Ancestry.co.uk - Who do you think you are?

hethmar

Freereg is adding all the time - I love it, as they are doing very well on Norfolk records and have found some I couldnt whilst sitting in the records office

Oh yes, GR - its a great resource to be sure, but when I first started all this I had a chap contact me telling me he had centuries of one line - I was thrilled, after a double checked as I got more confident, I found most of it was utter nonsense.

Then you get the name collectors, people who contact you, ask if they can have access to your tree as they also have a John Smith b 1705 Warwickshire. You say and how does said John Smith fit into your ancestry and you get a reply something like, "No idea, Ive over 20000 people now". Well I dont give access to any of my research now unless I have a really strong tie in my direct lines. Some of these people are less related than a stranger standing at a bus stop.

sweety

What a great response - thank you all. the only reason id get someone else to do this is time - broken leg plus 2 boys under 3 the real sticking points - and to get the framework for further studies with the boys at a later date would be about £350 for both sides back to 1800s. Can anyone provide what to do to DIY it in bullet form, thereby saving me precious time working stuff out.......start with parents then where to and how???

Sorry to be cheeky but an idiots guide would be great to start me off!!!

Thanks again

sweety

xx

CIS

The key point is getting your family tree back at least as far as the 1911 census, once you get far then census records will allow you go back further by a 100years depending on when people where born as you can link people form one census to another,

Freebmd.org.uk is good for births, deaths and marriages going back to the 1830's as it gives you the details needed for ordering birth/death/marriage certs and can also provide clues regarding ages,deaths etc.

If you need any help feel free to PM me and I'll help if I can.

hethmar

Start from definite facts you know. If you go over to Genes Reunited which is only a few quid to join, Ive put a very basic thread on there about starting research.


Are both parents still alive? They will give your their parents names and occupations. If they cant, then buy their birth certificates. From those you can work backwards, find your grandparents marriage and buy that certificate (certs are £7 each from GRO online - you find the reference you need on freebmd).

Your grandparents marriage cert will give their fathers names and occupations, the place of residences for the couple marrying, their ages, their occupations and the names of witnesses, which may be very useful clues.

You carry on in this manner until you get to the point that your people should appear on one of the census available. The latest we have is the 1911. From that you continue in the same manner, using census records and certificates. When you get back to 1837 (registration/certs only started in late 1837 and births werent compulsory to be registered until late 1875) you will need parish records. But, one step at a time

But apart from having a list of names, dates and occupations, you should put some effort into finding more details of their lives. This hobby isnt something you ever finish. I have been doing mine for 6 years and still I research every day to find more information and put flesh on the bones.

sweety

Thanks - have had a quick try and can find my grandfathers birth and marriage details, but where do i go next as i know nothing about his brothers or parents ...... where can i xref what i know to what i dont ie maybe a census would reveal his bros and sisters????
sweety xxxx

hethmar

Depends on when he was born? As I said above, you can buy your grandparents marriage cert and that will give his fathers name and occupation and the address of your grandads residence at the time. All these things are needed to ensure you are following the correct line. You were willing to pay out for a researcher, so dont make the basic mistake of not buying the certificates you need.

Ive explained about the census available above. At this point, Id recommend you take a 14 day free trial with ancestry.co.uk, which is just about the family genealogists' bible.

Im off to bed now. Get that free trial and you will probably be up at 4 a.m.

sweety

Thanks hethmar - its beginning to make more sense, particularly when you know what info comes from which piece of source material.........bless you and everyone else who replied!!!

sweety

CIS

If he was born prior to 1911 then he will show on that census.

A trick I found with freeBMD is to locate his birth details - if its after about 1915 or so (cant remeber the exact date) the records show the mothers maiden name.

You can then look for a marriage between the the father, who's surname you obviously know, and the mothers maiden name. you may then be able to find their details from the place and date of marriage.

Another trick with the mothers maiden name is to search for any brothers and sisters (once the records show the maiden name) by looking for the mothers maiden name and the fathers surname, by looking the date of birth and the area it should give you an idea.

hethmar

QUICK - ancestry have a rare half price offer on til end of June - just got the email from them:

http://landing.ancestry.co.uk/popularmedia/hs1.aspx?landingpage=39234&sssdmh=dm13.204577&o_iid=39191&o_lid=39191

hethmar

CIS wrote: »

If he was born prior to 1911 then he will show on that census.

A trick I found with freeBMD is to locate his birth details - if its after about 1915 or so (cant remeber the exact date) the records show the mothers maiden name.
.

After late 1911 the MMN is shown on the bmd index. It is handy as you say for finding siblings as long as your family havent married relatives with the same name

In the end it comes down to buying the certificates - and oh, the excitement, I do envy people starting out, info coming in from everywhere, overwhelmed by the facts.

SO right at the start, get yourself a decent family tree program on your computer. Id recommend ancestry's Family Tree Maker. The 2006 version is as good as any and can be found for about a tenner on some sites, including a free sub. Put everything you learn into that program, because 2 years later, if you dont, you will wonder where on earth you got the info from and without the source it cant be validated.