When I contribute information to the Rutland Vermont Message Board, I type my entries first on a word processor to help me check for mistakes. Then I cut and paste my contributions into the Post New Thread Message box.

I have noticed that the message looks perfectly fine on the message board, but that, when I search for details of the message, the line returns without punctuation marks are not recognized by the search engine. As a result, the last work from the previous line is squashed together with the first word of the next line, making the word(often a name) unsearchable.

As an example, please see "List of Letters, December 25, 1880" at
http://boards.rootsweb.com/localities.northam.usa.states.ver...

Two of the names on this list are:
Edson, Cyrus
Gosselin, Fred

They look perfectly fine on the message board, but if you search for "Gosselin" you don't find this entry. You only find this entry if you search for "cyrusgosselin".

The search engine does not recognize the line break and crushes the two words together.

The only names on this list that are searchable are the ones where the previous line ended with an initial followed by a period.

For example:
Broom, Miss Alice
Churchill, Mrs. C. D.
Corry, Miss Mary

"Corry" is searchable because it is preceeded by a period on the line above, but "Churchill" is not searchable. To find this entry you have to enter "alicechurchill".

I have noticed this problem in many, many of my contributions - especially any lists of names.

A different kind of example involves "1863, Rutland Men Liable for Military Duty (850 name)" at
http://boards.rootsweb.com/localities.northam.usa.states.ver...

This entry begins:
"December 28, 1863
Rutland Herald

Enrollment List of Persons Liable to Military Duty in the town of Rutland"

However, searching the words "Enrollment List" yields no entries. I have to use the search term "HeraldEnrollment List."

As I mentioned, this problem does not seem to occur if there is a comma or period before the line return. As as example see "1862 Deaths of Brandon Soldiers" at
http://boards.rootsweb.com/localities.northam.usa.states.ver...

The names with commas after them in the list are searchable - such as "ALEXANDER" and "BUTTLES". But I didn't put commas after two of the names in the list and those are only searchable by combining them with the first word on the next line "BECKHAMRoger" and "CAMPBELLDunham".

The word processing program I use to type up my contributions is Corel WordPerfect.

Again, the message board itself recognizes the line breaks, but the search engine does not. I have not seen anything in the Board FAQs or Board Help telling contributors not to paste from a word processing program.

Are you aware of this problem?

Thanks