Family History

[Barmaid]

Is this something that interests you?  Have you researched anything?  Have you done a DNA test for family history purposes? Have you any stories to tell?

It's my main hobby and I love it.  I like to find out about the person as much as possible rather than just names and dates.  I think I have about 19 lines on the go at the moment and I've been doing it for 34 years!!!

Over to you.....

[Sqad]

No.......never interested me.

I am one for the present , not the past.

 

[Redhelen72]

I found my dad's cousin through one of those sites - she had researched their side quite considerably and discovered that one of our ancestors was married to fletcher christians sister or brother.

Other than that I discovered that my maiden name is the equivelant to Smith or Jones in Devon!

A very kind lady looked up my mothers side of the family and I discovered my great great great grandad was a tailor from Ireland who remarried in his 60s or 70s and had another family - going some for that day and age

 

[Barmaid]

I'm not sure that the two are mutually exclusive, Sqad.  Plus had I not been interested, I would never have known that you and my grandfather went to the same school!  (Although he was significantly before your time, you being a mere youngster).

I've got a chap still fathering the last of his 20 or so children in his 70s, RH.  He got through 3 wives.  

[MargoTester]

I haven't but OH knew that he was adopted and managed to find his father who had a very unusual middle name. He made a general enquiry on one of the ancestry type websites and within 24 hours had a reply which turned him from an only child to someone with 4 sisters and 8 brothers!!

[Redhelen72]

😧

[ferlew]

I take out a six month subscription for something to do during the winter months.
I have got back to my 6th great grandad and my father's side, born 1620. I am lucky enough that they had a very unusual surname.
Also found a 7th g/g/dad on the female side of the above who was the 8th Laird of Merchiston. b. 1550

 

[ferlew]

That should read "on my father's side" not and.

[Barmaid]

Margo - does he keep in touch?  

Ferlew - I subscribe all year round because I tend to dip in and out, but like you, it is very much a winter hobby.  I've got an unusual name on one line and they lived in the same area for generations so I have managed to get back to my 12x g grandfather who was born around 1530.  Most of that I did at the record office though.  I got quite a kick out of seeing an original Will of an ancestor from the late 1600s.

The websites are useful for a wet and cold Sunday afternoon, but the local record offices are fantastic!

[ferlew]

Most of mine on my dad's side are in Scotland, notably Kirkudnrightshire, and my mother's side all come from N. Ireland, so no record office visiting for me :(
Although - I did stay with a pal in Dumfries a few years ago, and she was able to take me to a graveyard where we found some rellies.

[Barmaid]

Scotland's People is quite a good site to use - I've never done any record offices in Scotland (in fairness, the scottish research I have done is not on my direct line and has always been for someone else).  The Scots were very good at records and their birth, marriages and deaths are a lot more useful than english ones!

Have you got a clan castle?

[MargoTester]

Barmaid, there are only two of the left now - OH being the youngest at 79 - but yes they do keep in touch. Such a shame really that they got in contact so late in the day. 

[ferlew]

I have no idea Barmaid.

[Barmaid]

Merchiston Tower - Wikipedia

There you go, Ferlew - your inheritance! 😉

[Barmaid]

Sorry, that was meant to be a link!!

[ferlew]

Funnily enough I just went on Wiki and his father was born at Merchiston Castle. Never thought to use Wiki for this hobby.

[Barmaid]

Google and Wiki are good.  The Internet Archive is fantastic for being able to search and read old books.  I'll bet with having titled folk, you'd find lots of stuff in the IA.

Once you get to the IA website - tick "search text" and see what you come up with.  There - that's your winter months sorted!!!

[ferlew]

Thank you Barmaid :)

 

[Barsel]

I did start this years ago after Who Do You Think You Are started on the tele, but couldn't go back as far as they did.

Can I ask which sites you use Barmaid? How far back can you go with sites like Ancestry?

 

 

 

[Barsel]

There is still a Geneology site on here but looks like nobody uses it anymore.

[Barmaid]

Barsel, I use Ancestry and Find my Past.  I've got the full packages since I often do World-Wide research or use Newspapers.

I also use The Genealogist on a PAYG basis for stuff like tithe maps.

Free sites are familysearch.org, FreeCen and FreeReg.  You can also get free downloads of certain records from the National Archives.  I also use the Internet Archive.  I also regularly look at the catalogues of local record offices.  Plus I have joined a number of local family history groups (very often a modest joining fee and then access to some of their records).  FB groups are very useful as are forum sites like Rootschat.

You can go back a very long way on Ancestry and FMP - certainly I have just looked at a scan of an original parish register from 1588 on ancestry.  However, they have their limitations.  The "hints" on ancestry are appalling - I ignore them.  They are generally based on the "Trees" that other users have cobbled together.  Unfortunately, people just blindly add "ancestors" based on the trees of others (which have not been properly researched).  I often find myself exasperated at people who have John Smith born in Coventry in 1620, getting married in Devon in 1710, having 26 children all over the country and then dying in 1760 before remarrying in 1780.  A lot of this is impossible and it is clear that no thought has been given to it.  Ancestry then trot these out as "hints".  I always try and adhere to the Genealogical Proof Standard - although the further back you go, the harder this is.

Where these sites are useful is that if you are looking for a baptism in a particular parish, you can often see a scan of the original record.  Once I have got a scan, I then browse through, page by page (the transcriptions are often wrong too) and look at the whole Register for that parish.  You often get a real feel for a family that way.

You can also view the original Census Returns (taken every ten years from 1841) up to 1921 on FMP (1841 to 1911 on Ancestry).  They are very useful.

Once you get earlier than 1837, there was no civil registration (ie births, marriages and deaths) and one has to depend on parish registers which are baptisms, marriages and burials. They can be notoriously hit and miss.   You can only see the indices of civil registration online and if you want the detail, you have to buy certificates (although the GRO have just launched a new service where you can get pdf downloads of certain births and deaths for 1.50).  

Wills are invaluable.  There are some pre 1858 Wills on Ancestry and FMP.  Generally any Will after 1858 you have to buy from the Probate Registry - although nowadays they are only £1.50 and are generally emailed within 3 weeks (20 years ago it was £15.00!).

Often local libraries have access to the main sites.  Some local libraries also have a good local studies section (if your research is local).

If you are an idiot like me, you then end up spending your free time in record offices looking at manorial rolls and indentures and other parchments.  Mr BM thinks I am a bit potty.