This hint was on today's ancestry.com: Lanita FAST FACT: SEARCH HINTS--MISSPELLINGS, ABBREVIATIONS, AND INITIALS ==================================================================== Having trouble finding your ancestors in a database? Databases are rather picky creatures; one key letter read wrong by the database creator can throw a huge monkey wrench into your search. Often- confused letters in transcriptions and indexes include: L and S T and F J, G, and Y I and J K and R O and Q P and R U and W In addition, vowels are also frequently misinterpreted. Switching similar-looking letters or vowels in the surnames you are researching can bring surprising results. Another way to overcome misspelled surnames would be to try some advanced searches using only given names, and to include other criteria to narrow it down. The success of this method would naturally depend on the size and nature of the database, but it often works. Given names can present their own difficulties. How often have you seen records listing William as Wm; Thomas as Thos; Robert as Robt; James as Jas; Charles as Chas, etc. And how about initials? Probably quite often. These are possibilities that should not be overlooked when including a given name in your search.