Find Ancestors

Hi Margaret, Very well said! I would also love to have a thread on here entitled: You can't find EVERYTHING on the internet!!! With a subtitle: Occasionally you have to get off your butt and go to a County Record Office or LDS Centre. If you can get to a county record office you can save yourselves a fortune in certificates (if you know where the marriage took place) because you can see most marriages for FREE. The only marriages you won't see for free are those that took place in a register office. So although it may cost a bit to get to the record office, once there you can save money too! I'm pleased to see that threads for BMD look ups now seem to have largely disappeared from the boards and so they should too!! Cheers, Horatia

I think this thread has gone somewhat from the original point. I started this thread because the same person added three threads more or less at the same time. Asking for info and being very vague with what he told us anyway. He was told that all the info he wanted was available on free sites and was given the site addys to get him there. He was told how to do it and didnt get it done for him. He then deleted all three threads in quick succession. Some people were actually in the process of looking something up for him. I dont know about anyone else, but when I see the same name repeatedly all on page one of a thread I am very wary. It just shouts freeloader. It isnt the people asking for one look up, I have done that myself and very recently. No one minds giving advise or helping out initialy, but we aren't going to do their trees for them and fork out the money. As Gwynne said, if you cant afford the theatre tickets you dont go. If you can't afford this hobby, it is very expensive, it is not possible to do it completely free. Margaret

I do understand what your saying, but whilst i understand i have to feel sorry for them aswell,i have been hitting a brick wall for a while now, i took over my family tree from a rellie who was researching it to help me find info out on my sons illness, people research for dif reasons and dif circumstances, all people arnt so intelligent some with reading,writing,and number problems, i would not say that i am v intelligent but do get by in life, (dippy hairdresser)i have posted my fair share of threads,being very weary of doing so,i have had loads of replies to which i thank so much, i have also done look ups for people. i always try not to abuse the system,i do my own work and ask for help when stuck,but sometimes it does look like you are freeloading,i have credits with every site and access to lots more,thanks to gr for reccommending them. so to sum up people dont always want to come across as a freeloader but you do get stuck and the thread is there,but on the other side if your intelligence level is not high you should still be able to say THANKYOU SO SORRY FOR LONG THREAD, ILL TRY NOT TO POST TODAY LOL

This is an interesting, if somewhat controversial thread. I love it! I'm somewhat lucky - I've only been researching my tree now for almost a year (my GR renewal is almost due!) and thanks to the internet, FreeBMD, Ancestry and various other websites to numerous to mention - not forgetting the grand-daddy of them all, the Mormon LDS Familysearch site, I have managed to find soemwhere in the order of 900 names and 10 fellow researchers on many different branches and levels of my tree. There does come a point though when you NEED to start spending money to confirm your research - BMD certficates don't pay for themselves, and you can't keep asking for census look-ups forever without at least paying a fiver for a PPV subscription to Ancestry at least, even if you can't afford the somewhat hefty quarterly or annual fees. In my case, reference books have been brought to try and teach myself about the subject, and enquiries made with relevent County Record Offices to purchase parish record copies of those that are too far away for me to get to in person. There have been a few times I've asked general questions or asked for a lookup of something I can't get for myself at the moment (such as the 1841 census) or have run out of credits at Ancestry until my next pay-day comes around, but by and large I enjoy getting the information for myself. The first time I went to the local record office and found a newspaper report of my Gt. Grandad's coronor's inquest I nearly danced around the room in delight, ditto the first time I managed to load a microfilm reader all by myself and was able then to help someone else load their reader machine who was in difficulties. There are though people out here who expect to have their family tree handed to them on a plate without paying anything or doing any research for themselves. I have an uncle on here - lets call him 'Mr. X' - who has a tree that is either completely bogus or cribbed from another member. I know my tree is the correct one because I bothered to get all the certificates and census returns, so I have no idea at all where his names have come from. The thing is, the names he 'stole' from a fellow reseacher has led to this other person not giving out their information to anyone else, including my goodself. I know this other researcher has been here before me two or three years earlier searching my names by googling Rootsweb for them. It's a bit dispointing - all I really want is to be pointed in the right direction rather than going down blind alleys. I can see where they're coming from though - 'Mr. X' has started asking me for all my information - certificates, naval records, censuses, etc - stuff that I paid for that he wants for free. To say it makes me mad is putting it mildly. To help or not to help, that is the question... Mickey

Hi, I used to help out a lot more on Tips and Records than I do now and it was the freeloaders and rude people that drove me away screaming. I think maybe some people jump right in at the deep end without exploring the shallows first. There is so much information online now that it must be overwhelming. Those of us who started pre ancestry found information a bit at a time via record offices and the LDS and as we researched our knowledge of how to research grew. I bought Fam His mags, books and went on a Fam His course. I also joined Fam His societies. My GRO searches were done on blurred fiche at the LDS, taking hours to find just one event. Census films were ordered a parish at a time and sometimes it would take months to find just one family on census. It was a dancing on the table moment when that happened. I also ordered parish records and checked out every single IGI event I found - now people seem to have entire trees just constructed using the IGI. I know some of these are wrong because I've been sent some. Some of my families' IGI information is a work of fiction from a Mormon who reconstructed events from memory in the 1890s. I resisted joining ancestry for some time but now it *IS* good value for money. The money saved on train fares, films at the LDS and copying amounts to the annual fee within a few weeks. Now that they also have the GRO index I cannot understand why any serious researcher would not join. A few people dabble in genealogy for a few months then find it too expensive and time consuming so realise it is not for them. Some become addicted and subscribe to ancestry thenselves. A few want it all done for them without forking out any money at all. I wouldn't dream of asking anyone to buy me theatre tickets (my other major obsession) if I can't afford to see a show I don't go. Why do people think it's OK to ask others to pay for their interest in genealogy, after the first few tentative steps? No one minds helping out those new to this all absorbing hobby or those stuck up against brick walls. But, frankly, there are some people who are taking the ****. *mutters darkly* Gwynne (in grumpy old woman mode)

