'Cheap & Free Ways to Trace Your Ancestry'

kacie

For anyone in the gloucestershire area http://www.forest-of-dean.net is a free site that has baptisms, marriage and burials on it as well as some other records.

Grumpelstiltskin

There is loads of information available free online, it's just sometimes a case of finding it.

That's where being a member of somewhere like RootsChat comes in.

If you post on there asking the question there is almost always someone who knows where to look.

There are times where you do need to spend money and these days certificates aren't cheap but you have to be sure you are following the correct line.

It is a case of finding out what you can for free then biting the bullet and buying certificates maybe one a month, that isn't bad looking at the price of say a visit to the cinema once a month.

You can't rush at family history if you do you will make mistakes so taking it slowly isn't a bad thing.

NEH

What's the cheapest way to view the 1911 census?

Not sure I will need 50 credits but if that's the only way...Which site is cheaper for credits?

Mum wants to know some info and I said i would look into it for her. She wants to see the genuine article so to speak rather than the search for a person page.

Mojisola

https://www.findmypast.co.uk/ have control over the 1911 census. You can go in through their site or direct to https://www.1911census.co.uk/

JesaRose

I need to buy a small gift for a friend who loves researching her family tree - does anyone have any recommendations for a nice little token gift?
Thanks in advance

ruthiejane

JesaRose wrote: »

I need to buy a small gift for a friend who loves researching her family tree - does anyone have any recommendations for a nice little token gift?
Thanks in advance

Something like this: http://www.familytreefolk.co.uk/page_11048.html maybe very useful.

goody66_2

Like many people, I would like to trace my ancestry. But I am confused on the best research site to use.

Which one is best value for money, whilst offering the best search?

Any views would be most welcome.

Thank you in advance

Mojisola

Have a look on this free site - https://www.rootschat.com - for lots of advice from very helpful people.

There are several discussions on that site about which research site people prefer and it does seem to depend mostly on personal preference. https://www.ancestry.co.uk is available in a lot of libraries so you should be able to have a play with that one and see whether you like it. The 1911 census is only available on https://www.findmypast.co.uk for the time being.

TonyMMM

Before you start using research sites ...make sure you have got all the information you can from your family/relatives.

If you can - go and talk to parents/aunts & uncles/grandparents. Write down what each says about the family, but be prepared for information that conflicts or doesn't match..what families believe and what is the actual truth can often be very different (but that's what makes it so interesting). Get copies of photos - ask your older relatives to look at them and tell you who the people are (and write it on the back so it's recorded).

Then start with a fact you are absolutely certain of, and have the documents for, maybe your parents births for instance, and start to work backwards one step at a time.

Keep records of what you find (there are lots of computer programs available, free and paid for)... create a file for all the documents you will be gathering.

Record the sources of information as you discover them, and cross check with more than one source if you can. Don't make assumptions .... you could end up wasting a lot of effort and money tracing the wrong family back.

But - although there's lots of stuff available for free out there, you will soon find you need to spend money to really get going. You will need to get a subscription to one of the sites (ancestry, findmypast etc.) - but check if your local library offers free access. One thing you can't really get around is that you will need to buy copies of birth/marriage/death certificates (currently £9.25 each).

If you are anywhere near London, you could visit this exhibition in February .. I'm sure there will be lots of good offers available. (I'll be working there as an advisor)

If your family is UK based, you should find it fairly straightforward to get back to the early 1840s using just birth/marriage certificates and census returns. Beyond that you will be looking at old parish registers, and things get a bit more complex.

It is a fascinating hobby, and can become quite addictive ...good luck.

covlass

As mentioned start with what facts you know are correct
There are plenty of sites to get help from for free !!!

rootschat & genesreunited you will always find someone willing to help

some other good FREE sites to bookmark are

http://www.freereg.org.uk/cgi/Search.pl

http://www.freebmd.org.uk/cgi/search.pl

http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~hughwallis/IGIBatchNumbers/CountryEngland.htm#PageTitle

Check your local area for a family research group we have an excellent one here in Coventry

Visit garveyards if you know where people are buried you will be surprised what you find

Always keep notes on everything you find even if you are unsure as you never know when you may need it

Ancestry normally have a free trial for new members

and be warned it is addictive but certs can mount up and become expensive so cross reference everything before you buy.