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geneology - anyone traced their family tree?

28 replies

helsi · 29/01/2005 22:29

if so how far did you manage to go back? I am interested in starting mine but have only got as far as grandparents. Thing i will have to start going to official records offices now.

OP posts:

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Heathcliffscathy · 29/01/2005 22:30

i can't

on my father's side...he was adopted in another continent (asia) and lost touch with all his family in the 1970s.

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suedonim · 29/01/2005 23:02

My dad knew nothing about his family - he was orphaned a child - but in recent years I've traced his mother's family back to 1688. Dad died six years ago but I sometimes wonder what he'd think of this information.

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gingerbear · 29/01/2005 23:04

Look at the BBC family history site first Helsi. I have gone back to 1840's in my family so far, not visited record offices yet, there is a lot of info you can get from the web first.

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SenoraPostrophe · 29/01/2005 23:08

There's a very unusual surname on my mum's side, so with a few posts on genealogy forums, I found someone who had already traced it to 1597.

Still looking at my dad's side, but not getting very far because it's a very common surname in Newcastle (where Grandad was from). Also trying to trace the female line by buying a birth cert very year or so, then searching the database in the family records office (there´s one in most cities) for the mother.

Have you seen the 1901 census site?

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tiptop · 29/01/2005 23:22

I've done some of my family tree. I think I have just over 2000 people in my tree now. I joined the Family History Societies for the areas that my relatives came from and that has been very successful on the Derbyshire / Staffordshire side where they had unusual surnames (so it was easy to find people looking for the same surname as you) but not very successful on the South Wales side where they are all "John Jones, son of John Jones" or "Richard Davies, son of David Davies". Oh, and they were all miners, too, so no unusual occupations to help!

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butterflymum · 29/01/2005 23:23

Have over 250 names at moment (about 70 surnames) for both mine and hubby's sides, furthest back so far is about 1602.

Agree with others that a lot can be done online.

I use a number of genealogy forums as well as the records sites like scotlandspeople.

Warning though.....it can become quite an addictive hobby!

Enjoy.

butterfly

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Linnet · 29/01/2005 23:34

The furthest back I've got so far is the 1780's. I'm only concentrating on my mums side of the family at the moment. Haven't really started on my dads side. It's my grandads family that i've managed to trace one line back to the 1700's. Other parts of it have come to a brick wall in the 1930's because of an unusual surname that an ancester had, he married and had a dd but the dd died young and there were no more children in the family so the line died out. Another member of the same family married and then moved to NY and had children, have found that family on the NY 1910,20 and 30 census but nothing else so far. I'm sure there must be distant cousins of some sort in the states but I haven't found them, yet. I've actually had a bit more luck withe the families that moved to the states because they don't have the 100 year rule when it comes to census records so more info is available.

I love tracing my family tree I started it when I was 13 but it's only with the help of the internet and more time as I've got older that I've managed to actually get anywhere. Haven't done much recently though because of the arrival of dd2 but I hope to get back to it eventually.

There are loads of great sites around that help, you can view the census online now and often through Genealogy message boards you can find someone in the area you need info from that is willing to do a look up for you. I've always said that some of the nicest people I've met are fellow genealogists.

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starlover · 30/01/2005 09:14

I haven't, but dp's dad is VERY into the whole thing. He has managed to trace his family back to the 1600's!!!

He has an absolute TON of info for any of you looking for Mitchells! especially in Devon!

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MistressMary · 30/01/2005 09:20

1901

BMD

Church of latter day saints

Archives info

Hope these help, have fun.

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tallulah · 30/01/2005 12:49

I started doing mine when I was 12 & came to a brick wall about 4 generations back. Took it up again as an adult & eventually made contact with a distant relative who had got back to the 1600s. There is now a huge website with our family tree on.

By sheer coincidence we found that DS3s best friend at primary school is actually my 7th cousin! His dad knew that our unusual surname was somewhere in their family tree and brought me their tree to check- I saw the first 2 names & realised it was my tree. What is the likelihood of that?!

