Genealogy Chat

I have been doing family history since last August, I am on Income support and so cash is limited, my total budget for each month is £2O (2 certificates or one certificate and money on 1837 online and 1901 census) so I have spent £160 so far, this can be frustratingly slow at times, but I still get a buzz when my one or two certificates arrive. I have reached the mid 19th century with most of my research, and I am extremely greatful for all the people on GC who have found information for me Linda P The budget does not include telephone calls to my parents with or asking for information, or the cost of Printing sheets off at the local library (10p a sheet).

Congratulations Deborah. There are very few people that can claim to get back to the 1400's with all the back up proof that you obviously have. I am stuck in the early 1600's with back up proof of certs, marriage licences, settlement certs etc. but the line is going cold now. However there is still so much info to gather on the ones I have found so more expense!! An expensive hobby for life! Janet

I too find it addictive, expensive but really rewarding. I have been lucky in some respects with my searches as 3 relatives from my branches had paid for professional searches on each of their family names. One going as far back as 1480, all with the relevant copies of parish records, wills and taxes etc etc. It is always good practise though to check and double check your your info. Back it up with certs, census and other vital records. PLUS if your ever unsure after all the checks you've done there are some wonderful GC members who are only to willing to help, check or simply encourage you to carry on. I'm forever grateful to them. Much happiness Debi

I agree with Janet, don't dismiss death certificates, the name of informant will help as it is often a family member. A daughter with her married name and address which you would not have unless you found her marriage. This has helped me. Also I had a rellie who's wife died in 1860 in Bath Somerset the informant was Ann Brown this has now turned out to have been an Aunt by marriage so proving our line in Bath which we have been looking for for 2/3 years. If a time machine was ever available I know what I will be spending my money. Then it will be what year(s) to pick, oh what information we could find out then. I know dream on. Irene

Scottish death certificates are wonderful documents for family history. A death cert of my g father in Glasgow led me to a totallay different part of Scotland for his birth and his parents names and occupation as well as the fact his mother had been married before and giving me her previuos married name as well as her single name. Led me to my Scottish roots. English death certs have linked me to another generation when you find a son being present at father's death, a son I did not know about, and his address which I could follow through on the electoral rolls. Do not dismiss death certs as they have many surprises. Janet

I agree with She, it is addictive and a great hobby. I save a bit of money because I dont always confirm a death with a death certificate, there is very liitle information on a death certificate apart from cause of death and place. Remember Certificates are only available from 1837 to the present day, the leg work then begins, going to record offices, Parish records, grave yards etc. (if you are lucky to live near enough) so save yourself some money, if possible by looking in these places now because thats the place you will be looking eventually

Ange - its addictive.

Dear Angela, I started in 1969 when my son was born at Alnwick, Northunberland, I was serving with the RAF at the time. It was at this point I discovred Alnwick was my ancestral town ( I was born in Newcastle on Tyne). I am still busy with the family history after 25 years, having found ancestors going back to 1603. ALL verified I may add. it must have cost me thousands, but the pleasure it has given my wife and I cannot be counted in monetary terms. It is all logged onto the computer and I have it all in hard copy. The computer is a great aid to my research, but that's what it remains as. To rely on unverified info from the internet is false economy. Check it out, that's my advice, if you want it and for what it is worth. Happy Hunting and Good Luck. Regards Ann & Ronald

Hi Thanks for all your replies to my quest it was fun reading them all! I am beginning to realise that this could become a lifetime hobby, but am so looking forward to it! I am greatful of my mum who will be sharing the costs!! Thanks again Ange

Doing this for about 30 years I dare not count the cost of all the certs, photocopies of documents, visits to record offices etc but the fun of the research is wonderful. I am certain that the tree I have is mine with having purchased the certs to prove my lineage. It is more difficult as you get back to the Parish Records but you can follow the same principles until they disappear from that area then you have to look very carefully at the areas around and you often find them a couple of villages away. Many people have spoken about the thrill of finding the info and the ways of doing this and I would like to endorse all that everybody has said. Fortunately for me my husband shares the same addiction. That can be good as when we visit record offices for my interests he helps me and I help him when we go to his record offices. The internet has opened up so many other areas and where I would not use the internet much for parish records, I have had some wonderful breakthroughs on finding cousins who have info on family I did not know about and I had info they did not have and pooling together has solved quite a few mysteries. Cousins have sent me letters from America that were sent by my folk to those that emigrated in the 1850's and now having photocopies of these letters has given me so many clues to my Irish background. I am now working on the clues and passing the info back to my new found American cousins. It can also work the other way when you "trust" somebody on the internet, give them all your info, and not getting anything in return, you then find that they have "hijacked" all your information and displayed it somewhere like Ancestry aand dare I say even Genes Connect, passing it off as THEIR information! Despite saying I will not be caught again like this, I have been caught twice! The internet is a vast library which you can use to access the places of your own interest and for accessing so many useful sites that were not around 30 years ago. Having used both internet and record offices, I realise that there are far more records available at the record office than there are on the internet, but I am glad I live in the era where I can use both methods. Janet

I dont dare add it up. When I first started I just got the info off the net and ended up with one branch of my tree going back to the 1700's, only to find I had the wrong Robert Tucker. Now I buy certificates and I have downloaded literally hundreds of pages from 1837 online. I keep them all for reference. I still havent got past my Robert Tucker on that side. Had some success with the other side. Worst part is I'm paying in UK pounds and when converted to the Aussie dollar it hurts a lot more!! But unfortunately it's like a drug, you can't leave it for fear you may find what you're looking for tomorrow.

