Genealogy Chat

... so I'm going to bed to listen to the radio and read a book instead.

Thanks to help a while back some 'missing' families from hubby's side were found via the other site that begins with 'A'.

I'm looking at the same family tonight and getting just as frustrated because of variations of surname transcription. My Platinum sub runs out on here in July. I've just cancelled automatic renewal. I'll sub for the Standard because I think the community on here is brilliant but if I don't change I think .... well tonight I've asked myself why I bother and I'd be better off going and doing something useful like clean the bathroom.

I've got so many people I know exist but they just don't show up. It's the same for mine and for hubby's tree. When I first started using the internet for family history it was fine but I've progressed now to where I need more.

I'm tired and frustrated this evening looking for a family on the 1841, 51,61 and so on. Thanks to MarieCeleste I know the name transcribed in 1861 but even that shows up no trace via GR. I've never come this close before to wondering what the point is of doing mine or hubby's family tree.

In the scheme of things and all the other troubles I've had in my life, it's a pretty pathetic thing to whinge about but I just needed to sound off.

Goodnight lovely GR friends.

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Well I hope you feel better for that Jillian! But really, cleaning the bathroom - I think you need to give yourself a talking to!!

Yes, it does get hugely frustrating sometimes, when I get to that stage I put it on the back boiler for a while and then go back to it - often much later.

Why don't you try some of the other sites and see how you feel with them? I have other subs but just keep the basic membership on here for the boards and the odd tree search now and again.

:-D :-D

Jillian, maybe you have been disheartened by having had a platinum sub to GR! Don't give up - check out Ancestry and FMP, see if they still do the 2-week free trials. Maybe have a break from it first.
Sometimes the tricky ones turn out to be the best as nothing beats that 'eureka' moment when you finally track them down! Don't forget - this is supposed to be fun, look at it as a challenge and enjoy it, don't be in a rush.
Jan

don't give up Jillian. Eventually you find what you are looking for, or someone with the right site access will find it for you. I have just found where an ancestor is buried after about 5 years of looking and someone found me a marriage I had been looking for for a similar length of time.

Have you tried all the free sites such as freebmd and the online parish clerks if the county you are looking for has one. Other counties have various free sites and there is also the very useful familysearch.org

more and more free records are being transcribed all the time

You can search on FMP for free....Only need to pay for the full transcription

As GR use the same records search for who you are looking for on there using a wildcard * ect then you should find them on GR under the same transcription.

jax

Although GR and FMP have the same owner and supposedly use the same records,free search of the records produce different results.
EG
Thomas Renyard 1824
No census results on GR
----------------------------------
FMP
1841 Census 1 record
1861 Census 1 record
1871 Census 1 record
1901 Census 1 record

I can understand your frustration Jillian, we all can as I guess we've all been there at some point struggling to find that elusive ancestor.

It's true what Jan says, nothing beats that 'eureka' moment when you finally find them. With all the lovely helpers on here I'm sure you will get a result. I'm fortunate in that I have access to both Ancestry and FMP and I get surprised at how many times I find what I'm looking on one site but not on the other.

I've only ever had the standard membership on here and for me the best thing about GR are the fantastic members who quite happily help others in their research.

Chris x

Hi,

Thanks for the support. I was having a really crap evening trying to timeline a family who belong to hubby. They are truly fascinating to me, linked to the jewellery industry but at some point business or businesses failed. The property they show up at still exists in the Jewellery Quarter in Birmingham. I Google the name and there are a lot by the same surname into jewellery. My daughter is too. I bought her some stones/gems for her last birthday and she really has an eye for them. Has something come through genetically for her? I want to concentrate on this family who were quite large but lack of finding the correct or even any entries for them is driving me aghhh

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Trouble is their surname has been transcribed in so many different ways but even with the correct one for a particular census they they were still showing as no trace on GR. Now I'm learning that it's about the transcriber and interpretation as much as what the name actually says.

I've seen that Amazon have a computer programme on the go which has a six-month sub to A as part of the package. I need to learn more about computer stuff before I buy it but I'm seriously thinking about it.

I just had an overwhelming frustrated moment about trying so hard and being beaten. Not because I could be a crap researcher but it's there and I can't find it but others can on other sites.

Hey ho.xxJ

For what it's worth, I think you need to consider doing what most of us do. That is, have just basic membership on here and subscribe to FMP or Ancestry. Do your own research and ask for help if you get stuck. I have observed that often it is easier finding other people's relatives than your own! Possibly because you make less assumptions about them I think.

If you have a tricky surname try searching with just first names, birthplace and birth year - this works surprisingly well at times! Not sure if this can be done on Genes but it certainly can be on Ancestry, and I imagine FMP is the same.

Jan

Search by first name or wildcard cannot be done on GR....unless they have changed it?

There was no way I was going to find my paternal side on this site when I had the old Gold membership...I soon gave in within weeks and subscribed to ancestry aswell .

I also have FMP and only yesterday when looking for someone on the 1911 could not find this person on FMP (I prefer the layout) but found her on ancestry. She was on FMP but hame was transcribed as Hkilda instead of Hilda and the place of birth was some wierd spelling of Woburn as Wolver

I only have standard membership now