Family history or Tree.

[Leekbrookgull]

Looking to research my family history/tree. Can any NSC user advise as to which is the best way about doing this ? If you use the internet which would be the best site ? Thanks

 

[cjd]

ancestry.co.uk

 

[The Brighton Buzz]

Genes Reunited

 

[Gwylan]

I'm a member of Genes Reunited. Managed to get back to the 17th century with one branch

 

[Everest]

http://www.incest'r'us.com

 

[HAILSHAM SEAGULL]

My Mrs uses ancestry.co. uk.
If your family were originally from a Sussex village, then The history, genealogy and topography of the Weald of Kent, Surrey and Sussex is very useful, have managed to trace mine back to 13th century

 

[Lord Bracknell]

Ancestry.co.uk and Genes Reunited are both excellent - indeed, essential - sites for getting hold of comprehensive census data (Ancestry has all censuses from 1841 - 1901 available; Genes Reunited throws in the 1911 census as well). Ancestry also gives ready access to the Births, Marriages and Deaths indexes from 1837 to about 2005, as well as a load of other data that you will find useful. Genes Reunited enables you to contact other people who are already researching individuals in your family (and you'll find a surprising number of these, once you get back to your great great grandparents' generation). Both sites require a subscription.

There are some very good free sites available as well. The Free BMD site, http://freebmd.rootsweb.com/cgi/search.pl will let you search the births, marriages and deaths indexes from 1837 to about 1939 (and getting closer to the present day, all the time). Then there's the Mormon website, FamilySearch.org - Search which is excellent for pre-1837-ish parish records of baptisms and marriages.

It's always worth keeping your information organised, by using some decent family tree software. Genes Reunited supplies this as part of the package (although it's not the best format for navigating around the various branches of your family) and so does Ancestry. If you are looking for basic, free of charge, software, I would recommend the Personal Ancestry File (PAF) software that can be downloaded from FamilySearch.org - Family History and Genealogy Records

There are other products on sale, but I've been using PAF for about 15 years and it works fine for me. It uses standard "Gedcom" formatting that can easily be transferred across to other genealogy programmes.

It's an absorbing pursuit. This weekend, I've managed to reach the milestone of having 5,000 relatives included in my family tree. But that's because I'm not just interested in my direct ancestors. They all had cousins as well - who, once you get delving, turn out to have had lives that are just as interesting to research.

PS ... if you have Scottish ancestors, you'll need to be using Genealogy Scottish family birth records census ancestry Scotland uk - ScotlandsPeople

If you are chasing Irish ancestors, it's very frustrating, because most of the records got destroyed when the Four Courts building in Dublin burned down in 1922.

 

[Leekbrookgull]

Thank-you. All.

 

[cannedheat]

Don't do it, I did and found out that my g g g grandfather on my dads side was born and lived in Inverness, so that makes me part, can't bring meself to say it.

















Sweaty Sock

 

[Lord Bracknell]

Don't do it, I did and found out that my g g g grandfather on my dads side was born and lived in Inverness, so that makes me part, can't bring meself to say it.

Sweaty Sock

Indeed. Family history is like a slow-motion version of Facebook. Before you know what's happened, you'll discover all sorts of unsavoury friends and relatives that you are connected with.

 

[Tyrone Biggums]

If you are chasing Irish ancestors, it's very frustrating, because most of the records got destroyed when the Four Courts building in Dublin burned down in 1922.

I found signing up to the county library helped greatly for census info when tracing my Irish ancestors.

Besides census data I also found a lot more anecdotal accounts of the family itself in the County Clare Online Library..

 

[Tyrone Biggums]

Indeed. Family history is like a slow-motion version of Facebook. Before you know what's happened, you'll discover all sorts of unsavoury friends and relatives that you are connected with.

Indeed.

We found one was the head Doctor on the Titanic (which is good).

The we later found one chap in the family lines was an accomplice to John Wilkes Booth.

One preserved life, the other helped take it away.

 

[poidy]

How do these things work? I put in all my family details in that i knew and kind of expected to then have my family tree automatically from there but this didnt happen. What do i do now ive filled the tree in as much as i can?

