Family History - Trace Your Ancestors

Family History - Research

This section gives guidance on how to conduct offline and online research. Also how to record the results and preserve documents.

Having drafted out a basic family tree, you can now start some further research to find out more.

Start with just one grandparent, perhaps the one you know most about, and start to work back in time from them.

Another way of starting is to choose a grandparent with a less usual surname. It is much easier to find information about an ancestor called Blizard than it is for one named Smith.

If, like me, you have ancestors from different countries (in my case England and Scotland) it might be easiest to start with those whose origins are nearest to where you live. In my case England rather than Scotland, although obviously the reverse might apply to you.

For your chosen relative not down as much of the following information as you have:

Market Cross

First, Middle and Surnames
Date of Birth
Place of Birth
Date of Marriage
First, Middle and Surnames of partner
Place of Marriage
Date of Death
Place of Death

You can now use this information to do some online research.

A good place to start is the Genes Reunited web site.
You can do some basic searching free of charge. A good place to start is a search of the family trees already on the site. You can also search the census records from 1841 to 1901.

Family History - Research - Online Resources

Genes Reunited

This web site is a good starting point for further research.

You can search the site for free, though you have to register first.
This includes Census records and Births Marriages Deaths indexes.
You can also search family trees that others have placed on the site.

If you want to do more you will need to pay a fee to subscribe, but this is reasonably priced and probably worthwhile if you want to research your family online.

I was lucky to find a relative on the site who had already done a lot of research. He allowed me access to his tree which was a great help. You may find the same if you subscribe.

Genes Reunited Website

Family History - Research - Software

Who Do You Think You Are ? Family Tree Maker Deluxe

One of the easiest and most complete resource for building and sharing your family tree. You can use this to record and organise all of the information you collect on your family - create tree charts, reports, calendars, scrapbooks and more.

It will will automatically search the UK's largest online collection of family history information - Ancestry.co.uk - for your ancestors. It then lets you import the information directly and instantly.

You can then bring your family story to life by customising a wide variety of charts, trees and reports with images and photos.

Family History - Research - Books

Who Do You Think You Are ? Trace Your Family History

This book gives the you all the tools you need to trace your ancestors back over six centuries, taking you on a fascinating historical journey into the past.

It takes you back through time past the usual family tree landmark of 1837, when birth, marriage and death registration were made mandatory,back to Tudor times.

Whether your 17th-century ancestor was a merchant seamen listed on the muster rolls, of a trade registered through the Livery guilds, a midwife licensed by the church, an alehouse owner (victualler) who was licensed from the 1500s onwards - this book fills the gaps in your family tree and gives you the resources to search out your medieval ancestors.

Other Family History Books.

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