Simple search

The quickest and simplest way to search for a person in the family tree is to use the search boxes top right of every page. Simple to fill in (First name, Last name) but there are few things to be aware of:

1. You must be a registered user with the necessary access to view living people in your branch (AND be logged in) to be able to search for living people.
   
   
2. Everyone in the family tree is recorded by their birth name as their last name. You cannot use the simple search to find a woman under her married name - you have to use Find > Search People or Search Families to search for a woman's married name 
   
   
3. Simple search looks for anything that contains what you type - Last Name (contains) "roy" will find Roy, Royes, Royce, Fitzroy. It does not search for alternative spellings - Search People or Search Families allow you to search for alternative spellings
   
   
4. You can also use the Surnames list for a quick search. There is a link to Surnames under the two search boxes top right of every page, and there is also a link in the Find drop-down menu. The advantage of this method is that you can see all the people with that surname and perhaps refine your search by studying the complete first names and the date and place of birth.
   
   
5. If you are not certain of the spelling of a surname or would like to allow for the fact that the spelling you have may not be correct or may have various spellings, use the Search People or Search Families