Bob Spiers
LostCousins Superstar
For reasons more of historical research than the pursuit of an ancestor I have spent the best part of a week in an active database research. I found the research interesting because at long last it has woken me to the intrinsic differences between using Ancestry and FMP. My previous opinion has always sided with Ancestry and I have at last realised it was because I almost always searched from within the confines of an Ancestry Tree. This time a Tree played no part so each search had to rely entirely on the information fed to it (the same for each) and the extent and validity of each data base and individual methods of searching.
I emphasise as if it needed saying that it is not a scientific study but purely my subjective opinion after searching through BMD & Census records; by name; dates and areas.
First conclusions and later I explain each in more detail:
I rate FMP before Ancestry when assessing BMD records. I cannot give percentages so let me just say FMP more often than not came up trumps whereas Ancestry struggled at times.
When it came to Census searches, Ancestry was the more reliable probably because of its ‘fuzzy logic’ way of searching. FMP was just too ‘fussy’ for its own good.
BMD Searches in FMP are more user friendly especially when narrowing down the Collections. It is however idiosyncratic and –as with Census searches explained later - it positively dislikes too much information. Give it two counties for instance, even with ‘,’ separators and it will more likely than not give a NUL return. Leave out the county and up comes 50 or so hits and somewhere within those hits you are likely to find what you seek. It also dislikes middle names, and even middle initials. I searched for a John James, nothing, John J nothing, then John (plenty of hits and including a couple of John J’s). As for giving it a wrong time scale that is a ‘no-no’; but leave out the date or broaden it to a 5 or 10 year span, and you will get answers a plenty. It will take you a time to scroll through its search results, but you will get there in the end.
Ancestry seems to struggle with the simplest of BMD searches even if you elect to narrow the search. It does not seem to mind about being given too much information (I would not recommend doing this but if it happens Ancestry is quite forgiving in this respect). But what comes up may not necessarily be anything to do with what you seek. In the end for BMD searches I chose FMP over Ancestry each time and only if FMP gave a NUL return (even after minimising the search data) did I turn to Ancestry. For some obscure reason on these occasions Ancestry seemed to have no trouble in locating the person sought.
In the interest of fairness if searching in Ancestry from within your own Tree (Public or Private) Ancestry is a different animal entirely. Whatever category you seek- BMD or Census- it uses the information it already has to instinctively find what you seek. I love this intuitive part of its makeup and always have and why I have tended to favour it over FMP. Plus of course you can save it to your Tree immediately; a bonus.
CENSUS searches in FMP in the main are not as rewarding as with Ancestry. Here I relate like with like; just a plain and simple search of a specific Census (and not within an Ancestry Tree). Ancestry searches are more convoluted and require more mouse clicking but when you find the Census year you want with the input given, more often than not it will deliver what you seek. (Its only downside is quite often Ancestry omits the Schedule number so you have to view the original top right corner for that).
FMP given its penchant for intelligent input only delivers when its rules are mastered and applied. Otherwise you will have to go back to square one and try again. I like the simplicity of being able to search through the Census years with one input which is easier than Ancestry. It is just a shame it seems so unsympathetic to the input given it for the search which Ancestry takes in its stride; well most of the time anyway in which case I just try its rival! (FMP does provide the Schedule number within its references)
Once again I have to stress that Ancestry Census searches from within a Tree are positively sublime. It latches on to the information in your Tree –Head, spouse, household members – and finds the family you want each time; providing of course they are in the Census year you are searching. Again you can post the information straight to your ancestors’ page. Shame about the Schedule number however.
Final Words: I re-emphasise that my conclusions (leaving out the italicised script) relate to just carrying out a Search from within each data base. I also emphasise that where one data base fails, then I simply turn to the other. On the occasions (quite often at times) when neither delivers, that is time to take stock and think outside the box as Peter often mentions in his Newsletters.
I emphasise as if it needed saying that it is not a scientific study but purely my subjective opinion after searching through BMD & Census records; by name; dates and areas.
First conclusions and later I explain each in more detail:
I rate FMP before Ancestry when assessing BMD records. I cannot give percentages so let me just say FMP more often than not came up trumps whereas Ancestry struggled at times.
When it came to Census searches, Ancestry was the more reliable probably because of its ‘fuzzy logic’ way of searching. FMP was just too ‘fussy’ for its own good.
BMD Searches in FMP are more user friendly especially when narrowing down the Collections. It is however idiosyncratic and –as with Census searches explained later - it positively dislikes too much information. Give it two counties for instance, even with ‘,’ separators and it will more likely than not give a NUL return. Leave out the county and up comes 50 or so hits and somewhere within those hits you are likely to find what you seek. It also dislikes middle names, and even middle initials. I searched for a John James, nothing, John J nothing, then John (plenty of hits and including a couple of John J’s). As for giving it a wrong time scale that is a ‘no-no’; but leave out the date or broaden it to a 5 or 10 year span, and you will get answers a plenty. It will take you a time to scroll through its search results, but you will get there in the end.
Ancestry seems to struggle with the simplest of BMD searches even if you elect to narrow the search. It does not seem to mind about being given too much information (I would not recommend doing this but if it happens Ancestry is quite forgiving in this respect). But what comes up may not necessarily be anything to do with what you seek. In the end for BMD searches I chose FMP over Ancestry each time and only if FMP gave a NUL return (even after minimising the search data) did I turn to Ancestry. For some obscure reason on these occasions Ancestry seemed to have no trouble in locating the person sought.
In the interest of fairness if searching in Ancestry from within your own Tree (Public or Private) Ancestry is a different animal entirely. Whatever category you seek- BMD or Census- it uses the information it already has to instinctively find what you seek. I love this intuitive part of its makeup and always have and why I have tended to favour it over FMP. Plus of course you can save it to your Tree immediately; a bonus.
CENSUS searches in FMP in the main are not as rewarding as with Ancestry. Here I relate like with like; just a plain and simple search of a specific Census (and not within an Ancestry Tree). Ancestry searches are more convoluted and require more mouse clicking but when you find the Census year you want with the input given, more often than not it will deliver what you seek. (Its only downside is quite often Ancestry omits the Schedule number so you have to view the original top right corner for that).
FMP given its penchant for intelligent input only delivers when its rules are mastered and applied. Otherwise you will have to go back to square one and try again. I like the simplicity of being able to search through the Census years with one input which is easier than Ancestry. It is just a shame it seems so unsympathetic to the input given it for the search which Ancestry takes in its stride; well most of the time anyway in which case I just try its rival! (FMP does provide the Schedule number within its references)
Once again I have to stress that Ancestry Census searches from within a Tree are positively sublime. It latches on to the information in your Tree –Head, spouse, household members – and finds the family you want each time; providing of course they are in the Census year you are searching. Again you can post the information straight to your ancestors’ page. Shame about the Schedule number however.
Final Words: I re-emphasise that my conclusions (leaving out the italicised script) relate to just carrying out a Search from within each data base. I also emphasise that where one data base fails, then I simply turn to the other. On the occasions (quite often at times) when neither delivers, that is time to take stock and think outside the box as Peter often mentions in his Newsletters.
