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Many genealogists I am sure recognise the scenario that I am going to share here; We come across an index, either in database format or a book and immediately look to see if we spot one of “our” surnames – we cannot help ourselves! We may even go a step further, check to see if we recognise other people’s surnames. We grab a smart phone and take a picture to share with others. We may even go a step further still, and create a spreadsheet of material, after all these surnames belong to someone or a group of someone’s.

One of the great member benefits of the Guild of One-Name Studies is the selection of indexes available to members:

• Scottish Index
• Probate Index
• Inscription Index ( available to the public)
• Marriage Indexes
• BMD Vault
• Newspaper Index (available to the public)
• Marriages of the World (available to the public)

You can see details HERE.

One of the useful things about the indexes is that not only can members share material with both members and non-members, but it is a great way of sharing an interest in a particular surname – any surname, not just a registered one.

As a search is done of the surname database the results show if a study has been registered, but also how many instances there are in the indexes. A search for BUTCHER for example shows the profile page (in need of an update!) and how many instances there are in the indexes. The Marriage index, gives a search result of 1478 between 1837 and 1945, and as a member I can go into the index and see the details about the marriage and have the facility of being able to contact the member who submitted the details. A search for ORLANDO reveals there are 28 submissions to the index, of which 27 were submitted by me!

Have you searched the Guild website to see if there are instances of your surname of interest in the indexes or registered as a study?

This is covered in the Pharos Introduction to One-Name Studies course as it is a great way of gathering information for a new study, or indeed established study.