I have mentioned Dr. Stephen Morse a number of times in past newsletters. He creates indexes to online databases that make searching those databases much easier and more accurate than the indexes on the original web site. He has created improved indexes to databases housed on the Ellis Island, Castle Garden, Ancestry.com, and other web sites. Now he has added a new Ellis Island search form (called the gold form) that is capable of searching through the entire 25 million passengers in the Ellis Island Database for ships' passenger lists. The new gold form can also search on every transcribed field.
The gold form has several new features not available previously. The user can now search on traveling companions (a feature which the blue form had but the gray form never did). In addition, researchers are able to specify which fields they would like to see displayed on the results page. They can also specify how they would like to have the results sorted.
This is an example of an ever evolving and always improving web site. The gold form and a lot more can be found at http://www.stevemorse.org.
While I have used the other forms many times any attempt to use the gold form has "timed out". If it ever works, one will be able to pin down the month to search in.
Posted by: Marilyn | December 05, 2006 at 02:15 AM
The genealogy community should be eternally grateful for all the work done by Steve Morse. I've used his forms in the past and have been very pleased
Posted by: Patt Ricketts | December 05, 2006 at 12:43 PM