researching family history

[Garden Manager]

I have recently been inspired to research my family tree (I blame TV programmes like 'Who do you think you are' and 'Heir Hunters' for this). I have put a lot of time in on the internet using information gleaned by word of mouth, my own memory and from a few certificates in our possession. I have though reached a brick wall, having exhausted all options that dont require spending money!

I realise now that to go further I need to pay for the information, primarily to obtain certificates but also to find the basic information to get the right certificates! Trouble is there seem to be an awfull lot of websites out there offering BDM research facilites, which of course you have to pay either a one off fee or subscribe to the site. these sites cant have everything available so some must be better value than others. The problem is finding one good one, as i cannot afford to splash my money around trying to find the right one.

I was wondering firstly if any a4all members have researched or are currently researching their family trees, and if so did you use an internet research site (such as 'Genes Reunited' or 'ancestry.co.uk'). Can you recomend one that offers value for money?

I would be gratefull for an advice. Thanks

P.S. It seems a great shame that the Family Records Centre that provided a central location for these records has now closed. I had not realised this until today and had been thinking a trip to London might be the way to go. It appears you must now use the internet, telephone, post or your local registry office to find what you need. Somewhat more complicated and costly I feel.

[Garden Manager]

[Tulipa]

Hi Richard

There are a number of people on here who also research their family history, so you will hopefully get a few answers.

Although the Family Records Centre has closed I was under the impression all the records were being moved to The National Archives at Kew so that everything was in one place.  There is a wealth of information there already...

The best website I use is Rootschat.

http://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php

It is an A4all for genealogy and you can ask any question on there and someone will help - I imagine there are people sat waiting for questions as you often get quite a quick reply.  There are plenty of threads with ideas of where you can get help and a board for every county with people who know a lot about where you can go for help.  The BBC have a genealogy website too with lots of help on it but I have not looked in any detail.

I also have a subscription to Ancestry but on Rootschat you will see discussions about whether it is the best or Findmypast.  They each have slightly different content and it depends what you are looking for.  I took an annual subscription as once I started it was by far the cheapest way.

If you have Scottish ancestors "Scotland's People" is very useful as you can see the BMDs online for £1.20.

Genes Reunited has found me several relations I didn't know about so I have found it very useful, but I don't think you need to pay unless you want to contact someone.  Beware of posting details of living people on there though as it can compromise them, or anywhere on the genealogy boards.

It is a wonderful hobby and if I can be of any help please pm me.

T.

[lorna]

What I can understand you also need a lot of patience :) My nephews wife has been gaining information on her family and my family. She has got back to 1700's on my Mother's side.  She wants to gain as much information as she can as she wants her 2 Grandsons (born in Australia to Australian Mother) to have as much knowledge of their family history as possible.
Skeleton in our cupboard :) she found that my Father was illegitimate but my Grandfather adopted him!
I have the benefit of being able to print out all the information that she sends me without having to do the hard work. Although I have helped with old photos and names of my Mother's sisters who I remember.
Good luck.

[Sinbad7]

Hi Garden Apprentice,  I have been researching my family tree now for 18 months and love it.  It's the best hobby when you can't get to the allotment that I know.

Like Tulipa I have a yearly subscription with Ancestry and am a member of Rootschat too.  But, there are so many sites out there that you get other information from too.  My tree is on Genes, which is good for getting automatic contacts from, there is also Free Birth/deaths and marriages, which is good for cross referencing.  If your lucky there is some very good information on the Mormon's site and then there are Lost Cousins, Slyfox the list is endless and if you find an ancestor  who was in one of the wars, that keeps you going for weeks :)

It does work out costly with the certificates though, the best thing with them is to do a check point when you order them.

If I can be of any help too just ask, as I really do love it and will always look anything up for you.

Sinbad

[Deb P]

My mother has just finished ours about as far as she can go (1600's!), and recommends the Mormon site as well. She found the OH's side, researching Scottish ancestry much more difficult (and expensive), costing you to look when you don't know if you have the right person or not. Misspellings are really common and you sometimes have to be creative with phonetic spellings to identify some people. Using Census records to cross check you families is a good idea, but they don't go back very far and people were not good at remembering their age!

I find the best bit is finding out peoples occupations, and how they change over time....fascinating stuff!

[Jeannine]

I enjoy Genesreunited too, and am a member of Ancestry.com, very infectious hobby and be prepared for the skeletons which pop up..ours did!!

Have fun.

XX Jeannine

[Carol]

I started researching Family History in 1987.  I stopped more or less when I hit a brick wall with all my branches, twigs etc.  I have researched my husbands family, all branches etc. and many others.  I am still active with the Hobby and should be out re reading the headstones in our local graveyard.  Too Wet.  Unfortunately my research was all in the Scottish R.O.  and I looked at the original records when I did it and original certificates.  I agree with Jeannine and Tullipa on where to look.  In my case I found the Scottish Records were far easier to access than the English Records, but that is my opinion.  I paid my money in Edinburgh for Research and could look at all the certificates without having to buy them. 

