Writing Queries that Get Terrific Results!
by Phyllis Stehm

Writing a great query and posting it to message board can quickly advance your genealogy research and bust your brick walls!  Many sites offer tips on effective online communication techniques, which can be read if you take the time before posting a query to the message board/forum or sending an email. I want to point out a strategy that will make your queries much more effective, that is, using the subject line on the query posting page to the greatest advantage by including four (4) pieces of information: surname, location, date and a “Hook”.

Let’s first review the steps of an effective query whether print or electronic:

The Subject Line
 

Target your question briefly in the subject line. Ask for information on one problem or subject. Be specific and use a hook! The hook gets your readers interested in your problem!

For example:  “Seeking parents & siblings of,” “Searching for children of,” “Trying to locate the family Bible of”, “Was it murder?” Do not ask “Please send all the information you have.”  Then be sure to add a surname, a date or time period, and a location in the subject line.  For example, “Seeking cemetery info for Amanda Fletcher, died Conroe, TX, early 1900’s.”

Do not be so general that no one can connect to your information. The experienced genealogist, who may have much to share with you, will pass over your query if he/she cannot quickly identify information that connects to what he/she may already know.

The Body of the Query
 

f Explain in more detail what you are searching for, and include the names of the people that you know, capitalizing the SURNAME. Be sure to include the woman’s maiden name if known.
f Include the locality of the people you are looking for.

f Include a date or dates for the time period you are researching.

f Briefly state any information you may already know, so that your  reader doesn’t waste time re-sending info you have.

f Use standard genealogical abbreviations, but if there is a chance of a misunderstanding, spell the word out completely.

What Makes An Electronic Query Different?
 

Electronic queries may be searched by various search engines, they may be displayed in various forums or on surname boards, but most of the time the information displayed first will only be what you have put in your subject line on the query posting page.

Below Is a Sample of an Ineffective Query:

             Subject line->           HELP!!!! 
Posted by Amy Smith xxxxxxxx@bbb.com
on Sunday, 27 Jul 2009
Surname:  Smith, Jones

Elizabeth Smith married George Jones both are from Montgomery Co. Doing my family roots need some help in finding info.

What‘s Wrong With This Query?

Quite a bit actually! But the biggest mistake for posting to a message board, is the subject line “HELP”. This is what will be shown on the message board index before the query is opened to reveal the contents of the rest of the message. This scream for help will be quickly passed over by experienced genealogists, because they do not have time to open it based on the information given. What can be done to improve this query, especially the subject line?

Here’s an Example of an Effective Query:

 Subject line->           Seeking parents of Elizabeth SMITH,
& George JONES, Montgomery Co., TX 1880’s
 Posted by Amy Jones xxxxxxxx@bbb.com
on Sunday, 27 Jul 2009
Surname: SMITH, JONES

Seeking parents/siblings of Elizabeth SMITH (b. ca 1865-1910), m. 2 Feb 1886 George JONES (b. ca. 1863-1916) in Montgomery Co., TX.

George and Elizabeth are listed in 1900 US Census living with their children, Ann, George Jr. and Hannah in Conroe, Montgomery Co., TX.

The second example will be noticed, read and may even garner several responses from knowledgeable genealogists. The subject line grabs attention because it gives surnames, location and a date. The subject line is very important to those searching message board indexes. It saves research time for everyone and produces more positive results. Good query writing is an art whether used in print or electronic format, but don’t forget to write an effective subject line with a good hook!

Phyllis Stehm is a genealogy instructor at Lone Star College, Montgomery campus in the ALL ‑ Academy of Lifelong Learning Program and co-founded the Montgomery County Genealogists’ Internet Research Group (MCG-IRG).