topic Re: Anyone else into seeking their ancestors? in Community Spirit

Anyone else into seeking their ancestors?

darksideofthemoon — Sun, 08 May 2011 22:02:01 GMT

I have become adicted to Ancestry.com and am lucky enough that one side of my family can be researched way back into the dim times.

The other side has hit a brick wall and I have to wait until someone else in the world may have more information.

How is everyone else going?

Re: Anyone else into seeking their ancestors?

Anonymous — Sun, 08 May 2011 22:12:06 GMT

Hubby and I did ours, well, are doing it, I don't think you ever finish, LOL It can be such fun, especially when you hit a brick wall, and a total stranger helps you out, you can make some ripper new friends too. Hubby now emails a chap in England we thought was a cousin, turns out he wasn't, but what a great friend we found.

The most annoying bit for us was family hiding illegitimate births, re naming a new baby after one that had died, and funeral records that mispell names, that one can be so frustrating.

Re: Anyone else into seeking their ancestors?

Anonymous — Sun, 08 May 2011 22:13:20 GMT

Oh, forgot to say, find some Forums overseas, post the information you are after and you may get results. Don't forget to post in America, the Mormons there hava a huge data base.....shades of 1984.

Re: Anyone else into seeking their ancestors?

dorroughby — Sun, 08 May 2011 22:36:55 GMT

I've researched both sides of my ancestry on the internet.
I have filled in nearly all the names back to the point where they entered Australia - convicts and gold seekers on my mother's side and Cornish miners on my father's side.
One day I might find a way to research the English roots past 1788.

I have also researched my children's ancestry on their mother's side, which is quite different and includes free settlers from German & Chinese roots, and an Aboriginal ancestor from the stolen generations.

Great fun.
I have even found the original court documents for a couple of convict ancestors transported to Australia. One was for stealing 2 silver candlesticks and another was a customs officer who stole a roll of cloth from a ship he was meant to be inspecting.
It was much easier to become an Aussie in those days.:-)

Re: Anyone else into seeking their ancestors?

flashie* — Mon, 09 May 2011 00:44:39 GMT

I am hugely into family history.

And I have got quite good at it.....I have done other peoples trees too......sometimes paying customers.....some times just because I like the challenge.

I have got quite a few good sites bookmarked.

But most of my research has been in the UK and Australia.

All convicts on my side of the family.......and not one in site on hubbys family.

I ahve had to fight for every little bit of information on my side.......and hubby's is a published book...............it isn't fair.

Re: Anyone else into seeking their ancestors?

izabsmiling — Mon, 09 May 2011 00:49:16 GMT

Hello,
I'm a learner ,without a map and I tend to take the wrong leads and get lost often...lol

I wish they had written more carefully and spelt surnames correctly.It would make things much easier.

Re: Anyone else into seeking their ancestors?

izabsmiling — Mon, 09 May 2011 00:52:55 GMT

Do people think Ancestry is the best site?

Re: Anyone else into seeking their ancestors?

flashie* — Mon, 09 May 2011 00:54:19 GMT

Iza...the best site if you are starting off is family search....it is a free site.

The first thing would be to get your parents wedding certificate....it should have the names of your grandparents on it.....and work your way back from there.

Re: Anyone else into seeking their ancestors?

everything*that*i*ever*wanted — Mon, 09 May 2011 00:55:27 GMT

My Dad's sister found out that she wasn't his cousin but instead his sister via researching the family tree. She was able to go back to the 1600's but passed away before she got further.

I have a copy of where she got upto. We go back to the first fleets. On my ex's side his family goes back to a Great Great Great Grandfather who was transported for plotting high treason...he was to be hanged but got a last minute reprieve and landed here instead.

Re: Anyone else into seeking their ancestors?

flashie* — Mon, 09 May 2011 00:55:55 GMT

Ancestry is good.....but ther are other alternatives.....Findmy past is one.

Ancestry offers world access......but it can be expensive.....I have the Australian UK heritage pack for jsut over $200.....for a years membership.........and because I do so much reserch it is wll worth it for me.

Re: Anyone else into seeking their ancestors?

everything*that*i*ever*wanted — Mon, 09 May 2011 00:57:23 GMT

My Aunty did most of her research via the old fashioned way...she died about 12 years ago. She searched BD&M's, Electoral Rolls, Graveyards and word of mouth.