Good luck GA. its an addictive hobby and each time you find a lost relative its just great.   To me it was like one big Mystery and really it is detective work.
I do miss the challenge. 

[SMP1704]

Hi GA

I would recommend Rootsweb, you can subscribe to country or county forums and as others have said, you will generally get a response as long as you give enough information.

I have stopped subscribing to Genesreunited - I think the hike in subscription is outrageous but then I tended to be in the postion of giving rather than receiving information - remember with sites like that you are relying on other people's research, which is not always completely accurate.

Like you, I worked to minimise the cost of purchasing certificates, but sometimes it is necessary particularly if you want to find out the mother's maiden name.  If you have London ancestors, try visiting the London Metropolitan Archives, just round the corner from the Family Records Centre (as was) Here you can view on microfiche the christening, marriage and burial records from the various parish churches (finding the correct church is the biggest challenge!) http://www.cityoflondon.gov.uk/Corporation/leisure_heritage/libraries_archives_museums_galleries/lma/

Online, I find Ancestry useful - I use pay per view mostly for Census records - this is another way of finding approximate birth dates.  Now that census records have been digitised you can search by surname

Freebmd was the first online website to search the BMD registers and again you can search by surname. http://www.freebmd.org.uk

The National Archives in Kew houses the WW1 records, which is really useful for finding more info and enlistment papers for married men listed spouse and offspring with dates of birth

Here are some more searchable sites that I have found useful:

http://www.familysearch.org

http://www.familia.org.uk/

http://www.gazettes-online.co.uk


And just because I am naturally nosy, which surname are you searching and where is your brickwall?  You never know............

[Jeannine]

I used to enjpoy going to the local library and looking up stuff on the microfiche, I used to go with a friends at the same time every week, so did many others, it got quite chummy as we saw the same people each week, it was especially funny when in the quiet soneone would let out a squeal..and yelled "gotcha."

XX Jeannine

[Carol]

Yes same here Jeannine.  I have made a load of friends through Family History, mainly through being in the Border Family History Society.  Many a time I let out a YESSSSSS.   its exciting to find someone you been looking for years.  This was the case with my gt gt grandfather.  Then you wonder why they died in such a such place and not where they had been living and so the mystery goes on.  Also while you are looking you get side stepped becuase you see another surname of your family so you start all over again and take on another branch.  Its addictive definately and I do miss it all cos I have run out of family.

;D

[cambourne7]

I am doing the same thing but as most of my family is in ireland i get very stuck accessing the free stuff.

Followed my fathers, mothers family to ceylon her husband was a captain who sailed between ceylon and the uk and died when he was kicked overboard by what we think was a horse. I have written to the grenwich maritime museum to get his records :) All fasinating stuff. Even found out that my grandmother every year for christmas got a caddy of tea from ceylon but no one knows what type of tea or who sent it. So i have been looking at the http://www.historyofceylontea.com/ site and have posted something on the forum to see what i can find.

I know from husbands side of the family they never really moved very far although he does not realy know much about the other side of the family which also has an Irish link so hes going to trace that when were in Ireland later in the year.

[froglets]

Yup,  another addict here too.  Like Carol, my main research is via the Scottish Records Office.  I do a couple of trips to Edinburgh each winter and sit there going through all the "Jimmy Smiths" for example for a 30 year period looking for a death or marriage - it's all online on site with access to the originals if you need it, and a one off fee for the day so the only cost effective way to rattle through common names where you have no handed down info.

I find when I sit down with my mum and tell her my findings, it jogs odd memories of often trivial things which either help confirm a fact, set me off with a bit more understanding, or just turn some of the records into real people.  My advice is to keep talking to your rellies even though they think they've told you all they know.

Also, as I use the original records, I find the transcription errors on many of the other sites really frustrating.  I know the work is tedious and time consuming and offered for free, but it does vary in accuracy.

Enjoy, and watch out for researchers hump from sitting hunched over a screen for too many hours.

[hopalong]

Lots of good advice from others, but this is just to say that Genes Reunited has been pretty good for me and I'd recommend it.  I found several distant cousins (who I did not know or had not seen for ages) who had already done a lot of work and saved me the bother. I was able to get back to the 1600s on some lines of my tree. Also found some interesting relatives - e.g. an aunt of my dad who played sax and strings in Ivy Benson's all girls' band between the wars,  to keep the wolf from the door after her husband was killed on the Somme. Digging into parish records and newspaper records, or just seeing where people lived and worked, gives a good pretext for trips out. You can also combine trips with garden visits!

[Jeannine]

Carol... you should be researching for someone else.. I have a challenge,  take a look at my  brick wall.


