Recommendation please?

[Tamara (Homes Down Under)]

I would really like to hear about any recommendations that anyone may have regarding tracing family members / family trees in the UK.

 

We have an almost impossible surname and there's a really important reason for wanting to trace living relatives.

 

Has anyone registered and used websites like ancestry.com and does anyone recommend any site above another?

 

You could call this a 'genetic quest' and it could save lots of medical tests and years of uncertainty.

 

I know that forum rules don't allow recommendations but I don't want to register with a number of companies just to discover that they are rubbish!

 

Thanks.

 

Tamara

[snifter]

Hi Tamara,

 

Forum rules do allow recommendations like this. If someone like yourself posts a new thread asking other people if they can recommened a service or website etc to them, that is fine and people are more than welcome to reply.

 

What is no longer allowed is people starting new threads to solely recommemend or plug a service or a person directly. The forum was clogged up with masses of these from over the years and often they were out of date threads with no replies, simply a plug for their friends mobile hairdressing or brother who is a plumber and contact details etc were out of date or the person posting the thread no longer visits the forum to update people on things.

 

It was felt better to make it that when people wanted to ask for an electrician or motor mechanic recommendation they just posted and asked in a new thread and people would then reply with their current suggestions/recommendations rather than people having to trawl through masses of possibles in old threads, many of which were out of date.

 

In reply to the question, I think my mother uses the website you mention. Also the Who Do You Think You Are book may be a worthwhile read? http://www.amazon.co.uk/Who-You-Think-Are-Genealogy/dp/1849908249 I would think its in a library here somewhere.

 

Is this any use? Its a simple starter but might have something of interest

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/familyhistory/get_started/

[Diane]

I was a member of Ancestry.co.uk for a while - it's as totally absorbing (read very time consuming) hobby so I had to let the membership lapse and concentrate on other things, but it was very good.

 

It depends how far back you know - censusses that are more than 100 years old are available online and were done very ten years or so, and that site also enables you to look at other people's trees, and contact them if you feel your research crosses over - I had emails and contacts from several people through the site.

 

Some local libraries also run family history courses here, I know TTG library does, so that might be a good place to start as they would have corporate memberships to lots of sites and also it's always good to have a real person to ask if you get stuck. You can access newspapers and birth, death, marriage announcements online too - we found that my Mum's grandfather had actually died in NSW after abandoning his three kids to be brought up in a childrens home in Gateshead, and I also get some great info in response to a query to a Salvation Army hospital that specialised in helping unmarried mothers, and kept records of something called the Girl's Statement, which had details on the fathers of the babies etc, which may not have been shown on birth certificates.

 

It's a year or two since I did any extra research but if I can help with any queries, let me know.

[bob_kennedy]

Tamara, I would suggest local professional researchers. I needed to do something similar back home in Ireland. They were able to do the donkey work, physically going into the libraries, land registry offices, search church/hospital and census records etc. They did not charge an arm and a leg and they did far more than the commercial websites did. Now some researchers charge more than others, but its just another option to consider.

 

Bob

[Nikianx73]

I was a member of Ancestry too, it's fascinating and I really need to sort out my subscription. Like Diane it's been a year or two since I've done any proper research but I've managed to get back as far as the 1800's - well worth a look

[Guest Claire-n-tel]

Diane if it is for medical reasons I would be looking at either a private researcher or someone like the salvos, ancestory.com is great if you are researching for interest but bear in mind if someone on you family tree somewhere has entered wrong information and you connect with that person that wrong info will then be transferred to you....

[Diane]

Diane if it is for medical reasons I would be looking at either a private researcher or someone like the salvos, ancestory.com is great if you are researching for interest but bear in mind if someone on you family tree somewhere has entered wrong information and you connect with that person that wrong info will then be transferred to you....

 

That's why it's important to check anything against official sources and records. There is a lot more online now than there used to be - before the internet I used to spend hours (and hours...and hours) at the records office and GuildHall in London, going through index books and ordering certificate copies etc.

[cliffy]

I find "Find my Past" uk as good as any, but you will have trouble with some sites if you are searching for living relatives, as they are excluded from many trees. I just didn't like using Ancestry. Familysearch (developed by the Mormon Church) has also been useful in our tree, as has the Free BMD uk site, if you are looking for non-paying sites. Whichever site you use, govt. records are mostly accurate, Trees most certainly are not, so you have to check and double check.

 

We also have a genetic problem, mutation, whatever, in our tree, but even close relatives we have approached have absolutely refused to be tested for it, so we cannot discover how far back it occurred, or even which side of the family, although we have suspicions. It does not alter the situation going forward, as all my grandchildren are now tested at birth.

 

Just being able to map your family tree, may not give you all the information you need, and if you are going to ask for medical information, then I suggest you do what has been suggested previously and employ a professional researcher for guidance.

[Diane]

This article might be of interest http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/science/science-news/9782343/DNA-testing-kit-for-diseases-the-new-front-line-of-genetics.html

[HEAPS GOOD !!!]

My other half did alot of research when we were in UK, not sure who she used but the stuff you find out is pretty amazeballs, my family is quite boring in comparison.

 

But I do try to change that !!!!

 

HG

[Gumster]

The libary at noarlunga has a genealogist who offers help to trace relatives they also have a dedicated computer you can book for 2hrs to trace the family tree. Worth given them a call as I think its a free service plus they'll more than likely be able to point you in the right direction

[chrisda]

I would really like to hear about any recommendations that anyone may have regarding tracing family members / family trees in the UK.

 

We have an almost impossible surname and there's a really important reason for wanting to trace living relatives.

 

Has anyone registered and used websites like ancestry.com and does anyone recommend any site above another?

 

You could call this a 'genetic quest' and it could save lots of medical tests and years of uncertainty.

 

I know that forum rules don't allow recommendations but I don't want to register with a number of companies just to discover that they are rubbish!

 

Thanks.

 

Tamara

 

Hope that you find what you are looking for. Have not used a search site so no recommendations im afraid. As always there has been some great input from this online community. you two take care of yourselves. I know why you are wanting to do this and i admire the fact that you want to spare others the pain your family has experienced for the past few years.

[Tamara (Homes Down Under)]

Thank you for all your input and help...some great suggestions and pointers for the right direction to take.

 

It's a mutant gene that we need to trace back. It causes muscle paralysis but the real reason for wanting to trace things is to maybe spare other people the pain, misdiagnosis, wrong medication, invasive procedures and counterproductive treatment that has just occurred for the past 5 years. Typical diagnosis is between 5 and 9 years.

Nobody needs to go through that if they don't have to.

The gene has a time trigger that activates in the mid 40's and if people suspected that they might have this defective gene, and were tested, then they may decide to live their lives a little differently.

[Ktee]

Thank you for all your input and help...some great suggestions and pointers for the right direction to take.

 

It's a mutant gene that we need to trace back. It causes muscle paralysis but the real reason for wanting to trace things is to maybe spare other people the pain, misdiagnosis, wrong medication, invasive procedures and counterproductive treatment that has just occurred for the past 5 years. Typical diagnosis is between 5 and 9 years.

Nobody needs to go through that if they don't have to.

The gene has a time trigger that activates in the mid 40's and if people suspected that they might have this defective gene, and were tested, then they may decide to live their lives a little differently.

How really thoughtful of you hun