Ancestry searching error from within Legacy
June 05, 2007
Ancestry.com has recently made changes to the way customers search their site. These changes have effected Legacy's ability to automatically search for a person in their databases. Continue reading for the workaround....
For example, click on the Search menu from within Legacy, then click on Search Internet for Current Person. You can now choose which genealogy web site to search. If Ancestry.com is selected, click on the Search button. Normally Legacy would then search Ancestry for the currently-highlighted individual and display the results. Because of the changes made by Ancestry, you will now receive an error message.
Fortunately, Legacy has the ability to create and modify the "search strings" that are used to perform these automated searches. The "Ancestry.com" search can easily be modified by following these steps:
- Once you are on the "Search the Internet" screen, click on the Customize Searches button.
- Click on the Select button next to Ancestry.com
- Click once on Ancestry.com, and click on the Edit button.
- In the field the currently begins with http://service.bfast.com..., replace all of the text in this field with this new link: http://search.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/sse.dll?rank=0&tips=0&gsfn=[GivenNames]&gsln=[Surname]&sx=&gs1co=1%2cAll+Countries&gs1pl=1%2c+&year=[BirthYear]&yearend=[DeathYear]&sbo=0&sbor=&ufr=0&wp=4%3b_80000002%3b_80000003&srchb=r&prox=1&db=&ti=0&ti.si=0&gl=allgs&gss=ansmp&so=1&o_iid=21416&o_lid=21416
- Click Save, click Select, click Close, now click Search.
Legacy's Research Guidance section also has links to individual databases at Ancestry.com. For example, on the Preliminary Survey tab, clicking on the Local Histories tab provides an automated listing of local/county histories of the areas in which your ancestor lived. Some of these books are available online. If you click on the Online button for books that are available at Ancestry, you will still be presented with Ancestry's error message. Currently, there is not a way to update the link. However, the book is still available at Ancestry, you will just have to temporarily manually look it up on their site.
If you have any questions about performing automated searches, please don't hesitate to contact our support team. We will continue to work hard to provide a future update that will correct these links, but for those who want the immediate fix, please follow the steps above.
Good to see search strings being updated quickly - however - is there any modification that can easily be made to this one to restrict it to ancestry.co.uk and/or restrict it to UK search results only?
Posted by: Stephen Rowe | June 05, 2007 at 04:39 PM
Modifying a string is only possile in Legacy Deluxe, the free edition has the customize-button, but replies that this is only a Legacy Deluxe feature. So there should an update that includes the new string for those who use the free version.
Posted by: Frits Stoffels | June 06, 2007 at 02:39 AM
For Ancestry.co.uk with just UK records try the following URL "http://search.ancestry.co.uk/cgi-bin/sse.dll?rank=1&tips=0&gsfn=[GivenNames]&gsln=[SurName]&gsby=[BirthYear]&gsdy=[DeathYear]&srchb=r&gl=allgs". Seems to work for me!
Posted by: Dave Hunt | June 06, 2007 at 11:22 AM
It would be great when fixing this problem that in the next release to have more than 8 viewable custom searches. I have 20 that I use often and have to reposition the searches make the ones I want to use that day viewable. A drop down list of user customized searches would be a nice improvement to this useful feature in Legacy.
Posted by: Darryl Bonk | June 06, 2007 at 03:53 PM
While on the subject of searching, I must say that the internal searching feature in Legacy leaves a lot to be desired. If I want to search for data contained in a master source or within source details or a source name or part of a source name, there is no way to do it. I certainly hope this changes with the next version.
Posted by: Paul Kelly | June 09, 2007 at 10:44 AM
thank you for this useful tip -upgraded my search string straight away with no problems.
Posted by: Jane Murray | June 09, 2007 at 10:52 AM
I updated the search string as instructed but got a page saying ancestry.com had been given too little info. I tried a number of ancestors with varying amounts of info. what did I do wrong?
Posted by: Wendy Allen | June 12, 2007 at 12:55 PM
I tried to copy the new url to get into Ancestry.com for "search the internet" and it didn't work. I know that the person I tried it on is there....as I have extensive family tree there. I have been having problems with this "search the internet" since you came out with version 6 delux.... NEED HELP!!
Posted by: Luayne Pierce | June 26, 2007 at 05:06 AM