General Chat

i have just started doing my family tree and seem to come to a stand still...i cant seem to get any infomation without having to pay..ive gathered a lot of info from family...banging my head against a wall because i dont know where to go from here any help would be great thanks lisa x

So what information do you have Lisa, parents, marriage, Grandparents marriage? how far back have you actually got. Give us some details then we can advise you properly.

Ann
Glos

http://freebmd.rootsweb.com/cgi/search.pl




http://www.familysearch.org/Eng/Search/frameset_search.asp?PAGE=search_all1.asp&clear_form=true

copy n paste these into your browser.they are both free to use

on my fathers side i have done really well and got back as far as 1700s...now my mothers side im finding difficult because they wernt a close nit family and i only have a little info...would like to know how i get records and maybe free info...limited funds on my part as i have just been made redundant thanks lisa xx

Lisa

Can you give me a tip on how you got back so far without paying

Julie

If you have just started Lisa you have done well to get back that far. It has taken me 30 years to get as far. Are all your records backed up with evidence, certificates etc?

So have you got back to your Mother's parents?, got their marriage and birth certs?

Back to 1837 you can find dates and reference number for births, marriages and deaths on free BMD

You can find some information on Family search web site before 1837. have you accessed those two?

If you haven't got any census information and you put a request on the tips board on here, somebody will look them up for you. you will need name, rough dob and location where you think hey were living.

Ann
glos

hi julie on my fathers side quite a few have already done the tree so ive been able to get lots of info from them...also done a lot of searching myself...now im struggling with my mums side... lisa xx

hi ann my info has come from family...i got nothing to back it up though so could be wrong...on my mothers side i only know my grandparent but cant get any more info...think im just clutching at straws...lisa xx

Lisa, the people who have done the tree on your Father's side. Have they given you copies of certificates (birth marriage etc) It is dangerous to accept somebody elses research unless they have backed it with proof. If they have then you are lucky.

ann
Glos

OK Lisa, tell us what you know about your maternal Grandparents. dates of birth, where born, date of marriage etc. where living after marriage. let's see if anyone can help

Ann
glos

hi ann i have not seen any proof but they do tell me they have them and are willing to give me copies...think this is going to be harder than first thought...thought i had done really well...lol...lisa xx

Oh Lisa you have if they do have proof. ask for copies if they can do them for you.

Ann
Glos

thanks ann...my granmother was born dorren sykes in dewsury west yorkshire in she would have been 80 last month...my grandad was norman wilson born same place and im not sure of age lisa xx

Lisa is that Dorren or Doreen

Hi Lisa, I think it's very important to get copies to back up what they say.

It can be almost impossible to get anywhere with this hobby without paying out. You can usually get the odd person (and by odd I do mean odd lol ;-) ) to do a look up for you, but it's possible if you ask someone to look it up for you at every stage that people will get fed up with you asking. Also, you will likely have to buy certificates to back up anything you find.

Unfortunately, it's not a cheap hobby, I'd be afraid to add up what I've spent so far.

ann sorry its doreen

think all my redundancy will be spoken for then lol

March 1/4 1928

Surname: Sykes
Name: Doreen
Mother's maiden name: Stradling
District: Dewsbury
Vol: 9b
Page No: 802

Lisa, I found it's best to make a list of the certificates and give them priority.

I usually only buy death certs if I think there will be something important in them (like someone died young or I want to know who is listed as next of kin/who reported it).

Marriage certificates are good in the sense that they'll give you both father's names and occupations. They also give the bride and grooms ages (be careful they can and do lie) which can help you find their birth or narrow down a number of possibilities.

While birth certs will give you both parents names (providing they're not illegitimate), and father's occupation.

Only buy certificates direct from the GRO site or direct from a registrars office. The latter can be quicker but you pay 50p extra for postage - which adds up.

I only buy a siblings birth cert if there is something important in it (say I can't find the direct ancestors birth or marriage cert, a siblings cert will give me parents info that is likely to be pretty accurate - keep in mind they may actually be half-siblings)

Finally, ration yourself to only buying so many a time and only ones you really need.

With regards signing up to ancestry (which can be invaluable) first try your local library to see if they have it there. As often you can access it free there. If you really want to join up yourself then I recommend phoning them to see what deal you can get. There are some who have got the membership for £55 instead of £79, so it can be worth it. Or look around for one of those free membership for 14days things.

thankyou all very much...your a great help and i will take all your advise..this is going to take longer than i thought but i got time at the mo thanks lisa xx