Is it worth it?

[caslass]

I have wanted to trace my family tree for years, but I have so little information to go on. My mother was brought up in an orphanage. ( I did not know this until after her death) On my fathers side I only had a Grandfather. He would not talk about the past. My own father was the same. There is no family left to ask. So all I know is my Grandfathers name. Would I be wasting my time and money joining one of the ancestry sites? Thankyou

[dothawkes31]

You don't have to join any site, go to your local library and use ancestry.com library edition for free, if you decide the hobby is for you then maybe join a site alot later on.
Start by reading my beginners guide under the 'articles' tab in the family tipic, (no idea why the ed put it there lol)
If you have any graves in the family visit them and record the info from the memorial inscriptions on the stones, check to see if there are any older gravestopmes the family know of.
Most research can be done for free, I advocate that stringly, as millions of people created these records for free.
Write down everything you knwo so far, then see what you have to work with.

[dothawkes31]

http://www.theanswerb...amily-history-part-1/

[caslass]

Thankyou Dot. I have read your guide and I will go to the library when it reopens. Regards. cas

[carolegif]

Don't be discouraged, I helped two people with hardly any family history and once they started looking they soon caught the bug and now have traced family back two hundred years! Beware though, it does become addictive once you get started!!

[harkatlisten]

No you would not be wasting your time or money. Ancestry.co.uk is brilliant. Once you put your own details it will give you information to follow up.
I was brough up in an Orphanage in East Yorkshire and have traced back to 1750's.
GOOD LUCK.

[caslass]

harkatlisten. Thanks for that. The orphanage my mother was brought up in was near Middlesborough and it was a catholic one. I have tried to find the name of it but to no avail I'm afraid

[ironmonger]

Try this site.
Catholic orphanage - 1920s History of Records Topix
It may help you. Good luck

[caslass]

Thanks ironmonger I will try that. Cas

[echokilo]

If you need any help, please let us know - it's very addictive and I am happy to help you with look ups if it helps - nothign worse than getting back from a day's research to find you missed something and can't get back there for ages.

Echo

[caslass]

Thankyou echo. With the weather so bad I have not got as far as the library yet. As soon as it improves I will go down there. Again thankyou.

[Old_Geezer]

Only you can decide whether a particular hobby is worth it to you. What I can say is the joy of finding a hard to get bit of information beats the easy to find stuff.

I started out looking at the library records, but checking things on your PC in the comfort of your own home beats having to travel to search the microfiches, hands down. But by all means start out cheaply and change as you discover whether this is for you, or not.

To be honest I joined a monthly fee site (since I figured paying by the search was going to run up too much of a bill) and I'm glad I did, even though I'm not using it so much these days. The fee isn't extortionate so I don't mind, and can search some more whenever the urge takes me. And the site gives pointers as to what I may like to check out too.

[craft1948]

If you are prepared to divulge what information you have I think a lot of people on here would help you.............I have annual subscriptions to ancestry and the genealogist so it costs me nothing to try and help others......