WHACO! Internet Instructions

 

The address of the database entry page is [http://www.whaco.com/datapass.html]. Another way to enter the database is by “clicking” on “Member Services” on the WHACO! Homepage.

You do four things to enter the database:

1) Enter your name so I can tell that it's a member accessing it. For example: adamst

2) Enter the password:   Ire1and   (example only)

3) Click on the "Submit Info" gray button.

After a query, if you want to do more, I recommend clicking on the "back" button at the top of your browser rather than “return to database” in the WHACO! Homepage. You won't have to re-enter your password by going "back". It takes a little experimenting to get used to.

 

How the WHACO! Database Queries Work:

There are three types of queries: “Autograph” [names of individual], “Company Name,” and a combination of “Category and Company.”

Autograph/Category Query -- This query requires the user to enter several letters from a signer's name that the user believes are unique. The records are in the format Smith, Sarah; Johnson, Ralph; or Ames, Oliver. Queries can take many forms and are called String searches. Strings can be any consecutive letters in the person’s name including commas and spaces. Note: that because the database output is a maximum of 100 records per search, several “unique” characters should be entered (at least five (5) are recommended).  When entering several characters with short names, like Lee, Robert E., it may be necessary to enter commas, and spaces; i.e., “ames,”. For the names in this example some potential strings are: 

 

•          johnso -- not unique since there may be several Johnsons

•          johnson, ra -- much more focused and likely to find him

•          son, ra -- this is likely to work, but could get Robertson, Randolph

•          ames, oli -- very likely to get Oliver Ames

 

 

Company [Name]/Document Query -- This query requires the user to enter several letters from a company's name that the user believes are unique. The records are in a format like Ralston Purina Company; Philadelphia, Baltimore and Annapolis Railroad; or Utah Consolidated Mining. Strings like “company,” “mining,” and “railway” won't find what you're looking for and may be abbreviated. For the companies in this example some potential strings are: 

 

•          utah con -- very likely to get Utah Consolidated Mining

•          phia, balt -- very likely to get the Philadelphia, Balitmore and Annapolis Railroad

•          old kentu -- very likely to get the Old Kentucky Railway

•          old kentucky rail -- will get the Old Kentucky Railway

 

Category AND Company Name Query -- This query requires the user to select a category from a list AND enter several letters from a company's name that the user believes are unique. After doing both, click on the SUBMIT button.

 

•                  International category and estonia company name -- will get Republic of Estonia

•                  Automobile category and old Kentucky rail company name-- will NOT get the Old Kentucky Railway

•                  Automobile category and stude company name-- will get Studebaker

•                  Utilities category and conduit company name -- will probably get Underground Electric Conduit

 

Auction Query -- This query requires the user to enter several letters from an auction house's name. Autions normally start with SM for Smythe, WINS for Winslow & Assoc., HAR for Harmer, etc. auctions. A list of auctions can be found at www.whaco.com/bibliography.htm. Examples of actual auctions or price lists are:

 

•          SM#277 – The R.M. Smythe Feb’ 2008 auction

•          WINS#0701 – The Winslow and Assoc. Jan’ 2007 auction

•          Harmer#0710 – The Harmer Oct’ 2007 auction

 

Certificate/Document Year [less than and greater than] Query Query -- This query reflects the date of the certificate. If a certificate is from the 1870’s put 1870 in the greater than field and 1880 in the less than field. For examples of a query for Stafford Meadow Coal in Winslow and Assoc. auctions when you only remember that the certificate is from the 1850’s is:

 

The result is four items from four different Winslow auctions. If you know that all the certificates were dated 1858, put 1858 in both the ‘less than’ and ‘greater than’ fields. The result would be the same four items.

 

Happy hunting.