Researching Family History.

I subscribe to both Ancestry and Find My Past. I’ve been full of good intentions to give one up, since I retired eight years ago. Both are similar, and the searches work in similar ways, Occassionally one will have some new records before the other.

You can have an online tree on Ancestry, though mine is not up to date, as I use Family Historian on my computer.

i think they both will have free trials, so you could try them out.

I used Ancestry and loved it, I haven' t renewed my subscription because I had found so much information and it was expensive just to make a few searches. Will be paying again in 2021 when the next census is available. I found some living family members through their message board.

Many thanks, I had taken a peek at Ancestry site. Looks like you can do either UK or Worldwide search for different prices. Think they have an offer on at the moment as well.

This is a bit of an aside to the  usual routes of researching family history. I knew that my fathers family originated from Germany in the mid 1800's. So not perhaps the easiest route to to discover things. One clue we had  was that my Great Grandfather was a photographer and owned a shop in Brighton. One day I discovered a website that had a history of Sussex photographers and low and behold I discovered the history of my fathers side family all in one go. The only problem with researching family history is that you have to prepare yourself for shocks, I will say no more

David

Takethedogalong I'm not sure how to phrase this question without causing offence 😂 but if your OH family stayed local - a subscription to that local record office online, which hopefully will have digitised it's parish registers, you'll need these pre 1837, not all record offices were prepared to give up the earning capacity of these!I used to work in our local record office and know 😉😉.

Essex have done parish registers and some electoral registers, and the wills they hold. There's also the opportunity to search your local record office holdings for other things which 'puts the flesh' on your lists. Things like proccess books of indictment for the naughty ones. Admissions and discharge for indoor relief, and outdoor relief, at the workhouse and board of guardians together with parish relief which came before. Gosh there's some sad tales there 😢

Personally I preferred Find My Past to Ancestory for searching and at the time I retired had mostly the same sources. Don't forget if you use these sites they have been indexed for names and errors have and probably do still appear! 

David the number if folks who were shocked by early babies etc was amazing let alone anything else! Parish registers spare no ones feelings, bastard, base born are there for all to see 😢

Thanks DK, it’s OHs project really, but I suspect I won’t be able to resist taking a peek back into mine. When Dad died last year, we realised that he had only one Christian name rather than the two he sometimes used, and that did appear on a few of his documents. We were somewhat puzzled until we realised he had been baptised as RC, and I think it can involve the name of Saints? As you say, all sorts of things get thrown up. Should keep OH busy through his dark evenings though. 

That’s a very good tip B2, could form part of research. We both have parents who aren’t local to where we live, born elsewhere. There are railway connections and of course they moved with the lines and depots as things progressed. I will be chuffed to bits if we could get back far enough to tell if Dad came from Viking stock, he certainly looked the part, very tall, blond hair, icy blue eyes and cheekbones!

 I will be chuffed to bits if we could get back far enough to tell if Dad came from Viking stock, he certainly looked the part, very tall, blond hair, icy blue eyes and cheekbones!

Nothing like aiming high! 😂😂😂. Most parish records start 1500's if they survive, and no offence meant, peasants aren't over recorded 😂😂on the other hand if there's nobility...........  if you know which railway you may get somewhere with employees records. So much stuff is now closed for 100 years now to ensure no living persons are compromised.......

Lots of trips in your van, visiting the appropriate record offices. Whole new dimension to our hobby. (We had several visit us, some quite regularly cos we were a great crew 😉😉) 

Several members of my family have enjoyed getting our DNA tested, all special birthday presents and each one unique. We used Ancestry DNA but there are others. Ancestry offers basic DNA results spanning 2000 years. That's one idea.

A subscription to a local family history society is another, depending where you want to start. I've belonged to a London based one but now use two, Somerset & Dorset and Devon. If you've local interests these can be goldmines and you can attend meetings on all sorts of FH subjects.  You might find someone has already done research on your family and they usually provide access to a huge range of local family history.

Other than that I've subscribed to Findmypast and also use the excellent and free FreeBMD website.

PS we're from a high percentage of Viking stock but the dark haired variety...looks can be deceptive. 

It is aiming too far I agree!🤣 OH has some links wrong side of bedsheets with some titled aristo allegedly, but that might be his Mum aiming high! 👑 My family had employment links to Wentworth Woodhouse so who knows what that might throw up. I don’t know anything further back than my Grandparents on both sides. 

We love a good graveyard as well, must admit.