Search by Current Last Name not working properly?

Question

Using either the Search page, or the first/last name fields at the top of a profile, I am searching for a person whose profile exists on WikiTree (and has for a long time), but she doesn't show up. She has a LNAB of UNKNOWN, but her current last name is the one I am searching for her with.

Is there a problem with searching by Current Last Name?

Comments

Often, using the current last name helps find the grave where the person is buried.

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I can verify that searching Jane Brocklebank does not find Jane (Unknown) Brocklebank. I thought it should work also. Searching unknown does not. but Brocklebank didn't either

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Do you know anyone who has access to NEHGS, New England Historical and Genealogical Register?

 

Sometimes a town clerk can be helpful 

www.townofrowley.net/

​Rowley Records Access Officer: Susan Hazen 978-948-2081 townclerk@townofrowley.org P.O. Box 351 139 Main Street Rowley, MA 01969 ...

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This problem is all within WikiTree. I have access to other info - it's just on WikiTree, the search isn't working to find her profile.

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There really is an Xpofer surname in Great Britain.

Elizabeth Xpofer
England, Sussex, Parish Registers, 1538-1910
christening:    30 November 1591    St Clement, Hastings, Sussex, England    
father:    Jo Xpofer     

Thomas Xpofer
England, Sussex, Parish Registers, 1538-1910
christening:    1 June 1589    St Clement, Hastings, Sussex, England    
father:    John Xpofer
     
Elizabeth Xpofer
England, Sussex, Parish Registers, 1538-1910
burial:    6 October 1593    St Clement, Hastings, Sussex, England    
father:    Jo Xpofer     

Edmond Xpofer
England, Sussex, Parish Registers, 1538-1910
christening:    2 February 1594    St Clement, Hastings, Sussex, England    
father:    Jo Xpofer     

Elizabeth Xpofer
England, Sussex, Parish Registers, 1538-1910
christening:    5 January 1599    St Clement, Hastings, Sussex, England    
father:    John Xpofer
     
Elizabeth Xpofer
England, Sussex, Parish Registers, 1538-1910
burial:    8 April 1606    St Clement, Hastings, Sussex, England    
father:    John Xpofer
     
Edward Xpofer
England, Warwickshire, Parish Registers, 1535-1984
christening:    8 November 1590    Nuneaton, Warwickshire, England    
father:    Willm Xpofer
       
Edward Xpofer
England, Warwickshire, Parish Registers, 1535-1984
christening:    8 November 1581    Nuneaton, Warwickshire, England    
father:    Willm Xpofer
       
Xpofer
England, Essex Parish Registers, 1503-1997
christening:    22 June 1565    , Chelmsford, Essex, England    
father:    Xpofer

mother:    Sex     
Eliz. Xpofer
England Births and Christenings, 1538-1975
christening:    4 July 1630    Rotherfield, Sussex, England
residence:        Rotherfield, Sussex, England    
father:    Xpofer
     
Xpofer.
England Births and Christenings, 1538-1975
christening:    2 March 1595    KINGS CLIFFE, NORTHAMPTON, ENGLAND    
father:    William Xpofer.    
 
Elizabeth Xpofer
England Births and Christenings, 1538-1975
christening:    16 September 1611    BLOXHOLM, LINCOLN, ENGLAND    
father:    Xpofer. Xpofer
     
Anna Xpofer.
England Births and Christenings, 1538-1975
christening:    20 November 1608    SALEBY, LINCOLN, ENGLAND    
father:    Peter Xpofer.
     
Agnes Xpofer
England Births and Christenings, 1538-1975
christening:    10 August 1574    TATTERSHALL, LINCOLN, ENGLAND    
father:    Rychard Xpofer     
Maria Xpofer
England Births and Christenings, 1538-1975
christening:    15 February 1578    SAINT MARY, HINCKLEY, LEICESTER, ENGLAND    
father:    Willmi Xpofer
     
Thomasine Xpofer
England Births and Christenings, 1538-1975
christening:    21 January 1582    ILSINGTON, DEVON, ENGLAND    
father:    Richard Xpofer
     
Thoms. Xpofer.
England Births and Christenings, 1538-1975
christening:    13 November 1588    DATCHET, BUCKINGHAM, ENGLAND    
father:    George Xpofer.
     
