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Searching the bio field using keywords

Can I search the bio field on memorials?
Why is searching the bio field useful?
Tips for searching with bio keywords

Can I search the bio field on memorials?

Yes. Click on ‘More search options’ on our Memorial Search. Add your keywords (search terms) to the field “Bio keywords.” Add information to other search fields to narrow your search. Learn more about searching the bio field with keywords.

Why is searching the bio field useful?

You can use the bio keyword search to narrow your search, find interesting memorials or research topics on Find a Grave. You may be researching a surname, like Eastman, and are curious about a certain occupation, say farming. Go to Memorial Search. Add Eastman into the last name field and then farmer into the bio keyword field. Then select Search. This results in a list of all memorials with the last name Eastman that include the word farmer in the bio field. You can then read the biographies and find more information. Refine your search further by scrolling to the top of the search results list and selecting Refine Search. For instance, you could change the word ‘farmer’ to ‘farm*’ which would bring up search results for memorials that include the word farm, farming, farmer, farmhouse, etc.

When you search with a bio keyword, you'll see the search term you entered and the text around the search term from the bio to help you determine its relevance to your search.

Remember that when you search with bio keywords, you are limiting your search to memorials that include information in the bio field.

Tips for searching with bio keywords

  • Use the ? or * wildcards in name fields. ? replaces one letter. * represents zero to many letters. E.g. Sorens?n or Wil*
  • If you are only searching for a specific term or phrase, use quotes around it, to get exact results.
  • You can search for multiple terms and also use multiple quotations around each term.
  • To search for results using one or both terms use parentheses and capitalize all letters in the word OR between the terms. Here's an example: 
  • (keyword) OR (keyword)
  • Other options include using AND or NOT in the same format:
  • (keyword) AND (keyword)
  • (keyword) NOT (keyword)

 

Learn more about searching at Memorial Search.