Getting down to the roots of Family Tree research

[springyzone]

Janeababe and I thought some people here might be interested in a genealogy type thread, so here it is!

Maybe it will just be the 2 of us on it most of the time, but if anyone is interested, this is an ancestory thread that we can chat on and give hints on research tips, and experience etc. And maybe share stories.

Jane and I are both in Ancestry. She has world membership and I currently do too, so we're happy to look up stuff for people if they want.

My hints for the day:

1. Trove, for looking up newspaper notices etc in Australia. I don't find it all that easy to use sometimes but I have found some useful stuff on there. It is free to use.

2. If you have English ancestors. The 1921 UK census is out but it isn't free. However, you can do a free search which will show names, birth location, current county and the names of some of the other people on that census record. If you then want all the details, you'll have to pay for a copy but sometimes the bare bones are useful.😁

The only place you'll find it is here.

1921 Census of England & Wales is exclusively online at Findmypast | findmypast.com.au

Find my past has the rights to it for the next 3 years or so I have read. After that it will be released but till then, you won't find it on Ancestry or anywhere else.

[janeababe]

Great thread, Springy. ♥️

I’ll pop back in tonight and add to it, I have a few trove tips (I love trove 😉) and a few pointers about buying certificates (the cheap way) 😉

How to authenticate the info you find, and matching your details to other family trees online.

I’m also happy to look up info for others if they need. (When I have time 😉) do this via private pm if you don’t want your family names online in a public board.

Just want to add, researching your history online takes HOURS, DAYS, WEEKS, MONTHS…..YEARS.

I’m up to my 8th year now, but have only signed up to ancestory world 6mths ago.  (Due again next month….it’s not cheap) 

I also have a DNA kit in progress.

I’m not an expert, no way….. but delving into the family past and finding out new info is my absolute FAVOURITE time consuming task in the world. 
I’m sure Springy will agree 👍🏻

Happy family  history hunting, folks.  
xxxj 💋

[springyzone]

Looking forward to hints about trove. I once read a great tip on what to type in to narrow the search but I have lost the info.

Another broad, general hint.

19th century people often had a terrible habit of naming their kids and forever thereafter, never using the first name. So if you're looking up someone, even if you think you know their name, even if every document from marriage, census, death, has the same first name, if you can't find their birth record, try a more open ended search without first name or with their known name as second name.

This might seem very basic and it is, but if you have photos, even if they are digital and only on your computer, name and date them!

If you have old photos and don't know who is in them, get your parents to have a look, if you are lucky enough to have them still around. Never assume you can do it 'later'.

I have a lovely old early 20th century photo album that belonged to my grandmother, who died in 1987. I did get my mother to have a look in the 1990s but she wasn't sure about many of them and I strongly suspect now she got several wrong of the ones she supposedly 'knew', although at the time I had no idea of that. I could have asked my grandmother. I am sure she knew who most of them were (although most photos were before her time). But I never did, did I and that knowledge is gone forever now.😣

[springyzone]

Another general type hint.

If you go to the trouble of doing some family history research or even just something basic like compiling a collection of photos that go back a way, it is worth preserving.

I'm not sure computers cut it as information can be lost.

I can recommend a company that is good for printing up your photo collection though. It is Bookwright.

I've tried a lot of photobook companies but Bookwright is better if you have any slabs of text to add, which you often will have with family history.

You can choose the size you want, type of paper and cover and there are many pre set layouts for texts, photos or both that you can choose from. You can change the pre set ones easily too. I have often had to.

Regarding price. Not cheap but if you subscribe to their email newsletter, special offers come through reasonably regularly. The thing to do is make your book then sit back and wait for a special.

I put together a family history book 3 years back, here is the cover. I found my kids enjoyed reading it but they have zilch interest normally in family history. As a guide, my book was 230 pages and cost about $100 to have printed and delivered. Print quality was excellent, colours true, delivery reasonably fast. I opted for better quality paper so it wasn't the cheapest it could have been.

Your book wouldn't have to be about family history, it could be anything I guess. 

[springyzone]

---

Here's the book cover. I had to remove it from post above because I'm an idiot. I removed my name from the front and was checking it to see how it showed up on messageboard, basking in anonymity and noticed I also had full name on the spine.😄

That's how criminals get caught. Lucky I don't live a life of crime.

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[springyzone]

Another hint.

Just say you have an old photo and don't have a clue who is in it or when it was taken.

There are facebook sites that can help but first of all, look at the whole photo, not just the picture part.

Here is an example.

You'll notice the photographer was James Davidson in Edinburgh.

You can often do a google search which will show when a photographer was working in a particular location.

I got 2 results for James Davidson.

James Davidson (2) was a professional photographer in Edinburgh, 1885-1900.  He was also a portrait painter.

The other said

1858:  optician and photographer

He exhibited ten portraits in the 1858 PSS Exhibition.

I'm leaning to the 1st one and think the photo was therefore taken between 1885-1900.

Now, my mother told me with complete confidence that this was a photo of my grandmother's grandfather, who was a minister. I labelled it as such.

The only trouble with that, as I (much) later found, is the man in question came out to Australia in Dec 1872, at the age of 32 and died Jan 1887 in Brunswick, Vic, aged only 46.

I now suspect this is more likely to be a photo of his father.

[imastawka]

Springy, my daughter has had many photo books done for members of the family at different times, and she uses Vistaprint.

People mainly know them for printing business cards, but they do much more.

Her books have been very professional looking and with hard covers.

They start at 24 pages up to 120 -  so not as large as yours.   Prices start at $26.39

All info here for anybody interested -

Custom Photo Books Australia - Make Photo Albums Online - Vistaprint

[flashie*]

We had an ancestry thread on here about 10 years ago.

I have ancestry UK heritage.

Happy to help anyone with their brick walls.

Message me on here.

[flashie*]

Trove is brilliant.

I use it all the time.

There are some ways to make it a bit easier.

if you are looking for John Brown you can gets heaps of results.

Try putting John+Brown........(this will give  you articles that has both names in it)

If you want to cut it down even more try   "John+Brown".......(this will give you the two names used together)

[springyzone]

Thanks, Flashie. Will remember that.

I also read another hint some time ago. I wish I could remember what it was, but it was another way to narrow things down.