Best ancestry sites?

joe2cool

Hi could anyone recommend a good 'Ancestry search site' ? any free ones? that are good?

If anyone has used one or is, would appreciate your views how best to get started & which site for starters?

Thx

fiddiwebb

Rootschat is a very good free site, lots of help and advice from members who will also do free census lookups

http://www.rootschat.com/

joe2cool

Thxs appreciated, never heard of the site

svmitche

Hi,

This is good for BMD records http://freebmd.rootsweb.com/ or the Mormons are good at http://www.familysearch.org/eng/default.asp for free, but the record sets may not be complete, so you may not find what you are looking for.

Have you taken out any of the free trials on any of the FT websites? http://www.ancestry.co.uk have a 14 day trial and the site is good and the record sets are quite full. I used the trial a while back, then signed up on a month by month basis, but could no longer afford it (it was £10 or thereabouts per month) and then they sent many emails asking me to come back for a reduced rate. In the end I got a year's subscription for only £50, so I was happy with that and the site tools are a lot of help.

Alternatively, http://www.findmypast.co.uk have a 14 day trial and also allow you to use a credit system for accessing records - you pay as you have need for credits. Searches are free but you then have to pay for the full results. Credits on this site are also good as they provide access to the 1911 census at http://www.1911census.org.uk. They also chase you with reduced rate emails if you have purchased from them, but not been back for a while!

Sorry for the lengthy recommendations - I know you asked for free resources, but having started my Family Tree I did feel limited by using only the free sites (but could be my skills rather than a lack of free sites) and found spending some money (but as little as possible) very helpful.

Other sites are, of course, available (http://www.thegenealogist.co.uk/ for instance) but I have used Ancestry, FindMyPast and 1911Census the most.

Hope you have fun tracing your ancestors, it certainly is absorbing once you get in to it!

Ooh also, there is a thread on MSE (http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?p=19848553) with some more info in it that may be of interest to you.

joe2cool

Thats great very helpful thx

Old_Wrinkly

fiddiwebb wrote: »

Rootschat is a very good free site, lots of help and advice from members who will also do free census lookups
http://www.rootschat.com/

Yes, you can also find them discussing how to use Google Street View to look-up where Great Great Aunt Maud used to live. :rotfl:

Like this forum, what you want is a site used frequently by knowledgeable people who are only too willing to give help and advice. Rootschat fits the bill.

joe2cool

Thx.............. just been using google maps

ChiefGrasscutter

For post 1837 birth/marr/deaths try https://www.freebmd.org.uk
This is in the process of transcribing all the microfiches of civil registers of BMD onto computer databases.
You need to use it with caution as it is not yet complete though the pre 1900 years are mostly there.
So if the computer search does not bring up a match that is either because your info inputed is wrong (dates, names etc) or because your info is correct but the relevant entry has not yet been transcribed.
Note that what is being transcribed is the bare Indexes, once you have found a match - easier said than done - then you have to pay to get the certificate with all the details on it.

All the available 10 yearly census records (1841 - 1911) are fully available to VIEW free of charge at the PRO in Kew, London though a charge is made should you want to print them out. You don't need a ticket for viewing the census now - they have moved the "barrier" to give open access/first come first choice to the computer terminals for the census.

RachelD

The general sites others have given are good and will help you get started. But you can often get farther back in your research when you know where your ancestor lived. Try one from Scotland first as Scotland has the best organised FH site in the UK. It has BMD, censuses, wills - things for which you would access separate sites elsewhere.

http://www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk/

If you have Irish ancestors they can be the most difficult to trace as many records were lost in 1922.
Northern Ireland
www.proni.gov.uk
Eire
www.nli.ie
www.nationalarchives.ie/

England
Most of the previous posts are good for English research.
Also
www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/

They are particularly good for military ancestors.

Your local county may also have a record office where you can go and research. Don't forget your local library and libraries often have free access to ancestry.co.uk

Good luck
You should also search the archives of Rootsweb and join one of their lists for your area and any one they have for your surnames.
www.rootsweb.com

There are plenty of books on how to start tracing your family tree and a good monthly magazine is
Your Family Tree, They always have a CD with useful programmes.

kitsonian

The two best ones out there are http://www.genesreunited.co.uk/default.aspx and http://www.ancestry.co.uk

joe2cool

Thxs all really appreciated.......