Phillipp Xpofer.
England Births and Christenings, 1538-1975
christening:    1592    KINGS CLIFFE, NORTHAMPTON, ENGLAND    
father:    William Xpofer.
     
Thomas Xpofer
England Births and Christenings, 1538-1975
christening:    1 June 1589    SAINT CLEMENTS, HASTINGS, SUSSEX, ENGLAND    
father:    John Xpofer     
Edward Xpofer
England Births and Christenings, 1538-1975
christening:    8 November 1581    NUNEATON, WARWICK, ENGLAND    
father:    Willam Xpofer

Answer 1

If I understand you correctly....you are searching for a profile with WikiTree ID: UNKNOWN-???.  Since you know her Current Last Name.  Have you tried looking for her husband's profile?  I am assuming that is where her Current Last Name comes from.  If so, she should be connected to his profile.

There may be a better way.  But this way is what comes to mind.

Or if she is on your Watch List, you may be able to find her there, by current last name (I think).

Hope this helps! 

Comments

I am searching on Wikitree for Jane Brocklebank, by name. Her first name is Jane and her CLN is Brocklebank. Her LNAB is UNKNOWN.

I can access the profile once I find it a different way - I just can't find it with her name.

The implication is anyone seeing that she doesn't seem to exist on WikiTree, will re-add her, creating another duplicate for her. There may already be lots of dups for her, but there is no way of finding out

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Okay, I see now why you asked!

If you go to this search page: https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Special:SearchPerson

And type Jane UNKNOWN Brocklebank into the box below: 

  Search for Any Text 

Her's is the first WikiTree profile of the search result (Google search).

And your concern is valid.  Because when I started to add her info on the Add New Person form....no matches came up. 

 

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I feel like I've been griping about this for about forever.

There is one more workaround for when you are searching for a profile -- if you know the Current Last Name and can spell it the way it's spelled in WikiTree (not necessarily easy with a name like Brocklebank), you can call up the Surname list for that name and select "Include people with Current Last Name." But that doesn't work if the name you have is an "Other Last Name."

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Thanks for the suggestion.

This problem, obviously, makes it very easy to add unwanted duplicates!

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Yes, it is a valid concern.  I had to do a couple of merges after a GEDCOM import because a general search will not pull up a record in that situation. I did not realize there were duplicate profiles until I did the linking and suddenly this guy had two wives. A general search needs to work on both last name at birth and current last name and probably other last names too.

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I would think the search function should be capable of looking at CLN (and OLN) fields without worrying about whether Unknown is in the LNAB field. Surely this shouldn't be a technical challenge. 

 

Can we get this added to the backlog list, PLEASE?

Answer 2

Jane Brocklebank (Xpofer)
Birthdate:	circa 1605 (63)
Birthplace:	Yorkshire, Essex, , England
Death:	Died December 26, 1668 in Rowley, Essex, Massachusetts, USA
Place of Burial:	Rowley, Essex, Massachusetts
Immediate Family:	Daughter of Marmaduke Xpofer and Kathren Xpofer  Wife of John Brocklebank  Mother of Ens. John Brocklebank and Capt. Samuel Brocklebank
Managed by:	Private User
Last Updated:	January 7, 2016

Comments

This is indeed her. Thanks, Frank.

The problem is that WikiTree doesn't allow me to find her with her name.

Answer 3

This problem is not unique to Jane Brocklebank, by the way. It apparently happens with any person where the LNAB is Unknown (or a variant thereof), and any CLN. Here is a previous question on G2G about the same issue, from last year: https://www.wikitree.com/g2g/278778/search-function-doesnt-return-matches-current-when-unknown

Hence, it needs to be fixed for all.