A friend of mine is researching her tree at the moment and has found the Graveyard Registries very helpful. They are also good as many families tended to be buried closeby and had descendents listed.

Re: Anyone else into seeking their ancestors?

flashie* — Mon, 09 May 2011 00:57:37 GMT

I have only been able to go back to the mid 1700's......illegitmacy put a full stop to going any further.

Re: Anyone else into seeking their ancestors?

everything*that*i*ever*wanted — Mon, 09 May 2011 00:59:03 GMT

I have only been able to go back to the mid 1700's......illegitmacy put a full stop to going any further.

And many early deaths and children with children became and issue in our's apparently. The mother died and the eldest daughter took over her position in more ways than one.

Re: Anyone else into seeking their ancestors?

flashie* — Mon, 09 May 2011 01:01:30 GMT

I have found a Bastardy Bond (don's slap me ....it is the proper name of them) for my Great x3 grandmother naming the father ......but he seems to have disappeared........I am most disappointed....he should have left a paper trail.....didn;t he know 250 years later I would be looking for him.:^O

Re: Anyone else into seeking their ancestors?

izabsmiling — Mon, 09 May 2011 01:01:46 GMT

Thanks Flashie
I'd never heard of free site .In some places I've gone back 4+ generations but hitting a few brick walls.
I think that there were some name changes (and or misspelling/poorly written)

ie;recently I have have had someone (a cousin of some kind by the look of it,in the UK) contact me to tell me that a relo I have with the surname of 'Rutt' should be 'Bull'..we think it may have been poorly written on the marriage certificate a distant relo of mine has.So following that up again now but as a currently 'free member' i am restricted.
So i'll try the free site

Re: Anyone else into seeking their ancestors?

izabsmiling — Mon, 09 May 2011 01:05:42 GMT

I hope that the poor woman didn't have both surnames
Rutt and
Bull

LOL

Re: Anyone else into seeking their ancestors?

flashie* — Mon, 09 May 2011 01:11:15 GMT

Iza...if you are happy to message me I will have a little look for you with any names you want me to have a look for.

Re: Anyone else into seeking their ancestors?

izabsmiling — Mon, 09 May 2011 01:15:52 GMT

Iza...if you are happy to message me I will have a little look for you with any names you want me to have a look for.

Thankyou,That would be great Flashie,
I'll haven't got a print out so i'll go and check the details online a bit later and message them to you.I'm trying (but not doing very well though.LOL) to get the housework done ATM.
:-)

Re: Anyone else into seeking their ancestors?

izabsmiling — Mon, 09 May 2011 01:18:47 GMT

Flashie,
i do have actually have that written down (as I should have it all written down).I Will message the details to you soon.
Thankyou

Re: Anyone else into seeking their ancestors?

darksideofthemoon — Mon, 09 May 2011 01:29:03 GMT

I worked with a woman many years ago who was, on one side of her family descended from the First Fleeters and on the other side from Queen Victoria... she even had a strong resemblance to the Queen.

What you do have to watch if you find any royals or earls or wotnot is the American's desire to change dates and people so they can claim royalty.

They don't seem to understand that kings etc. were of small counties and hamlets not huge countries.

I came across the King of Dublin (not one of mine) Well, as you can imagine Dublin is a city and nowadays it probably has a mayor ... same dif :^O

They tend to have eople migrating to the USA as early as 800 AD or little girls of 5 having babies or women in their 80s having babys... wrong wives or husbands...

I have found it very tricky, but am helped by the amount of historical records that are available.

I have not been able to get into the Morman site, can anyone help me there?

Would love to crack my father's family as I think they originated in Scotland too and could easily have been related to my mother's family right back then.

The State Library in Sydney was a great help to me many years ago... and if you have convict relatives then you will find them in their archives

http://www.sl.nsw.gov.au/using/search/

Oh, another thing I learned. Often and often the supposed 'crime' for sending someone out here was not really for the crime, but because they were young and strong and would be good breeding stock to build up the colony.

It makes more sense than the 'loaf of bread' stories.. Yes they might have stolen something, but the motive was, once in judicial hands, they could be sent out here to swell our numbers.