So far i think its equal to the Gross National Product of a small 3rd world country, but worth every penny.

How much I daren't add it all up my hubby would go spare. No really, I have bought loads, but then my brother and cousin share the cost, so not so bad really, we started off just getting the main ones, grandparent g grandparents etc. then it was I wonder so you buy another. Then because you can't get to see a census you buy another certificate just to prove a point. Then there's the fiche for the parish because its to far to travel, then the history societies, GC FR, now of course there 1837 and its I'll just buy £5 more. But the best bit is traveling and staying overnight and going round the villages where your ancestors lived that to me is worth every penny. Would I do it again yes I would I have enjoyed every minute and hope I still do in years to come. Irene

hi i have spent £5 copying marraige and bithe entries at the library my son payed for genesconnecect for mothersday, and i have got back to 1705, and with help from some of you kind people babs

Dread to count the cost -rang Hull today for another 3 certificates despite promising myself -no more this month. It is nice to have birth, marriage and death certificates for all the major players. It tidies everything up, confirms your dates and amazing what extra info you discover by researching marriage witnesses, addresses and family members present at death. Then there is the cost of finding those dates if you don't live near a record office. I have to do it all online and it costs a bomb. Then, there's the cost of NBI lookups, English Origins etc etc etc, software, subscriptions....oh dear....best not to think about it. Even the endless reims of paper, the printing ink, the files to put it all in, the postage to send off the latest to interested family members...shall I go on....................? Jackie

Far more than I dare think about!! I've been doing this for eight years and am researching both my, and my wife's lines. But we've been lucky with very few incorrect certificates and the results have been well worth the money spent. I try to convince myself that I'd have spent a lot more if I'd got a professional researcher to do all the work (no disrespect to the professionals - they do a great job). We just happen to prefer doing the hard work ourselves!! David

I have been 'at it ' for around 14 years now on and off. Over those years I have purchased 44 BMD certificates and yes Death certificates can provide really important information...addresses informants etc. You really do need to get certificates. It has been estimated that some 25% of family trees are flawed by researchers not checking original sources such as BMD certificates and parish records. There are many mistakes and omissions in the IGI which still remains one of the greatest resources for researchers. I have also purchased eleven wills, numerous parish records film orders in my local LDS centre, many photocopies of Census enumerations, letters and ancient marriage bonds; seven trips to county record offices all over the country and B & B for four of of those visits, a cycling holiday touring graveyards in the Scottish Borders; about £150 spent and well spent on an excellent Scottish researcher; lord only knows how much on paper and plastic wallets, CD Roms, numerous fiches and a fiche reader. If I had not 'stuck at it', 'kept my fly on the water' etc. I would never have found my trenche of 8 family letters from the very early 1800s in some estate records (after 7 years research) or 7 more really nice chatty family letters from the same period in another totally different source (after 10 years research) By all means get what you can from the net or from transcripts; build up your hypothetical model of your tree and when you can get some surplus cash together spend it on BMD certificates, and don't be surprised if your model turns out to require some correction. It sounds a lot but compared to the price of 20 fags a day, it's nothing, and the pleasure obtained is much greater!

You can't beat GRO certificates as source info. In fact they are essential even though they are expensive. I won't say how much I have spent on them as my husband also reads this message board!!!! However, as I have mentioned in other threads, it is a good idea to pool information about certificates you do have. There is a site called ukbdm(.)co(.)uk where you can post details of certificates you have purchased, and look up details of certificates posted by others. Its the next best thing to buying them from GRO and if you are lucky someone may already have got the certificate you are looking for and have information to share. If everybody contributed to the site it would be the most important genealogical source for the UK ever. Remember, though, only post info about certificates/parish register entry copies you possess - NOT what you have copied from transcripts.

HI Angela, Best thing is not to add it up as it does get expensive if you order the certificates to verify the info you need. The best place to go is to the FRC as you are doing this wkend but I would try and go during the week as i expect it gets busy at the wkend! I went there today and a few tips for you 1. Write a list of individuals names with approximate date (whether it be birth, marriage or death) and places, then write this list in chronological order with the heading:- Name, Place, Yr, Qtr, District, Vol, Pg and comments (i've done this on excel and printed them out) you can fill these out as you go! 2. All the records are in large binders in chronological and alphabetical order separately for births, deaths and marriages, can be quite heavy!! some years have 10 or more binders especially for the older hand written records. Then with this information you can order the certificates! Also if you know spouses name always double check to make sure listed under both spouses with same vol and pg numbers. 3. Always write down which qtrs and years you have searched if doing blanket searches for unknown rellies I write down 1 2 3 4 and cross each number when done that qtr. 4. Always write down anyone with names you are searching in same area with full details, might not make sense now but few weeks searching might find that connection and then you already have the info you needed rather than having to go back again! Sorry if you already been and have your own system but I find that if you want to get the best out of your time plan it well. Have a good day zoë

Thanks for that Brian! That has completely put me in the picture now!! te he! At first I looked up a professional Genealogy website and checked out how much they charged and one of them was charging £800 to check out both parents lineage. I'm actually beginning to think that was quite a cheap quote! Anyway, it's more interesting researching it yourself! Bye for now Ange