Try Using

Alternatively, select ‘Exact’ and use wildcards. Wildcards are symbols that are used to substitute missing letters. An asterisk (*) is usually used to replace one or more letters, while a question mark (?) replaces just one. For example, I have found that the surname ‘French’ is often transcribed as ‘Trench’, but by searching for ‘?rench’ I have both options covered. Some surnames have a variety of options that all sound similar, so a search for ‘Jo*on’ will cover Johnson, Johnston or Jonson (as well as Jordon). I have generally found wildcards are better at flushing out a hidden ancestor than relying on a website’s own algorithm, yet they remain very underused by family historians.