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edam · 30/01/2005 13:44

My father's really got into this since watching the BBC programme Who Do You Think You Are. He's found photos of his great, great grandfather and official records back to the mid 19th century. Have uncovered some interesting stuff - had no idea there was a whole German branch, for instance. And our ancesters seem to have been much more mobile than you imagine people were back then - one family moved from Ireland to Glasgow to Wales and the Midlands then back to Wales.

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Lonelymum · 30/01/2005 13:48

I have got back to about 1800 following one line of my mother's family. It is great fun and very addictive. If you want any advice, I would be happy to help.

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Beetroot · 30/01/2005 13:49

This reply has been deleted

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Amanda3266 · 30/01/2005 14:06

Have got back to 1827 on my Mum's side but am now stuck. They all came from Co. Clare, Ireland so that will be my next step.

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edam · 30/01/2005 15:03

Ok, I've just been reading the amazing co-incidences and decided to ask here, just in case...
does anyone know of a Maureen Cecilia Murphy, born in 1924 or earlier? One member of family we can't track down - may well have emigrated as the last we know of her is shortly after WW2.
Long shot, but you never know!

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SecondhandRose · 31/01/2005 10:44

I'm back to 1827, I'm stuck too. I have had a lot of help from people I'm related to on genesreunited. They've given me access to their trees so I've managed to fill in the blanks.

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lilsmum · 31/01/2005 10:52

what are the best sites for tracing? i did try once but didnt really understand it all, would love to do it though

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Lonelymum · 31/01/2005 10:55

Lilsmum, don't know where you are coming from, but you could try starting at www.nationalarchives.gov.uk and go to family history and on from there. Anything more you want explaining, I can try for you!

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lilsmum · 31/01/2005 10:58

thanks lonelymum, most of my family on both sides are from liverpool, but had relations in ireland too x

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Lonelymum · 31/01/2005 11:02

I don't know about Ireland, but the Liverpool rellies hould be easy to find. You need to start with some people you know about, eg grandparents and see if you can find their birth certificates. That gives you their parents and then you can look for their births and marriages etc. Have you tried this sort of thing?

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Lonelymum · 31/01/2005 11:05

Where are you now? If you live in London, you can go tot he family records office and if you are in Liverpool, you could go to the local record office. Both have access to the births, deaths and marriages certificates going back to 1830s and both also have census details from 1841 to 1901.

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throckenholt · 31/01/2005 11:53

1599 on one side ! It becomes a life long addiction

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helsi · 04/02/2005 14:01

Thanks everyone for your advice. Just come back from a weeks holiday so going to start making a go of this from this week. dad has told me that one of his uncles did a load of work on the family tree some years back so I might start there too. Will check out the sites mntioned below.

OP posts:

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Linnet · 05/02/2005 00:09

A word of caution about the Latter Day saints site is that it's not complete and any info that you find on their site should always be followed up to check if it's correct. Of course this is a rule of thumb with almost any info that you find anyway.

On the Mormons site, LDS, I have a man who's first marriage and children of that marriage are listed. But the wife died and he remarried and had more children but the second marriage and subsequent children are not mentioned at all. Luckily I've managed to find out all about them anyway as they lived in the same city I live in so all the records were at the registrars and easy to track down.

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pinkwhistle · 05/02/2005 05:51

Have to agree about the LDS site - some of the records have been submitted by people just doing the family tree and may be inaccurate. Others come from actual records though. They have the world's largest collection of family history records in a massive vault in Salt Lake City in the USA. There are a lot of local centres around the world and they are very helpful too. You can order in specific microfiche/CD's etc for a small donation as well as use what they have, which is usually comprehensive.

I have "done" both mine and dh's family (you are never really finished!). It is very addictive and fast becomes an obsession so beware!!! My dad's side is from the Netherlands and I have most of that back to 1600's. Mum's side largely from Shropshire (Barnsley & Williams), Middlesex (Hunter) and Somerset (Bragg). Dh's dad's side is Irish (from Ballymena) and Scottish (Mowat and Gutcher from Orkney Isles).

I am in Australia but it is amazing how much you can find on the net.

These sites I found very useful:
ancestry
and
rootsweb

Good luck (but don't say we didn't warn you!)