Family Historian User Group

This posting is prompted by a dialogue on the FHU Mailings [FHU] Detailed search forms on FMP.

Until recently FindMyPast UK used the Person Search interface, whereas all other FindMyPast sites for USA, Ireland & Australia used the World Search style.

FindMyPast UK along with the other sites now use a revised World Search style, explained via their News tab:
How to search findmypast UK (shows blank page in Firefox, but OK in IE).
Your handy guide to findmypast’s new search USA
Your handy guide to findmypast’s new search Ireland
Your handy guide to findmypast’s new search Australia

However, I have some extra tips:

• For all sites Search records > Search all records offers Who and When and Where options, and all but UK has a Where drop-down list of countries and a page of guidance notes. This only appears for UK after clicking the large right-hand Search button, otherwise it appears to be limited to UK records.
  There is an extensive set of search filters on the left to narrow your search, and these change according to the Category and Collection chosen, but sometimes key filters such as Gender are missing.

• For most sites Search records > List all records provides a list of record sets organised by country, which leads to the same search mode as above.

• For all sites Search records has Categories such as Census, land & surveys or BMD Life Events and these offer similar Who and When and Where options as above, but with a much reduced set of search filters.
  However, they all have an A-Z of record sets button top right that offers an alternative mode as described below.

• For the UK site Search records > A-Z of record sets has a different method of selecting the same record sets, but then presents a very different search form with different but quite extensive filters than above.

I am considering using this A-Z of record sets style of search form for the Lookup Missing Census Records Plugin.

Can I guess that the plugin for missing census data will be re written when FMP get their act together. At present the list is much less usefull as every search on FMP has to go back through the process of selecting a census and typing in the name and dates etc.

I think FMP has really been bought out by Ancestry and we are being driven to use that horrid system.

DaveT
In Sunny South Yorkshire

Dave, are you using the latest V3.2 of the Lookup Missing Census Facts Plugin?

It should use the A-Z of record sets style in which there is a large blue Edit your search button on the left.
This remembers all the Plugin settings including the Census year.

I regularly rewrite the Plugin to keep up with changing web site designs and new Census records.