Family trees

Grumpelstiltskin

C_J wrote: »

I have a question for anyone who uses Ancestry, please!

This thread has inspired me to pick up the threads of my family tree research again, and whilst idly searching t'interweb last night I discovered that there is a public tree on Ancestry in Australia which lists several members of one branch of my maternal family. If I join Ancestry Worldwide (or since that seems v expensive, it's more likely that I'd wait until one of their free weekends comes up again!!) will I be able to make contact with the person who posted that tree, given that it is open to public access?

The answer to that is maybe you can maybe not. It's possible they no longer subscribe to Ancestry.


What I would do is use the clues on the tree check things yourself first and try and work out whether the tree does appear correct and not taken from someone else. Don't pay out any money at the moment.


BTW Is Ancestry free at your local library? This may help you do some initial work but I don't think you can contact anyone through Ancestry library edition.

gwynlas

I've been on Ancestry for a few years and like it when possible links arrive in my inbox. I have discovered my maternal grandmother was orphaned at a young age and three sisters were brought up with children of maternal aunt. Nans mother had spent time in their local workhouse but had also from census returns been in service here at local coastguard station hundreds of miles from home.
I am stuck on my paternal grandmother, I have her marriage certificate and met one of her half brothers in his old age but have already purchased two birth certificates that are not hers.
Today found that hint on nieces paternal grandfather placed him in a different quarter year than I had.

Tipsntreats

Just reading through. Welcome all new comers. Just quickly answer a question for C J. All members of Ancestry, provide a private Email. This is kept private! You can send a message through Ancestry and the owner of that tree will receive it. They may well have let their subscription lapse, but they are still the owner, and so they will be alerted to your message. There are also private trees on Ancestry. I have contacted the owners in the past, and been granted access.
Note:
Let us PLEASE all support each other on this thread. We all have different opinions on our findings. Let us look on the more humorous side if records have been wrongly transcribed. It really must be a difficult task for the many of the volunteers.Remember: Not everyone could read and write long ago. Information was related verbally. Mistakes will be made.
I will be back later today.
Tips x

C_J

Well I have just started a 14 day free trial on Ancestry worldwide. From the information on the public family tree, I was fairly certain it must have been started by a cousin of mine in Oz whom I had not seen since he was very young ..... after just a few minutes searching Facebook, there he was. We've been exchanging messages all morning and I am really thrilled to be back in touch with a family member. He had become stuck with the family tree research and didn't know my married name so couldn't trace me, so I've spent the past few hours filling in the blanks for him. We have a lot to catch up on!

Grumpelstiltskin

CJ Make sure you cancel Ancestry before the 14 days are up otherwise they will charge you automatically.

C_J

Ha ha yes - I have put a diary alert on my computer to remind me to cancel three days before the trial is up. It's hundreds of $$ otherwise!.

I'm finding it a bit frustrating though, as it doesn't always find records even when I give the exact dates/names which I know are 100% correct. Even widening the search by making everything not 'exact' doesn't help. Some things it finds, others it misses. Does anyone else have trouble with Ancestry this way? These are 20th century records too, so there shouldn't be any crazy mis-spellings from myopic/deaf census recorders who can't spell for toffee.

Tipsntreats

I said I would be back. CJ I hope you received my PM?
My Uncle was registered at birth as Laurence. That according to my Grandparents, and his siblings, was a mistake! All his life his has been called Peter. When he passes away (not soon I hope), I am his ONLY N.O.K., he has never married or had any children. So I think that I will probably use Peter P. Now, is it not true, that many people use their middle names, and not their first names? This is worth bearing in mind when searching the census returns. His Father a William, was on the next census as Willy. It is all very challenging, and extremely time consuming. My friend the genealogist, can build me a tree in a day. That is NOT want makes it fun. It is rather like a crossword though, you only need to put in a wrong word, and it messes up the rest. My Maternal Great grandmother, just took a surname that never legally belonged to her. I know for sure that she NEVER got anyone to marry her, as my maternal grandfather, had his birth registered in her maiden name. For the rest of his life he only used the stolen name. So I suppose he never knew?
As census returns are only every 10yrs, it is worth tracing the electoral roles. The London ones are the easiest, I have not done the rest yet.
Tips x

candlelight_2013

TnT When you go to register a death the Registrar will ask you what name the Deceased is known by and then had they ever been known by any other names. Both names will then be recorded in the death entry

It is important to be able to tie both names together, and that is why it is sometimes difficult to trace relatives because the death has only been registered in the name they were known by at the time of death and not the name they were registered at birth as well.

Candlelightx

Grumpelstiltskin

C_J wrote: »

Ha ha yes - I have put a diary alert on my computer to remind me to cancel three days before the trial is up. It's hundreds of $$ otherwise!.

I'm finding it a bit frustrating though, as it doesn't always find records even when I give the exact dates/names which I know are 100% correct. Even widening the search by making everything not 'exact' doesn't help. Some things it finds, others it misses. Does anyone else have trouble with Ancestry this way? These are 20th century records too, so there shouldn't be any crazy mis-spellings from myopic/deaf census recorders who can't spell for toffee.

CJ The answer with searching is 'Less is more'


Enter the smallest amount of information you can.
Use wild cards, with Ancestry you can enter 3 letters and then * so if you are looking for Harold you enter Har*. Always give 5 years each way for a date of birth. Never give full exact information.


OK It does give many more results but among them you should find what you are looking for.

minimacka

I am doing a memory book for my MIL 70th birthday and I cannot remember when her sister got married. It was around 2000 is there anyway I can find out for free what the date was. I cant ask her as she has moved away and I don't have any details of where,and my MIL cannot remember.


Thanks in advance for any help.
MM