Dear Marilyn: The Soundex system was designed to help find names that "sound" similar and might be spelled incorrectly or phonetically. Here's a simplified, basic run-down: Surname example: THOMPSON 1) You take the first letter of the surname - in this case "T." 2) You ignore all vowels and the letters H, W, and Y. Scratch them out - you have MPSN remaining. 3) Each remaining letter has a corresponding number code associated with it. They are: 1 - B,F,P,V 2 - C,G,J,K,Q,S,X,Z 3 - D,T 4 - L 5 - M,N 6 - R 4) You take the "T" and add to it the next three remaining/corresponding numbers - in this case T512. This is the Soundex code for "Thompson." So, you always should end up with one alpha and three numeric characters for the Soundex code. You ignore any remaining letters after that. CAUTION: Even this system has it's pitfalls. For instance, what if someone misspelled the name, ie. Thomson? Your Soundex code would then be T525 not T512. So, sometimes you have to misspell the name yourself in order to make sure you've captured each Soundex code that may apply. SECOND variable: If you have a name like VanBrunt or DiAngelo, make sure you calculate the name both with and without the prefix. THIRD variable: If you have two letters side-by-side that have the same numeric code, treat them as one. For example: Williams = W452, not W445. Jackson = J250, not J222. If you have two letters of the same code, separated by a vowel, you treat them as separate numbers: Coleman = C455. FOURTH variable: If the double "sound" appears right at the beginning of the name, it is follows the same rule as #3 above. For example: Schmidt = S530. But, there are instances where you may want to check under S253 (or whatever the double is for the name) just in case it was miscoded. I haven't run into too many examples of this but it does happen once in awhile. Tip #1: Once you've found your Soundex code in the particular index reel you are working on, the next form of alphabetizing that happens is with the given name. So, in the case of Thompson, you find the beginning of the T512 names on the reel. You will then notice that, no matter what the surname is, all the Annas, Abrahams, etc. are together. If you are looking for a John Thompson, you speed ahead to the "Js" and look for where the Johns begin. Then, and only then, you go back to looking for the actual surname. Tip #2: Many times there is a further subdivision which helps you get (within your Soundex code) to the correct section where your person may be found. This division can take two forms. Within a particular state it can be a division by county. A second division may be by place of birth. In both instances, within your Soundex code you spool ahead to the particular county your person may have been enumerated in or where your person may have been born. THEN you look for your John or Anna, then you look for the surname. Not every index using the Soundex system has these further subdivisions. And, I've usually only seen them used consistently when you have a tremendously common name like Smith, Murphy, Brown, etc. An unusual name with an uncommon Soundex code combination will usually NOT have these, even if the rest of the reel does. Hope this helps. Best regards. Nancy. NColeman NYC/Long Island Family History Research Services http://www.genealogyPro.com/ncoleman.html http://www.familytreemaker.com/users/c/o/l/Nancy--Coleman/ ncroots@worldnet.att.net NYGenExchange: www.genexchange.com/NY/index.cfm -----Original Message----- From: Marilyn Reynolds <reynolds@3-cities.com> To: GEN-NYS-L@rootsweb.com <GEN-NYS-L@rootsweb.com> Date: Wednesday, July 21, 1999 8:46 AM Subject: NY 1900 census >Hello, I wrote to a historical soc that has all censuses for all states. I >was told that most 1870 censuses in NY are not indexed. I also requested >indexes from the 1900 NY census and was told that this census is indexed >only by the Soundex system, on microfilm, that there isn't a published index >for most states for 1900. Does anyone know anywhere, if any, I can access >the index for 1900 and how indexing by soundex works. Thank you very much. >Marilyn reynolds@3-cities.com > > > >==== GEN-NYS Mailing List ==== >Have you forgotten how to UNSUBSCRIBE? >Visit the GEN-NYS-L Frequently Asked Questions (And Answers!) web page: > http://www.rootsweb.com/~nozell/GEN-NYS-L/FAQ/GEN-NYS-L.txt > >