 

[Stat Brother]

We did a free ancestry.co.uk, trial, and quite easily got back to the 18th century.

Made easier by all the family only ever living in the same house in the same village, who said we have no imagination.

 

[Lord Bracknell]

With millions of on-line records now available, it comes as a surprise how much information can be found that most people probably think is "private".

For example ... I've just spent two minutes searching on Ancestry.co.uk and can tell you stuff about Bobby Zamora (such as his parents' names, mother's maiden name, the date and place of their marriage, his sister's name, who she married, etc, etc).

Nothing is private, these days.

 

[SussexHoop]

If you use ancestry.co.uk, go via Quidco as they're doing 25% cashback.

 

[Pete and Sarah]

On-line Parish (various counties) can be good as can National Archives for odds and ends (through this discovered a relative lived in the Newhaven Tidemill House..presumably running it) plus CWGC (Commonwealth War Graves) if you know of someone killed in the war.

 

[Weatherman]

Could I just add a note of caution. When using either Genes or Ancestry hints, don't trust other peoples trees at face value, not all of them have been researched fully. Use them as "hints" then do your own research. I have ancestry membership and have been researching my family tree for about 8 years I occasionally get hints from public member trees I know are incorrect. Best to check than go down the branch of your tree only to find out months down the line that you are researching the wrong family. If you have Sussex ancestors I would suggest SFHG (Sussex Family History Group) for just £11 a year you get access to their online birth / burial database and a 1/4 ly magazine along with access to other members with years of experience. Good luck with your research, this is a very addictive pastime.

 

[withdeanwombat]

Don't know if this is true everywhere,but I can get an hour on Ancestry at my public library gratis.

My tree goes right back beyond 1948 (well,by about 250 years) and I find my Britishness includes England,Scotland,Wales and Ireland.I'm a bit of an old bastard ,really!

 

[glasfryn]

Ancestry.co.uk and Genes Reunited are both excellent - indeed, essential - sites for getting hold of comprehensive census data (Ancestry has all censuses from 1841 - 1901 available; Genes Reunited throws in the 1911 census as well). Ancestry also gives ready access to the Births, Marriages and Deaths indexes from 1837 to about 2005, as well as a load of other data that you will find useful. Genes Reunited enables you to contact other people who are already researching individuals in your family (and you'll find a surprising number of these, once you get back to your great great grandparents' generation). Both sites require a subscription.

There are some very good free sites available as well. The Free BMD site, http://freebmd.rootsweb.com/cgi/search.pl will let you search the births, marriages and deaths indexes from 1837 to about 1939 (and getting closer to the present day, all the time). Then there's the Mormon website, FamilySearch.org - Search which is excellent for pre-1837-ish parish records of baptisms and marriages.

It's always worth keeping your information organised, by using some decent family tree software. Genes Reunited supplies this as part of the package (although it's not the best format for navigating around the various branches of your family) and so does Ancestry. If you are looking for basic, free of charge, software, I would recommend the Personal Ancestry File (PAF) software that can be downloaded from FamilySearch.org - Family History and Genealogy Records

There are other products on sale, but I've been using PAF for about 15 years and it works fine for me. It uses standard "Gedcom" formatting that can easily be transferred across to other genealogy programmes.

It's an absorbing pursuit. This weekend, I've managed to reach the milestone of having 5,000 relatives included in my family tree. But that's because I'm not just interested in my direct ancestors. They all had cousins as well - who, once you get delving, turn out to have had lives that are just as interesting to research.

PS ... if you have Scottish ancestors, you'll need to be using Genealogy Scottish family birth records census ancestry Scotland uk - ScotlandsPeople

If you are chasing Irish ancestors, it's very frustrating, because most of the records got destroyed when the Four Courts building in Dublin burned down in 1922.

thanks mate I'v bookmarked all of those
see below

Don't do it, I did and found out that my g g g grandfather on my dads side was born and lived in Inverness, so that makes me part, can't bring meself to say it.

















Sweaty Sock

I have a similar problem
my father was born out of wedlock(something that had occurred to me many times bless him) and finding anything about his mother or father has been virtually impossible but I think I might have cracked it in the last few weeks


also this lark is very time consuming