All pages in the Higgins Genealogy site are indexed each Monday
This allows you to search this large site for specific information

If you prefer to browse individual pages 
   use the Menu on the left hand side
   of the Index page.

Caution: Using 'Higgins' in the search box 
                will generate a list of nearly  all the pages on the site.

Some Tips to find what you want with the least amount of effort

By default the search engine tries to locate pages which have exact matches for all of the words entered in your search query. If that fails, it then tries to locate pages which contain any words in your search query. If that happens a short message is displayed at the top of the search results indicating this has been done. 

In addition, there are several ways to modify the default search behavior. 

1. Phrase Search
   The search engine supports three types of phrase search. 

    To match an exact phrase, use quotes around the phrase
      Example: "free search engine"

    To match a near (within a couple of words) phrase, 
      use square brackets [around the words] 
      Most Effective Search for a person  
       Example: [free search engine]
                    [Michael J Higgins] 

    To match a far (within several words) phrase, use braces { around the words }
       Example: {free search engine}
                    {Michael J Higgins Baltimore }

2.  + and - qualifiers
     If you prepend a word with + that word is required to be on the page.
     If you prepend a word with - that word is required not to be on the page.
          Example: +always -never 

3. * wildcard
    If a query word ends with a * all words on a page which start the same way
    as that query word will match.
    Example: gift* 

4. ? wildcard
    If a query word contains a ? any character will match that position.
    Example: b?g 

5. Boolean Search
    You can use the following boolean operators in your search: 
       AND, OR, NOT. 
    These operators MUST be in capital letters.
       Example: (contact AND us) OR (about AND us) 

All of these techniques can be combined: +alway* -ne??r*