Checking Ancestry's Database Information

It's always important to understand the resource that you're using, whether it's an original record, a book, or a database. Like you would read the introduction to a book, it's a good idea to read the "about" section of any database you're using. So when you're looking at a particular database on Ancestry, scroll past the search box and you'll see information about where the data came from and more details about what is in that resource. 

In my last post I wrote about accessing the Asylum records for Victoria, Australia.  The 'About' section for this dataset tells me where the information has come from and what information it might contain.  All fairly straight forward and worth knowing.

For other datasets, however, the 'About' detail can give some important information.  For example, the Rate Books 1855-1963 for Victoria, Australia are by no means complete, and the detail makes this clear.  While the list below is not the complete list of Rate Books available, it gives you the general idea that different areas covered different year ranges.  For the complete list, please check the card catalogue yourself.

There is nothing more frustrating than spending your valuable researching time looking for information that is not covered by the database, even though the broad description implied that it was there.  So try checking the description of some of the datasets available on Ancestry to see exactly what they cover - it may explain why you cannot find a records you were expecting to be available.