Getting started

[granny grump]

Good morning After watching who do you think you are last night grandad grump was stirred to kick start his family search again. He logged onto Genes reunited and although he has registered he hasn't paid anything yet. Can anyone tell me if this is a good site to use or is there another better one? we really are quite new to this Thank you

[Sonyme]

Genes Reunited will find matches for names you have entered but you have to pay to view any record. I have stgopped using it - I input Henry Brown born 1860 inCarshalton, Surrey and got a list of "matches" Henry browns born in Halifax, Rochdale, Livrpool etc not much use at all.Ancestry is better but it can be expensive.

[craft1948]

GenesReunited was the first site I ever used and back then you had to buy credits to view census records etc but nowadays they have different tiers of membership. As Sonyme says I have found that overall the best site to use, and build your tree on is ancestry.co.uk, but again this has about 3 different membership rates i.e. the more you pay the more you see.
As a complete genealogy nut I belong to genesreunited, ancestry, thegenealogist, findmypast, and also buy credits on scotlandspeople.........

[granny grump]

Thank you both for you input we will sit down and have a think. Crikey craft you are well hooked

[Sonyme]

There is a software programe called Fanily Tree Maker 2011, I believe it carries a 3 month free membership of Ancestry, which would be a cheaper way to get started. Don't register with Ancestry straight away - go as far as you can with Tree maker, then start your free trial, you may be able to get as far as you want in the three months without any extra cost. You will have to pay for copies of birth death or marriage certificates ans any copies of census pages.

[askyourgran]

I found quite a lot on familysearch.com the Mormon site, there is no fee to view, so it is Ok to get going with. I'm not registered with any of the geneaology sites (too expensive for me) Ancestry seems to be the best imo but frustrating when you can't see what you need without paying for results. I've found that my local library have 17 computers free to use once you sign in. They run he Ancestry site there for free, so if there is anything I'm stuck with I can go to the library.

[granny grump]

Thank you sonyme & askyourgran very helpful

[echokilo]

I find tribalpages a great place to store my tree and it allow support uploading of around 600 photos - and it's searchable on line by others and so has found me many connections ... www.tribalpages.com to set up a new tree - it's about £18 a year, payable in USD by Paypal. For research I find ancestry the best - and I don't really notice the cost as I use it so much but I think I pay baout £60 a year (?) - and there is also a free birth, deaths and marriages site, which is not so easy to search BUT is good for cross checking and double checking. This is at wwwfeebmd.org.uk and no registration is needed. Good luck. Post questions on here when you reach dead ends - lkoads of people will help you!

[granny grump]

Thank you echokilo We will look at all the suggestions Thank you it has been a big help

[echokilo]

Keep us posted about how you get on x

[cc1]

Depending on where your family came from there are a number of good free on-line parish records site, Lancashire and Cornwall are two I've used and there's also an excellent site covering parts of Derbyshire though I can't recall its name.
If you use the Mormon site, look at the newer version too, there's stuff on there not on the older site.

[lyall]

If you have relatives in Lincolnshire, Lincoln Archives have also gone ‘on-line’ with the majority of their parish records, and loads of other local information/documents. It’s free to access. A word of advice, I spent ages getting nowhere until I found I wasn’t using the correct ‘code’ or the correct ‘box’. To access the parish records type the place you require into the ‘With the exact phrase’ box, leave a space and type par1. If you don’t do this you get a list of every single document on the site that contains the place name you entered, most of which are totally irrelevant. Below is the link to the home page. As to the different sites, I’ve tried them all at one time or another and have found good and bad points on all of them. You need to look carefully at what a subscription offers and if it fits what you actually need. Most sites offer a free one/two week trial, with limited access I’ll admit, but give it a go that way you can get an idea of what’s on offer. Happy hunting.

http://www.lincstothepast.com/

[Old_Geezer]

I've had more contacts from other amateur genealogists from that GR site then any other. The annual cost is minimal. Although for searching data records I use Ancestry.