searching for multiple-word subject headings, such as "Cat Shows" or "Waste Spills," in this way also yields a higher percentage of relevant records than just as unrelated pieces of text. Also note that some subject headings applied to records are often further subdivided by town names, as in "Zoning--Mahomet" or "Candy Industry and Trade--Homer" or "Cable Television--Rantoul." These, too, should be entered surrounded by quotation marks.
Address searches, unfortunately, do not function properly when surrounded by quotation marks. Addresses appear in the Historical and Genealogical Index in the following order: street name (with abbreviations for street, drive, avenue, road, and boulevard), followed by the town name in parenthesis, then the direction of the street (North, South, East, or West) if known or applicable, and then the house number. Examples of street names in this format are "Vine St (Champaign), West, 103" or "Chalmers St (Champaign), East, 403" or "Calvin St (Savoy), West, 102." To most successfully search addresses, it is recommended to put in as many of theses elements (name, town name, direction, and house number) without quotation marks.
Wildcard characters
The program that searches the Historical and Genealogical Index does acknowledge wildcard characters in searches. These characters (? and *) can be substituted to help find many similar pieces of text. For example, searching the name "Johnson, R*" will return records containing names such as "Johnson, Roberta," "Johnson, Richard," and "Johnson, Reuben."
Using the Browse Index features
To make the most successful use of the Historical and Genealogical Index it is strongly suggested that users consult the listings of name, subject, and address headings applied in the creating of these indexing records. These listings are presented on the main search page below the search argument box.
With regard to subject headings, the browse listing allows you to see actual headings assigned and the related cross references created by Archives staff in indexing records. These cross references offer users who hit upon the cross reference the option to immediately search the actual heading that was assigned in indexing without reinputing.
Those searching for information on a certain family in the names listing will benefit from utilizing the browse names feature as they can see all the indexed names in one surname grouping and not having to reenter the surname and all the possible variations of given and middle name. So, too, for those looking for information on a place of business by its "common" name, such as for information on "Burnham Hospital," where the listing will include a cross reference to the complete and accurate name "Julia F. Burnham City Hospital (Champaign, Ill.)."
Searchers interested in information on a specific address will find that selecting a heading presented in the street name and address listing will provide the most accurate and limited results for a search.
