I found this on the Michigan rootsweb site at
http://users.rootsweb.com/~mistclai/sample-queries.html
and think it contains some good points.
Weak or Unclear Queries
Name Withheld Fri Feb 31 09:30:00 1999
LEGGETT anyone? Can anyone tell me anything about the Leggett family?
This is the genealogical equivalent of placing an ad in the newspaper's classified
section that says, "Used car for sale. Please call for make, model, condition, and
asking price." You might get a response, but don't count on it. See the improved
example below for better wording.
Notso Clever Fri Feb 31 09:30:00 1999
ZAHM; anywhere; anytime. Interested in ANY information about anyone named
Zahm, worldwide.
This message is no more informative than the first example.
If you're just starting to research your own family, contacting everyone with that
name will soon overwhelm you, and isn't likely to help you find your immediate
ancestry. Even if you think your name is extremely rare, there are probably lots of
people that share it with you.
If you really are interested in making a comprehensive collection of all the Zahms,
tell us enough about your project to encourage other genealogists to contribute
their research, as shown in the improved example, next section.
Nother Knownot Fri Feb 31 09:30:00 1999
CROUCH; Ohio, USA; anytime. I'm looking for information on my father's side of
the family. He is an only child and his father died when I was 10. There are no
family members to get any information. Can anyone tell me about the Crouches?
A little bit better than the above examples, but you have valuable clues that you're
not sharing with us.
Your grandfather died when you were 10. This gives you the date of his death. But
remember, by Internet, we have no idea if your age is closer to 15 or to 95. We
have to guess grandpa died someplace between 5 and 85 years ago. Since most
men have children between the ages of 20 and 50, we can guess that he was
probably between 50 and 110 years old when he died. He might have been born
anywhere from 55 to 195 years ago!
So tell us his name, tell us the year he died, and make an estimate of his age so
we can tell about when he was born, as in the improved example later on.
Doesnt Getit Fri Feb 31 09:30:00 1999
SMITH/JONES/WASHINGTON/LEE/DENZEL/WINDSOR; England, then Ohio,
USA; 1600-. Have information on these families: Smith in England 17th century.
Jones in Virginia by 1800 moved to Ohio 1850's. Washington in New York colonial
times... etc.
This query gives a cluttered opening line that's hard to understand. Use a
separate article for each surname, and give us more details, as in example 1.
Thousands of people will look at your first line to decide whether to read the
message - make it count. Take the time to tell something about your research
and your questions - and put it in a readable format so readers will want to help
you.
Better Queries
The idea is to encourage people to reply. They are more likely to do so if they
recognize your family as related to people they have researched. Include some
details about when and where your family lived.
Always include:
Name
Place
Date
and put them near the beginning.
If you don't know exact dates, estimate. For USGenWeb queries, you should
include the county name in its appropriate connection for your information.
Moderators may not post queries if they don't seem appropriate to a specific
county. Not everyone can remember the name of every tiny town in a county, and
many moderators coordinate several counties at once.
It is also a good idea to follow the common practice of putting each surname in all
capital letters. This helps the reader who is scanning for familiar names, and will
catch his or her attention if there is a connection.
Smarter Searcher Fri Feb 31 09:30:00 1999
LEGGETT Rufus; Columbus, Cherokee Co, Kansas, USA; 1860-1940. My great-
grandfather Rufus LEGGETT died in Columbus, Kansas when my mother was a
little girl, sometime in the 1930's. She thinks he was in his 70's then, maybe
somewhat younger. I'm looking for information on when and where he was born,
as well as his parents.
Metoo Metoo Fri Feb 31 09:30:00 1999
ZAHM/SAUM; anywhere; anytime. I'm studying the ZAHM family worldwide. I've
traced my own line to villages in Lorraine, France near the German border in the
1700-1828 timeframe. I have information on branches of the family in Clay Co, IN,
as well as places in IL, KS, OH, NY, VA, and also Lorraine and Saarland.
Interested in contacting any other members of the family to share information.
Smart Researcher Fri Feb 31 09:30:00 1999
CROUCH; Franklin Co., Ohio, USA; 1840-1930. I'm looking for information about
my grandfather, William CROUCH. He died in Columbus, OH in the late 1920's.
We think he was in his late 80's then. My Dad, James CROUCH, was his only
son, born in Columbus, OH about 1892. I'm interested in finding William
CROUCH's wife and parents.
Now you've given us enough clues that someone might recognize the family, or
point you to the right resources for the time and place so you can learn more
about the family.
Remember, too, that USGenWeb queries are handled by volunteers. Please be
patient. If not handled by an automatic system like GenConnect, allow sufficient
time for your query to appear on the appropriate page(s). And if it needs updating
or should be removed, let the county coordinator know about that too.
Neal F. Carrier
Holland Patent, NY
email ncarrier(a)dreamscape.com
web site
www.dreamscape.com/ncarrier
Listowner Carrier-Roots Mail List
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