Filling out a search form on Ancestry only returns a small percentage of the millions of records available on the site. There is so much more you can find by searching in individual collections on Ancestry. Learn how to search so you can find all records your ancestor may be mentioned in.

Annette Burke Lyttle owns Heritage Detective, LLC, providing professional genealogical services in research, education, and writing. She speaks on a variety of genealogical topics at the international, national, state, and local levels and loves helping people uncover and share their family stories. She is coordinator of the Foundations: The Research Process course and the Writing the Stories of Our Ancestors course for the Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy. Annette leads Best Practices Study Groups, providing in-depth education on the genealogical research process in an interactive setting. She is past president of the Association of Professional Genealogists and editor of The Florida Genealogist.