Was looking to start researching into my ancestry. I'm already aware of relatives going back 3 generations, who to a man, women and child, all worked in the cottons mills around East Lancs and Rochdale, so not expecting to find anyone famous or with royal blood, but interested all the same.

Has anyone any experience of the many genealogy sites out there and any recommendations?

Cheers in advance.

My cousin is currently using ancestory.co.uk. Whilst there are some errors it is generally very good. Easy to use and edit individuals and photos of each can be added.
We are lucky as an uncle, on either side, has done serious research. We have my maternal father’s line back to 15thC. All the other lines back to mid 19thC.

You may find www.rootschat.com forum useful.

Hi HJ, I have been researching my family tree for the last 15 years or so after it got too much for my dad. We have got back to around 1700. Please note it can be addictive! My wife who had no time for her Family Tree suddenly got interested and she is now into researching her side of the family as much as I am mine. I have tried quite a few paid-for sites over time but settled with Ancestry - just my personal choice and I have found others just as good -they all offer something different by way of the records available/ease of use. Ancestry didn't win the contract for the release of the 1921 census - Find my Past (another good site) won it - so that might be a consideration for you. Certainly with Ancestry (and others) you could opt for a basic package - eg don't buy the Worldwide option if you think most of your family will be found around Lancashire - you can always add it later if required.
The free on line sites are certainly worth checking out in particular in my view - "Family Search" but if you want to make it easier by researching and building a tree on line (which is very easy) then a paid option may be the best way forward. You may find there are often free offers on the bigger sites which lure you in for a month or so & get you hooked and then you join up anyway! Renewing each year can be expensive but Ancestry for instance tend to have a half price offer each New Year which you can take advantage of. Whoever you choose.....good luck!

The Hung Juror wrote: ↑

Mon May 03, 2021 11:02 am

Was looking to start researching into my ancestry. I'm already aware of relatives going back 3 generations, who to a man, women and child, all worked in the cottons mills around East Lancs and Rochdale, so not expecting to find anyone famous or with royal blood, but interested all the same.

Has anyone any experience of the many genealogy sites out there and any recommendations?

Cheers in advance.

Just remembered Ancestory is normally free at Bank Holidays. I haven’t seen adverts for today but it might be worth checking.

My mums side of the family have done quite a bit, on both the paternal & maternal side

My nannas family was traced back to coming over from Holland with William of Orange

I did mine about 15 years ago on Genes reunited, I got back to around 1630 which was pretty amazing. I'm fairly sure it was free too. As you go back you quite often find that other people have the same person in their tree and so you can very quickly add a whole line of history from their research. As said above, it's quite addictive. I found a lady in my family who lived to the age of 96 which was incredibly useful because she was in census data time and again with generation after generation of the family. Also found a guy who emigrated to Australia and had 26 kids with four different women, you'd have thought they'd have been more wary after what happened to the first but the first three all died in childbirth after giving him 6 to 8 children each!

I’ve used the Ancestry site for 6 years and have traced the maternal side back to the 1300s. The site you use will give you details of relatives they know about, which will help your search. There are links (family trees) for other people who are searching the same info as you, which can save you a lot of search time.
The census was a great help, but in the 1800s, not a lot of people could read or write, so when people gave their name, the officer would write down what he thought was the correct spelling.
If anyone is searching their past, bear in mind the possible different spelling of names and try alternatives.
Some of the occupations of descendants make interesting reading. My gt gt grandad was a pub landlord, pig castrator and a Cheshire Yeoman. When he died in 1860, he left £24,000, a substantial amount then. For whatever reason the money never made it down through his children.

Bfc wrote: ↑

Mon May 03, 2021 6:22 pm

The census was a great help, but in the 1800s, not a lot of people could read or write, so when people gave their name, the officer would write down what he thought was the correct spelling.
If anyone is searching their past, bear in mind the possible different spelling of names and try alternatives.

Exactly this happened with us. My grandmother’s family came over from Ireland in the 1850s as Tonnery. The next generation were Tonndry and the following Tondra. It does make it difficult.

Oh this is great fun, if a little disturbing sometimes. I got to the 17th century on one side and all the way back to the 15th with the other. I gave up, well rather; business took over.
You learn a lot about traits too. Which, well for me at least; make sense of my family.
Somewhere along the line we have a lineage to Aristocracy but never got further. I'll have to start it again when I have time.

l would go down the maternal lineage if l did my genenology. At least l would be more certain there's a genetic link to the names on the records.

My wife's Grandmother on her Mum's side lived in the East End but her Mother was a Bose-Lyon. Daughter of the Earl of Carmarthen, she ran off with the Chauffer and was disinherited for want of a better word.

A few years back my wife's Mum and her siblings were given a sum of money to share along with a disclaimer.

I remember to tug my forelock every morning when I take her tea tray to the drawing room

Referees have real trouble with Genealogy.




So must those emanating from B'tardville, come to think of it.