All searches in every search field are keyword searches. Keywords may be entered singly or in multiples within the search boxes on the search page. If you do not wish to enter a complete term in a search field use * as a mark of truncation at the end of the word.
For help with specific searches, see the topics below.
For the conventions followed in editing, click "Editing Conventions."
Tip: Enter last, first and middle name if known.
The goal of this database, among others, is to provide for quantitative results. In order to accomplish this, a name must be the same spelling. Names, then, are edited to their fullest possible form. Student catalogues often have various spelling formats. Senior class names usually provided the fullest spelling. When a particular school is completed, all names are verified against the school's alumni directory, which is the ultimate authority source.
In editing names, the following procedures are followed:
All abbreviations are expanded. For example, Wm. is William.
Names which begin with O' preserve that construction in the search.
Names which begin M' have been normalized to search and appear as if they were spelled Mc' Thus M'Donald is searched as McDonald and the result would appear as McDonald.
Tip: Enter full name, no abbreviations.
City is the residence listed in the catalogue. Not all names have cities associated with them. Some only have the state or country of origin. When the result returns no city, the city of residence was omitted or illegible in the catalogue.
Tip: Spell full state name, do not use postal abbreviations. Or, you can truncate (*) and enter a state in a format such as "Mass*" for Massachusetts.
State refers to the home state of the student, not the state in which the school is located. State names not printed because they are the state of the school are added. Popular cities, like New York, Boston and Philadelphia, even when not the default state, have their respective state name added. Other print conventions, like "New York City" are entered in full as: New York, New York. Canadian provinces are treated as states.
This is the country or region of origin of the person for whom you are searching. Some countries and regions have been normalized for search purposes. Again, in searching, you can use the * to truncate the search.
Enter the name of a school, college or university. Use the form of the name of the school at the time the catalogue was produced. You may use the * to truncate the name of the school if you wish.
For a list of schools and colleges indexed to date, click on "Examples" next to "School" on the Search page.
"Context keywords" are adjectives or descriptor terms which have been added to a name entry in order to provide a more complete set of information about a person whose name appears in a college or school catalogue. Historically, in the printed item, such information might be a page or section header, and is NOT repeated each time a name is used in the catalogue. This presents a certain amount of difficulty for the researcher who must then go and view the original source in order to determine the exact status of the person for whom he or she is searching.
Examples of context keywords can include the year and course of study of a student, the names and professions of professors, trustees, principals and other administrators, classes or courses offered, and home towns of students. Context keywords can be single words, or more complex phrases, and are taken directly from the catalogues which have been indexed.
1.) Some of the more common terms used are: Student, teacher, minister, freshman, sophomore, junior, senior (Note: Do not use commas in search.) 2.) Examples of "context keyword phrases' are: student college freshman student seminary junior medical preceptor teacher prof. (prof. only time we use an abbreviation!) trustee treasurer attorney For a list of the common "Context Keyword Phrases," click "Examples" next to Context Keyword(s) box on Search page.
Although these phrases consist of more than one word, each word in the phrase is indexed separately. However, the use of phrases narrows the search and makes it more precise. Besides providing more information about the person for whom one is searching, context keywords allow the researcher to expand the traditional results and thus find tangential information about a person, such as his or her classmates, who else from his hometown attended that school, what other schools did he attend, and so on.
To limit search to Male/Female, select Gender box on Search page.
Please e-mail the library with your questions or comments.