Best Genealogy site?

Marmaduke123

As a starter I would go for Ancestry, purely because they have so many records of different types. If you find you need to look at something on Findmypast you can still buy credits I believe.

And don't forget good old Familysearch ! All free but you won't get to see many images.

You'll struggle to find many records after 1911 except phone directories and some electoral rolls. Start with yourself and work back, verifying everything. The
General Register Office is running a pilot at the moment where you can get digital copies of birth and death certificates for much less than the price of fully certified ones.

Invest in some family tree software so you can keep your records and your tree on your own computer, rather than using the likes of Ancestry to host it. You will make mistakes and need to alter things as time goes by, best to keep full control of your data and keep it safe. You can always upload to Ancestry etc later if you want to.

Good luck, and enjoy yourself!

trailingspouse

Good luck!! Be warned - it's addictive.

I've always used ancestry.com - start with the free fortnight, then upgrade to UK records. I've had Worldwide for years because the more I discovered of my family the more far flung they became.

If you have people from Scotland you need to look at Scotland's People - the records held by ancestry.com don't include the actual images of the Scottish record, just a transcription. You have to pay per record, but it isn't expensive.

And Marmaduke - I joked with my kids that if only I'd known that Marmaduke was such a popular namein our family I would have used to for one of them...

square_bear

I've just learned there is speculation that a lady may have been brought into the family by adoption when she was a child.
Will this make my research more difficult?

Grumpelstiltskin

Look forget speculation. If she was adopted then only the adopted person can access the records.

You need to check the BMD records free to view online and see what you can find.

discat11

Just in case you haven't already it's worth joining the JGSGB as they are a really nice knowledgable bunch!

https://www.jgsgb.org.uk

Shelldean

Can you get into London? Farringdon to be exact?
A visit to L MA London Metropolitan Archives, they hold many many records of Londoners

Electoral rolls, school admission records, hospitals records parish records plus many others

HouseMouse

I alternate between Ancestry & FindMyPast. Currently getting more use out of the latter due to the 1939 register, but I used Ancestry a lot when I first started. I think its search facility is more flexible for census searches when the entries have been mistranscribed. (though its clunky & can be difficult to get the best use out of it)

The most recent census you can access in Britain is 1911 which is probably your grandparents or their parents generation. Start with the details you are sure of (and don't believe anything you've been told concerning parentage/marriage details till you've seen the certificate!)

As posted earlier, other than the 1939 register there is very little recent stuff online as most places operate a 100 year closure rule for privacy. [The 1939 register has (supposedly) redacted entries for anyone born after 1915 unless they died before 2005 - but there are some errors.]

There are a few exceptions to the 100 year rule but these are rare.

There are free sites you can use to search for BMD certificates and as you get more experience in searching these can sometimes give you a lot of information without having to buy the certificate (disclaimer - don't try this approach if your surname is a common one)

You can get a 2 week free trial on Ancestry but they insist on having your card details so remember to cancel. They do sometimes have weekends with free access too, usually to coincide with a public holiday.

Similarly, FindMyPast often has introductory offers such as a month for £1 (but this won't include access to the 1939 register) As well as BMD, census & parish records, they also have access to old newspapers that are fascinating to read and sometimes have family announcements (and no 100 year rule on these) Can be useful if your area is covered of course, unfortunately one of my lines isn't in such an area.

As for adoption, prior to 1929 (I think) it was usually done informally. For a formal adoption only the adoptee can access their records. That's not to say there aren't ways of finding out if you have any details that could give clues.

I would suggest joining a forum or two that specialise in genealogy. RootsChat and FamilyTreeForum are the two I use most.

There are a few sites with free access to certain batches of parish records and a good forum will have these cataloged. They will also usually flag up when the free/cheap FMP & Ancestry offers are on.

jusnoneed

I use Ancestry from time to time (take a months membership or use free days) but remember to save anything you want to keep to your computer rather than the site as you cannot access things you may save to tree etc if your membership is not currently paid for.

FreeReg and FreeBMD are both good starting points, you may have luck with FreeCen too (census).
A lot of counties have their own free online parish clerk sites - try searching county name OPC eg Dorset OPC
Rootschat are a great bunch, you can ask for help on there.

vivatifosi

I work in a public library. Many local authorities offer free access to genealogical resources to their members. What is available will depend on where you live.

Many authorities have Ancestry, some also have Find My Past or have it instead of Ancestry. A further alternative in some libraries is the Genealogist. Also the local archives and some local libraries also have collections. Last month's WDYTYA had a London special that you may find useful.

If the library has a free to loan magazine collection, online or physical copy, then you may also be able to borrow Find My Past or Family Tree magazines, both of which are full of useful hints.

Finally, to trace specifically Jewish ancestors, you may find this book useful. I've linked to Amazon, but again many libraries will have lending copies, so worth trying before you buy:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Tracing-Your-Jewish-Ancestors-Historians/dp/1473821274

ETA..you may also find this useful in terms of rights to trace adopted ancestors:

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/relatives-of-adopted-adults-now-able-to-trace-family-tree

Newly_retired

I use Ancestry, but have dipped into Findmypast occasionally. Also used free BMD.
Can anyone tell me the best way to save stuff from Ancestry to my computer? I have saved some extracts from censuses and copies of certificates, but can I save my tree, or parts of it?
What is the best software to print a tree?
Thanks in advance.