Dads side...his grandmother married a lad called Willie Harness, they must have split, cos she then shows up with three kids married to someone called Robinson..no death or divorce for Willie,no second marriage for her, Ok so they are  over the brush we would think.. but along comes my Dad who was christened William  with Harness as a middle name, with a Grandad who was Robinson. Is it coincidence that my Dad was named after his Grandmothers ex husband.

Very very weird, so after banging my head on the brick wall for a few months  I gave up.


Very frustrating at times.

XX Jeannine

This is only one of three brick walls we have.

[Carol]

Jeannine,  I did research for a number of years for other folk.   I even tried to do an A4A member but because it was all English records for research I hit a brick wall pretty quick. I liked the 'hands on' research you can get in Scotland with like Froglets a day in the Records Office in Edinburgh.  I must have about 5 book files of Certificates taken off the original records. 

Froglets.   Do you know the Borders FHS has a room open at Old Gala House with a lot of stuff you can look at.  Census, OPR's Indices and loads of books.  I have been known to 'man' the place.   Open Tues by appointment and Thursday free for anyone.  Also if you want in on a Sunday arrangements can be made.

That is odd Jeannine.  Maybe the first husband died at sea -  I expect you have serched all over for his Death Certificate.  Is this from the Hull area?  A Merchant SEaman?  I expect you have been through the Census Records for around the time the William Harness was around.  Your Gt Grandmother obviously still 'liked' Willie Harness to name a son after him.  A mystery I would have to get to the bottom of.   Try again.   ;) ;)

[froglets]

Thanks for the info Carol.  I usually tag a day on either side of the weekends, but will keep in mind the Sunday for emergencies  :-)

Have to confess it's great to spend a day in Edinburgh rounding the day off with a cuppa in Jenners after they throw you out of the records office, although Valvona & Corolla's coffe shop in the newly developed bit by Harvey Nicks is going to get a visit next time.  It's nice to be a tourist for a day at a time, but I couldn't live there again.

[Jeannine]

LOL Carol, we have searched everything, we suspect that she sort of vanished and turned up as someone else... funnily enough it happened much  later in life too, she vanished again and by coincidence  another person turned up  in a family with another name we suspect is her. Quite the gal eh!!

You know how it goes, work frantically for months then burnout, I am just about in remission now so no doubt will be searching again before too long. Trouble is I tend to forget all the bits of stuff we carry in our heads!!

XX Jeannine

[valmarg]

There was a lady on genealogy on the Ed Doolan Show today on BBC Radio WM. She is often on the programme, but she is fascinating.

On the web you will be able to get the 'listen again' facility, but she gives you so many tips on how to research your family.  Where to go when you've reached a dead end, and if there are questions she doesn't know the answers to, there are usually WM listeners who can help.  And of course, when you can't find that 'marriage certificate', there probably never was one.

If you can, I would recommend you 'listen again' between 11.00 am and 12 noon on BBC WM (95.6 FM).

valmarg

[Garden Manager]

Many thanks for replies. Some great info there. I will be refering back to this thread  to re read posts from time to time i am sure. The rootsweb forum looks particularly good. I will be signing up at some point. Looks like 'ancestry.co.uk' will be my first point of call for basic info. Their subscription rate looks pretty good value.

I had no idea so many of you were into this!

Thanks again.

[Garden Manager]

Sorry to bump an old thread, but i needed to revive it.

After yars of procrastinating over it i hve finally made a start on researching my family history. I guess i felt it was time to find out who i was and where i came from. I have to say that so far i am really enjoying it and have mede some interesting, but not earth shattering discoveries, such as having closer ties to my current home town and its history than i thought, as well as finding out something about where the family whose name i carry came from at one time. I think my biggest YES! moment to date was finding out one branch of the family a few generations back were in Domestic Service, something i have always had a hunch about but could never prove.

My biggest problem i think had been staying focussed and not going off on tangents. At one point i planned to concentrate on one branch of the family but then found myself wandering off into a previously unknown line!

I have been concentrating mostly on the basics for the moment, researching BMD's and census returns to establish an outline tree.  I have been mainly using Ancestry and FindMyPast in conjuction to cross reference info and more recently FreeBMD to check register entries. Havent subscribed yet to either pay site nor any others but have bought credits from Find My Past - used up 120 within a couple of weeks. This last approach looks like getting expensive if i carry on the way i have been so now looking at subscribing. Not sure which one though. Pros and cons of each. Like the search engine on Find my past better but Ancestry seems to have more extensive records (although i did discover a big error with one ancestor on the site). Havent investigated Genes reunited yet.

Have started to order Certificates from the GRO, a bit pricey and waiting for the certs to come through is a bit frustrating but it is proving worth it as it does give info not held on the online registers. Been concentrating on Marriage and Birth  thus far as they seem the most help with the familly tree. But i am guessing Death certs are usefull too as they would give date place and cause of death?

Any help or advice would be welcomed.

PS is it as straightforward to trace forwards from a particular ancestor/ancestors siblings and discover potential living relatives  as it is to go backwards? Would love to find previously unknown family, however distant.