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Who do you think you are?
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Since watching this I would like to trace my ancestors. Where do I start - all I seem to find are companies who want me to take out a subscriptions. Do the Government have a website where I can find out information ?
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You can do your family tree for free but it will involve visiting Records Officed up and down the country, depending on where your ancestors came from. You can't do it for free online.
If you really are serious, a subscription to Ancestry is virtually essential - not cheap at about �80 per year but most genealogists will agree that it is worth every penny.
There are free websites:
http://www.freebmd.org.uk/ - inxdex of births, marriages and deaths from the start of civil registration in Q3 1837 upto about 1920. Events past 1920 are available online but on websites where you have to pay. You can view them for free at Records Offices and some large libraries. Even that is only the INDEX and not the details, you have to buy the birth, marriage or detah certificate to get the detail and they cost �7 each.
http://www.familysearch.org/eng/default.asp - has the 1881 census for free plus the IGI (a collection of mainly baptisms and marriages from 1500's to mid 1800's although not a complete list).
http://www.ukbmd.org.uk/ - A site which helps you find resources availabe for your area. For example, I am from Staffordshire and they have a free BMD site (www.staffordshirebmd.org.uk), UKBMD will list this plus other sites if I click on Staffordshire on their menu.
If you really are serious, a subscription to Ancestry is virtually essential - not cheap at about �80 per year but most genealogists will agree that it is worth every penny.
There are free websites:
http://www.freebmd.org.uk/ - inxdex of births, marriages and deaths from the start of civil registration in Q3 1837 upto about 1920. Events past 1920 are available online but on websites where you have to pay. You can view them for free at Records Offices and some large libraries. Even that is only the INDEX and not the details, you have to buy the birth, marriage or detah certificate to get the detail and they cost �7 each.
http://www.familysearch.org/eng/default.asp - has the 1881 census for free plus the IGI (a collection of mainly baptisms and marriages from 1500's to mid 1800's although not a complete list).
http://www.ukbmd.org.uk/ - A site which helps you find resources availabe for your area. For example, I am from Staffordshire and they have a free BMD site (www.staffordshirebmd.org.uk), UKBMD will list this plus other sites if I click on Staffordshire on their menu.
Cont...
As for the pay sites...
http://www.ancestry.co.uk/ - Has all English and Welsh censuses (1841 - 1901) and some Scottish ones. Has complete BMD index 1837-2006, WWI Army Service Records, some historic nespapers and much much more.
http://www.findmypast.com/home.jsp - Similar to Ancestry in what it offers. I don't know exactly as people tend to use one or the other and I use the other!
http://www.genesreconnected.co.uk - DON'T SIGN UP FOR THE GOLD MEMBERSHIP. That offers credit to search census etc etc. The credits are expensive copmpared to other sites, are a complete waste of money and only direct you to the other sites anyway, just pay the �9.95 for 6 months to allow you access to the message boards where you can ask questions and get help. You can also build your family tree on there and lots more. Just don't pay for credits...
http://www.familyhistoryonline.co.uk - quite a useful site, you can buy �5 worth of credits which last for ages. No census info but they have the NBI (national burial index) and some other records that can't be found on other sites.
As I said, you can do your tree for free offline if you are prepared to travel. To do it online you WILL need to pay for information, genealogy is not a cheap hobby but is very rewarding!
You will still need to visit Records Offices at somepoint anyway as pre-1837, records available online become few and far between!
As for the pay sites...
http://www.ancestry.co.uk/ - Has all English and Welsh censuses (1841 - 1901) and some Scottish ones. Has complete BMD index 1837-2006, WWI Army Service Records, some historic nespapers and much much more.
http://www.findmypast.com/home.jsp - Similar to Ancestry in what it offers. I don't know exactly as people tend to use one or the other and I use the other!
http://www.genesreconnected.co.uk - DON'T SIGN UP FOR THE GOLD MEMBERSHIP. That offers credit to search census etc etc. The credits are expensive copmpared to other sites, are a complete waste of money and only direct you to the other sites anyway, just pay the �9.95 for 6 months to allow you access to the message boards where you can ask questions and get help. You can also build your family tree on there and lots more. Just don't pay for credits...
http://www.familyhistoryonline.co.uk - quite a useful site, you can buy �5 worth of credits which last for ages. No census info but they have the NBI (national burial index) and some other records that can't be found on other sites.
As I said, you can do your tree for free offline if you are prepared to travel. To do it online you WILL need to pay for information, genealogy is not a cheap hobby but is very rewarding!
You will still need to visit Records Offices at somepoint anyway as pre-1837, records available online become few and far between!
Hi smurfchops.
The very first thing you need to do is speak to as many members of your family that you know. Ask lots of questions and make lots of notes. Quite possibly there is a family member that has a collection of certificates and wills etc that may give you a good head start.
Find out as much as you can and try to identify locations of gravestones, Monumental inscriptions are very useful.
