Family Tree Reseach

Marg

I am researching my family history and I am bewildered by the number of sites offering information and/or search facilities. Does anyone have any opinion/information which one(s) works out the most economical? Annual subscription or buy credits as & when? I haven't got a fortune to spend but will need to make a lot of searches.
Thank you for reading.....

Tingtong_2

You are right there are a load of sites and it can be pretty baffling. I've only been doing my family history for a very short while and I have found a lot of information from free websites such as FreeBMD, FreeCEN and FamilySearch.org.

These will give you basic details of census and events (such as births, marriages and deaths). Info on the 1901 census is available through subscription sites such as Ancestry or Genes Reunited but you can get round this with a little help from the kind people on the forums at Rootschat.com and british-geneaology.com as some of them have subscriptions to this information and offer to do searches for you.

I've got basic details on my mothers side back to the late 1700's and so far the only thing I've paid for was to get a copy of my Grandmothers marriage certificate in order to find the name of her father, so it can be done (to a certain level) quite cheaply.

I'm sure they may be more experienced people on here with some more advice but hopefully this will get you started!!

Have fun finding skeletons!!

Marg

Thank you very much - your information should keep me out of mischief for a while! :T

prefabkid

Marg wrote: »

I am researching my family history and I am bewildered by the number of sites offering information and/or search facilities. Does anyone have any opinion/information which one(s) works out the most economical? Annual subscription or buy credits as & when? I haven't got a fortune to spend but will need to make a lot of searches.
Thank you for reading.....

Hi Marg
I have been researching my family history for a couple of years and have found two sites of particularly use.
1.ancestry.co.uk useful for researching birth,marriage and death indexes and census details.Subscription is not cheap at £80,but if you are going to do lots of searches it is much cheaper than credits.
2.genesreunited.co.uk useful for contacting others who may be researching other parts of your tree.Subscription is only about £10,but again worth it.I have found many family members I didn't know existed!
Hope this helps
prefabkid

Browntoa

I use this one (bought an annual subscription as you tend to hit it heavy early on !! )

http://www.thegenealogist.co.uk/

find it easier to use than Ancestry.

Some Local libraries/local history centres have free access to Ancestry so often worth looking on the local council web site.Medway council for example have ALL the local parish records for the area online for free

sethsgran

If you can call your local Mormon Church, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, they will tell you where your nearest family research library is. They have them in many of their churches but not all so you will need to check. You can call and book in to use either their film readers, IGI or the computer. They are free to use unless you need them to order you a film in. There is always someone there to help and guide you along the way, nice and friendly.
I know there is one in Leeds, Huddersfield, York, Chorley, Hyde Park and Lingfield, Surrey, but there are many more all over the UK. Good luck with the searching.

Taplledraw

Hi are you researching in your local area if so head straight for your local records office. They will hold all the local parish registers so you can check for christening, marriage and burial details without spending any money.You may have to book (if you need a fiche reader) but if you ring up they will tell you they are usualy very friendly. You should also join a local family history society for the area you are interested in. Another place worth looking at is the Guild Of One Name Studies Site if you are a member you have to collect as much information on that name worldwide as you can many mad GOONS (yes I am one!) buy lots of the certificate copies so can give you exact dates of marriages witnesses etc. A word of caution about sites like genes reunited these can be very useful but please check the data on them dont just accept it my Dad is down as from Sunderland on one of them which as a proud Yorkshire man would have upset him greatly (before any people complain nothing against Sunderland Mam was from there!!) Also check Graveyards for stones if you know where some of the family were buried and old copies of local newspapers often held in libraries as are the local census. Some local libraries have a subscription to Ancestry co I believe therefore you can get free access there. Warning IT IS VERY addictive!!
Hope this helps... Pat

Marg

Wow! Thank you all. What a lot to digest and much work to do but I'm thankful for your advice & really keen to get started.

prefabkid

Marg
Yes,you have been warned it is very addictive and can be time consuming.
My excuse is that the tree is my legacy to my descendents,I just hope that when I become an ancestor they will appreciate my effort!
prefabkid

Browntoa

there was a 14 day trial access to Ancestry.co.uk in yesterdays Daily Mail TV section

ring up 0800 345 7926

note the access code and login details ad then log on

Credit card details are taken but simply go to "My Account" and click on "cancel subscription" before the end of the 14 day free period

lines open 9 am to 9.30 pm Mon to Fri , 9am to 5pm satyrday and 12-5pm sunday

mary43

Theres quite a few free sites to choose from

www.Ancestry Aid.co.uk -always a lot of help available

www.Family Tree Forum.com - also plenty of help there

www.familysearch.org .........loads of information but don't take all the dates given as gospel........always check out info you find.

Rootsweb and Rootschat are good ones. Rootsweb has a message board -I've found rellies through that. Rootschat is a good one for help needed.

I am a member of genesreunited -joined about 6 years ago when I first started and found rellies through their name search.
It's the only site I pay to be a member of. Ancestry is a bit too expensive for me to be honest.

Good luck. It is addictive but very satisfying and a lot of fun.:j

Oh just to add............you could join the local family history society of the areas of interest. They can prove to be very helpful and the cost if normally fairly low.