Joyce's Search Tip - January 2008 - Do You Know that you can search just the Census Records on the site by using the three county level Census  buttons in the Partitioned search engine at the bottom of the Current What's New Page?  You can further limit your search by choosing the find all words option and entering a year or township name along with your surname. Remember that alternate spellings of surnames WILL affect your search results.

Census records are very often difficult to read because of handwriting, microfilm quality, and spelling issues. Our early census takers were not as well educated as we'd like them to have been, and even the people bearing the names often could not spell them with the same consistency we are accustomed to in this era. The census taker wrote what he believed he heard as well as he could. These have been transcribed for you to the very best or our abilities given the difficulties mentioned. Please be tolerant of what you would consider "mistakes." If you can recognize the names you are looking for, then it is a success. If not, then you may want to find a place where you can view the originals so that you can judge for yourselves. Excessive attention to outmoded spelling issues is the sign of a beginner in family research. Those of you who have been at this a while are well aware of the "spelling errors" in our early records and have learned to take them in your stride. You are also aware of the difficulties our transcribers encounter and will treat those people with the gratitude they deserve rather than criticism.