Once you have a good collection of names and dates then you can start using the resources in your local reference library. If your family moved around and you need to search further afield then the online sources listed above will be essential, but see what you can check out locally first.
No doubt there is a Family History Society in your area that will provide resources and advice at their monthly meetings, they only charge a small membership fee and you will get alot of help. Ask in your local library for the contact details.
The very first thing you need to do is speak to as many members of your family that you know. Ask lots of questions and make lots of notes. Quite possibly there is a family member that has a collection of certificates and wills etc that may give you a good head start.
Find out as much as you can and try to identify locations of gravestones, Monumental inscriptions are very useful.
Once you have a good collection of names and dates then you can start using the resources in your local reference library. If your family moved around and you need to search further afield then the online sources listed above will be essential, but see what you can check out locally first.
No doubt there is a Family History Society in your area that will provide resources and advice at their monthly meetings, they only charge a small membership fee and you will get alot of help. Ask in your local library for the contact details.
Grivitate. Do you mean gravitate? Perhaps you should get a dictionery ...... sorry dictionary. And to everyone else, many thanks, I don't mind paying but as most great grandparents are from Poland and Russia I just don't feel I would get very far. Obviously I don't mind paying if I think I can go a long way back. Would I need an Eastern European website ??? !!!
smurfchops, you would be surprised what you can do from the comfort of your own home.
My children's step-great grandfather escaped with his familt from Russia in 1904, he hid in a hay cart, they were Russian Jews and arrived in London with nothing but the money they had made selling their furniture business in Russia.
The family changed their name from manalinski to Emmanual, his father rented a shop in spitalfirlds and began making and selling furniture. By 1910 the whole family had applied for naturalisation and the papers drawn up are now deposited at the Public Record Office at Kew, we obtained copies and it gave the birth place for Julius Manalinski, the father. From this we were able to use the internet sources to trace some of the brothers who travelled onto leeds, Yorkshire and the USA by using the UK census and the passenger Lists availabel on some of the sites listed above.
Incidentally, when Esther Rantzen was the subject of the programme the other week, (and don;t forget the BBC employs professional genealogists and record researchers to do the work prior to bringing in the celebrity) esther was told that her grandfather, Barnett was the nephew of Barnett Isaccs, the jewish diamond millionaire.
My childrens step-great grandfather was Barnett Emmanuel, and they all lived in the same borough, Spitalfields, and Barnett Emmanual married Barnett Isaccs niece, I think she was Sophie Isaccs but can't recall for sure.
You will have more success than you think, I have used alot of the sources you would need and so get some names together and i can maybe give you some further ideas.
My children's step-great grandfather escaped with his familt from Russia in 1904, he hid in a hay cart, they were Russian Jews and arrived in London with nothing but the money they had made selling their furniture business in Russia.
The family changed their name from manalinski to Emmanual, his father rented a shop in spitalfirlds and began making and selling furniture. By 1910 the whole family had applied for naturalisation and the papers drawn up are now deposited at the Public Record Office at Kew, we obtained copies and it gave the birth place for Julius Manalinski, the father. From this we were able to use the internet sources to trace some of the brothers who travelled onto leeds, Yorkshire and the USA by using the UK census and the passenger Lists availabel on some of the sites listed above.
Incidentally, when Esther Rantzen was the subject of the programme the other week, (and don;t forget the BBC employs professional genealogists and record researchers to do the work prior to bringing in the celebrity) esther was told that her grandfather, Barnett was the nephew of Barnett Isaccs, the jewish diamond millionaire.
My childrens step-great grandfather was Barnett Emmanuel, and they all lived in the same borough, Spitalfields, and Barnett Emmanual married Barnett Isaccs niece, I think she was Sophie Isaccs but can't recall for sure.
You will have more success than you think, I have used alot of the sources you would need and so get some names together and i can maybe give you some further ideas.
Dot you are an absolute star. All I can tell you ... my maternal grandfather was Aaron Eidlestein and he married Rachel ( I believe her surname was Goldblatt but not sure). I think they were born in this country, they married in approximately 1910 and lived in Bethnal Green area. I would think their parents came over from Eastern Europe. Their children were Lily, Leslie, Cyril and Hilda. Can we go anywhere from there? I can't wait to see what we can find out !
Dot I just found some records about AE, naturalisation, at Kew ... if you email [email protected] perhaps that would be a better way to keep in touch. Thanks so much :)
Hi there - Dot and Cheeky have given you some great advice .... but not sure anyone has mentioned www.tribalpages.co.uk ............... you can register there for a free website and to upgrade to include report printing and more space for photos it's �15 a year ...... what is really good value as this allows you to share your research and contact people .... I have a tribalpages website and I wouldn't be without it .... ...... but the best advise is start on pen and paper and talk to all your relatives as much as possible ......... don't want to be morbid, but especially the elderly ones .... I didn't talk to my grandparents about their memories when they were still here and very much regret it ........ if you have futher questions post in genealogy under the history heading.
EK
EK
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