I went wrong a few years ago because I didnt buy a marriage cert. I assumed from the census and found out a few years later, when I did buy the cert, that I had the wrong family. I had 200 years of info on the wrong family. They didnt even originate from the same place. What a waste of time!! But, I learnt from it Margaret

Elaine It's quite mad isn't it!! I helped someone on the trying to find board the other day and sent them the info then I checked trees against info I gave and the person just added it without even saying thanks for the info..Definitely becoming more selective of who I help..Sad really as I said to them it was not definite and to check the info I gave.. I think there are alot of people out there with the wrong banches to their trees. I only have about 500 people in my tree on here and I have certs ect to prove they are mine~not for all 500 mind you that would be just silly! Anyway my moan out of the way for another 10 mins LOL Zoe

Zoe Because, so far they have got others to do it for them and taken it for granted that its correct without checking. I have received info from connections on here. They have sent me info and even the recent stuff is circa dates. No dates of death or marriage, just guesses. I have searched and found the info easily. I check everything others send to me. Margaret

LOL Margaret. I know how frustrating that is Elaine.......... I've hit at least 4 brick walls this week and have had to ask for extra pairs of eyes, I feel like a failure having to ask but sometimes 2,3 or more heads/eyes are so much better than 1 .......... just someone will see a pattern in a different light etc. or NOT as in my case LOL!! Oh well..............this blood hound best get some shut eye ......... sleep well all for tomorrow is another day of research in between mother hood and wifeliness LOL!! Much happiness Debi LOL Zoe & Elaine and the Birth Cert ............ It's all too easy when so many can give it to you on a plate isn't it? The mind boggles LOL

Yep Zoe ........... have wondered that myself ... MANY times ! 'How come you are asking how to get a birth certificate for someone born in 1858 ? ....' ... how the 'ell did you get that far back without knowing ??? Elaine ;-)

Elaine Because they are lazy and want it for free. Even when it is free!!! I understand Newbies dont know how to search, but when they are advised and still keep asking, I GIVE UP. Goodnight Elaine, sleep well Margaret

Hi Another thing I don't understand is when people are asking the simplest questions e.g 'Where do I order certs from?' and when you look how many people they have in their tree they have 300 people, or more I don't understand how they have that many people without knowing where to get a cert from!! It really amazes me! Zoe x

Debi And, if the weather is anything like it is here today, its BL***Y cold without them!!! LOL Margaret

Here Here Margaret, I couldn't live without it ! Wish I had subscribed to Ancestry 3 years ago ..... rather than buying all the census's on disc's ..... At present, I'm not actually using it for myself .... which is why I use it for others .... but I will still renew at the end of the 12 months. On the 2 occassions that I have not been able to access Ancestry, I've asked for help ... and have been given loads and loads ! ...... but I have sat here pullin my my hair out because I so want to do my own searches ! ......I just get SOOOO frustrated ! which is why I can not understand why many people just don't take the advice given, and do the searching that they CAN do for themselves 1 Oh well .... I think I'll sleep on it for tonight. Elaine ;-) OMG !!!! What ? .... going out the house without ............. yeah right !

Elaine I think he was too quick for that Margaret

lol elaine.....ditto. to delete a thread though is just so rude to those that have spent time and on occasions money ( via resources or subs) to help etc. ....... bad form and annoying. I get a great buzz in helping those on the trying to find boards these days...... they always seem more grateful and genuinely want advice on how to search themselves etc. LOL Much happiness Debi PS I agree 100% Margaret.......... if your serious about genealogy how can you do without ANCESTRY??? Its like going out the house without your knickers these days LOL

Ozibird, you have a point ! ....... shall we see if he returns with similar requests during the next few days ? Wish someone had noted the full name and membership number .. Elaine ;-)

Ozibird We can hope that, but I seriously doubt it. LOL Margaret

Elaine I'm afraid I have my standard answer that BMD's are free on Ancestry on Notepad, ready to copy and paste into the thread. I got fed up of having to keep typing it. LOL I wont do census look ups anymore. Ancestry is so worth the money now, I dont know how anyone who is serious about genealogy can manage without it. Why do people worry how to cancel it? Why would you want to? Margaret

Margaret, There have been far too many just recently who have deleted for the same reason. Its so annoying ... and like others have said, even more so when you have spent quite some time actually searching for the info ... and then return to find the thread already gone - or it disappears soon afterwards. I think we have to be vigualent (sp), ...... I have certainly become more aggressive with my 'replies' of late ... and I do on occassion have to walk away and do some housework (not good for me !!) ... or worse, I shout at the screen !!! ........I can hear them coming with the straight jacket !! Elaine ;-)