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Original poster

Researching your family tree

174 replies

VoluptuaGoodshag · 14/09/2006 13:51

Anyone done this and what juice did you find out? Also, how do you go about finding out the more interesting stuff? I've done quite well at getting names, dates of birth, marriages and deaths but there is nothing to tell you what the person was actually like.

OP posts:
mummyhill · 21/09/2006 10:12

I have printed off some family sheets from genesreunited and am patiently filling in all the information I have thus far. I will then take the sheets up to mums tonight and see what I can add to my forms from there. Then wll be the painstaking task of updating genes reunited. Roll on pay day so I can have a look at a few other trees.

Bubble thanks for the info on Great uncle Ebby. I hadn't thought to try looking up his details on the cemetary site. I know nan went out to visit the grave marker about 10 years ago. She feels too old to travel there again now.

imaginaryfriend · 21/09/2006 10:32

Actually I've messed up ordering the certificate. My order hasn't gone through because I couldn't put in the GRO details and they won't let me order pre-1900 certificates without it. I was looking for Violet's birth certificate. I couldn't order the marriage one as i don't have a date of her marriage.

I don't think I'm going to make a great detective am I?

lemonaid · 21/09/2006 10:45

bubblerock gave you the references for Violet's birth certificate in her post of Monday, 18 September, 2006 10:31:29 :

Violet Isabel Thornhill
Apr/May/Jun 1882
Sheffield 9c (vol) 577 (pg)

imaginaryfriend · 21/09/2006 11:08

Ah, so I could order it with the GRO details of Sheffield then? I had noted down the details of bubble's post but hadn't worked out exactly what they meant! Duurrr ...

Actually I'm having lots of problems this morning, can't seem to register with ancestry as their screen doesn't fit properly onto my computer so I can't fill in half the boxes which means I can't register and do any searching there. I'm feeling a bit 'grrrr....' as I'd set aside this morning to do some work on this and now it's time to go and get dd already!!!

I think I need to try from dp's much more modern pc laptop. This is a cranky old mac.

throckenholt · 22/09/2006 07:17

the index details you have been quoted here are for the GRO indexes - so they are the ones you order the certificates with.

You would need year, quarter, name, reference number and district.

Don't ask to check details - often you put things you think you know but are wrong (eg fathers name, profession etc) - they check it - say it is wrong, and charge you for the privilege - then you have to reorder again without checking if you really do want it !

I would go just for the marriage to begin with - that will confirm both father's names.

imaginaryfriend · 22/09/2006 11:04

Won't I need to know the year of the marriage though?

mummyhill · 22/09/2006 15:28

Help I need to find my grandfather's birth cert. Herbert Harold Preece born 4 july 1915 died 3 july 1985. His father was called herbert and his mother was louise. His mother died when he was young and dad remarried a woman called Laura. Nan say's she doesn't have his birth cert but without it I can't get any further back than him on his branch of the tree.

mummyhill · 22/09/2006 15:36

I can find his death cert but not his birth or marriage and it is getting frustrating.

bubblerock · 22/09/2006 16:11

Hi MH -

Births 1915 Jul-Aug-Sep
Herbert H Preece (Mothers maiden name Edwards)
Aston 6d 1031

imaginaryfriend · 22/09/2006 16:32

hi bubble!

bubblerock · 22/09/2006 16:57

Hiya - I'm hopping on and off today. How's it going? Did you manage to order the birth certificate?

imaginaryfriend · 22/09/2006 17:24

No, I'm still struggling with the site. And trying to work out if I can order the marriage certificate instead! Flaky old git aren't I?

mummyhill · 22/09/2006 17:39

Bubble I love you. Will get mum to order the cert.

mummyhill · 22/09/2006 17:46

Where did you find it and how as mum wants to know as much as possible about how to run the searches. I have tried entering the infor you gave on ancestry using mums account but can't get the match what am I doing wrong?

mummyhill · 22/09/2006 18:00

Mum gave me access to her account last night as she doesn't have the time to search.

bubblerock · 22/09/2006 18:23

To search for certificates -
On the home page click on the SEARCH tab
On the right hand side of the page it should say 'historical records'
Click on 'England & Wales BMD Index'
Then you have the option of searching the complete BMD 1837-1983 - you can only search these by name.
or
Partial BMD 1837-1983 - these are searchable by more factors but aren't comprehensive, worth checking first though to see if they are on there if you are unsure of the year of the certificate.
Then
The fully searchable 1984 -

Have a play with them using dates you already know and you should find your way around. Shout if you get stuck

throckenholt · 22/09/2006 20:45

if you already know the mother's maiden name, then it is usually best to go for the marriage certificate in preference to the birth certificate.

it gives you approx ages for both partners, professions, addresses, fathers and their professions - much more than you will get from a birth certificate.

mummyhill · 22/09/2006 21:39

I need to see the birth cert to check it is actually grandad then try to obtain the marriage cert etc. for his parents.

mummyhill · 22/09/2006 22:58

Found it, saved to shoe box and passed info to mum. Thanks bubble et al.

zephyrcat · 09/10/2006 14:47

Hi - I just wanted to come back and say thank you for directing me to ScotlandsPeople.com. I've now traced my family in Scotland on both my Grandparents back to 1840 and have still got loads to get through!!

It's such a fab site!! So easy!

I'm getting no-where with DP's English family though - shame they don't run a similar system where you can see marriage records online for a few credits, it makes it a million times easier.

mummyscaryhouseonthehill · 16/10/2006 15:59

I have found a one name search site for my Grandfather and have been put in touch with a distant relative who has researched the family tree and also has photo's of my great grandparents wedding. We are hoping to suprise nan with this stuff on her birthday.

mummyscaryhouseonthehill · 26/10/2006 13:04

Is anyone else using genes reunited? I have had some really amazing responses from there regarding my husbands ancestors. It helps that one of them has a realy distinctive name.

We had a family get together at the weekend which was great cause I got more information to include i the tree from relatives I haven't seen since I was about 11.

I need to buy some credits for ancestry now though to try and trace the rest of the family.

Are there any other websites that any of you have found particularly useful?

Original poster
VoluptuaGoodshag · 17/11/2006 20:06

Try these ones for Ireland

www.irishgenealogy.ie/frame_1280.cfm

www.censusfinder.com/ireland.htm

www.historyfromheadstones.com/index.php?home

and this one for general info on an area

www.visionofbritain.org.uk/index.jsp

I've used ancestry.co.uk and it's OK to a degree but I find the info on there doesn't match the info on Scotland's People in terms of acuracy or indeed existence.

OP posts:
mummyhill · 19/11/2006 08:34

Thankyou will have a look if I find any Irish or scottish links.

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