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Several years ago, already curious about my family roots.
I went to dinner with a friend who talked about her family history
research. She and her father had been researching her family tree for over
30 years but had just purchased some computer software that had
revolutionised her archiving system. As I was a computer user I went
out and purchased some software and was soon recording all the information
I already had, which didn't take long. |
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I purchased Generations 8 software from Sierra, rather
deceiving called a "UK edition". Despite most of the CD roms being full
of what so far has proved to be useless information, I soon got to grips with the main software and
started to archive what I already knew about my family. |
| After a lot of experimenting, wasting lots of money on
unhelpful books, magazines and useless subscriptions to web-sites - I now seem to
have a good idea as to what I am doing. |
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I posted off my first mini printout of my
family tree to all my known relations asking
them to add and correct anything that may help.
This got a great response!
Information quickly grew about my family as did my genealogical knowledge
through reading several good books and magazine articles.
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Soon I was visiting the Public
Records Office in Kew and the Family Records Centre in Farringdon, London
and spending time waiting anxiously for certificates to arrive to give me even
more information. I also have made several visits to the Bedfordshire
Records Office to scrutinize original Parish Records |
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Also on my list of great places for help is the local
Family Research Centre of the Latter Day Saints. Although I do not follow
their beliefs, they were incredibly helpful and helped me find my first real
breakthrough - establishing facts behind the family myths of a "South
African connection".
They give free access to their computers and
software as well as microfiche readers. They have an ordering service
where you can get the fiche of specific Parish Records for you to
view. |
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I have made lots of new friends
through sharing my sometime hobby, sometime obsession. I have got to know
members of my own family that I had not been in contact with for too long
and met the most helpful group of people who share the family history
drug. |
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I have recently subscribed to
ancestry.co.uk. These have a wide range of census data as well as
facilities to search indexes for civil registers. |
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Other useful site is
genesreunited.com which is
very cheap to subscribe to and full of other members of the public who
are researching their family trees. If you upload your tree onto their
site as a gedcom file they operate a "hot match" service which
includes a regular e.mail to you. |
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The Mormon web site
familysearch.org is very
useful. You can search the IGI which is their transcriptions of Parish
Registers. It is not complete by any means but it is free and useful.
It also gives parents on some baptism and marriage documents. Be
cautious of the LDS baptisms, as these are ancestral baptisms carried
out by members of the Mormon Faith but are not always supported by
documentation. You can also search the 1881 census free, although you
cannot view the original documents. |
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I also suggest building your own
web site. The company you use for you internet access and e.mail
probably include free web space as part of the package. Find out and
have a go. |
