Genealogy Chat

Hi Nicola, like you I was family tree virgin. I found the LDS Site family search a great help. If you have any information about Grandparents, Gt Grandparents, try the 1881 Census of familysearch, you will find this search is easy to access. Hope I have been of some help. Good luck with your searches, just a word of warning this hobby can be come very addictive.

I signed up with GenesConnected because it has brought a whole new group of people to family history so keep watching the names in the hope that a descendant of some distant ancestor might appear. But look at other message boards and mailing lists on the Internet. You can usually search their archives. Try searching on names, places etc to see if you get any matches. Post some messages with a few details of ancestors - I have had several contacts from relatives who have recognised a name on messages that I have posted several years ago. You still need the hard work of slogging through real records but you can't beat making contact with a relative who can bring completely fresh information on the family. Even stories from their part of the family can be invaluable. They might not be exactly correct but usually there will be some truth in them though often several different stories can get confused. For many of us access to archives and record offices can be difficult because we live in the wrong part of the country. There are plenty of censuses, trade directories etc appearing on CD-ROM now so you can continue researching these at home and also consider helping one of the voluntary projects and do some transcription yourself. General WWW search engines like GOOGLE, VIVISIMO etc are always worth trying. It is amazing what turns up if you try the right combination of keywords. Online searches are fine but there is still a thrill when you come across a familiar name after going through many pages of illegible census pages whether on fiche, film or CD-ROM. Martin

I started my tree about 4 months ago, knowing only my grandparents names. My 92 year old Gran gave me more information. By ordering 1 marriage certificate (my Great Grandad's)and using the information on it, I was then back far enough to use 1901 Census. Then back to 1881 Census and all other info on familysearch site. I was very lucky as my family hadn't moved around much prior to 1881 and I could trace the records through several generations. I have only ordered 3 marriage certificates,£25, spent £10 at 1837online and £5 on 1901 Census (until I downloaded decoder, now it doesn't cost anything!)and £5 to join this site. I have linked up with five 'cousins', three in UK, one USA and one NZ who have given me more 'names'. I now have almost 400 people in my tree and have gone back to 1700 with one line (7X Grt Grandad!) So don't let people tell you you need to go off visiting records centres/libraries etc. Okay, much of my data is not confirmed but I'm perfectly happy with it, and it was all done from the comfort of my own home.

Nicola, a few short weeks ago I was in much the same boat. It's been a very steep learning curve in that time but I've now got 40+ names on my tree. I can't ask older relations because I'm adopted, but I do know my natural parents' names which has helped a lot and fortunately they are quite uncommon names, which has helped even more. People on this site are wonderfully helpful and generous too, so dont be afraid to ask for help. Best of luck. It can be very frustrating at times, especially when waiting for certificates to arrive or when you feel you're up against a brick wall. When that happens with a name, leave it for a while and research one of the others. After all, every time you go back a generation, there are more new names to add and trees to research!! Mary, South Devon

I have managed to get 66 names in my family tree so far, and a few more possibles, just by using the internet and buying birth and marriage certificates. My advice to you is to keep reading the Tips Board, because it has taught me all that I know, and if you are not sure about something, just ask! In my experience someone will always answer! Good Luck. Maggy, Featherstone, West Yorkshire

Sorry to confuse you, I just thought as you knew the names of great grandparents. that the sites i gave before would probably show up, like I said I Ramble a bit, I was only trying to give a few tips. Debbie

Hi, Like Samantha said, you won't find your tree on the Internet unless someone has done it for you. I suppose that's what a lot of us hope for. But first, LIVING MEMORIES Get hold of all your relatives (not necessarily at the same time!) and talk to them about the family. Their uncles and cousins.And write it all down. Then its GRO Birth Certificates, Marriage Certificates, Death Certificates. Its no use thinking about CENSUS RETURNS until you have got back to at least 1901. PARISH REGISTERS are not needed until you are back to around 1837, so don't let anyone start to confuse you with them until you are ready. Just take it a step at a time and I hope you will enjoy the journey into the past as much as I still do. Jim

I would not rely on GenesConnected as the only place where you store your information. Download a family tree program. There are several that can be run free of charge and others that do not cost much to register. The LDS have PAF free of charge on their site. I use LEGACY myself. It will give you much more flexibility when you store the information. You will able to record every little piece of information that you find. Always try and record the source of each piece of information. You can export the information to a GEDCOM file which can then be imported into GenesConnected or any other family tree program. Martin

Nicola If you go to the links page on the left hand column, there are some useful addresses, I`d start with the family search one which is brilliant, that gives the 1881 census and loads more. Then there is the freebmd site which gives a lot of births deaths and marriages, and best of all they are both free. actually I forgot probably the best one to start is the 1901 census which I bought vouchers for which last for 6 months £5 each they have lasted me ages as there is a census decoder you can download which tells you who lives with who roughly. Anyway just explore and enjoy it. your soon be hooked and wont be able to stop. I hope youv`e understood all of this as I do go on a bit. Debbie

You will not be able to trace your family history just by using the internet unless you are very lucky to be related to someone who has done the work for you already, or you are related to a famous family whose ancestry is already widely available. Firstly, speak to every old person in your family you can get your hands on and WRITE DOWN what they tell you. Even family legends that seem totally mad can make sense years down the line. Your next step depends where you are. If you're in Scotland there is a web site called scotlandspeople which I understand is good, although I haven't tried it myself. Abroad I can't help you with, but if you're in England or Wales that will mean certificates. There are libraries and archives in most towns and cities these days with microfische copies of the General Register Office (GRO) indices. They usually have staff who are used to first-timers. Decide your starting point and start looking for family events, usually births or marriages. Once you know when your event occurred you will then have to get the certificate, either from the local Register Office or from the GRO in Southport. Work backwards from there and become steadily more hooked.

Hello to everyone out there who has been tracing treir families for a while!! I have just started and got stuck with my dads surname Hull, so tried my mums Rouse and got stuck again!! I have names of grand parents and great grand parents on both sides but only dates of birth and marriage for my grand parents. So far I dont have birth cert, marr cert or anything and feel like im hunting a needle in a hay stack!? Can any one PPPLLLEEEAAASSSEEE give me some worth while direction as i seem to be spending money logging on web sites only to get hundreds of results of the one name. Nikki Hull