I did my paternal side about 10 years ago, wrote it up with (what I hoped was) an amusing narrative and gave it to my son on his 30ty birthday. I used the Ancestry website and found it really helpful. My ancestors are originally from a small village in Cheshire and then around Warrington, the Cheshire County Council website has a BM & D section which I found quite helpful. It also helped that a couple of guys set up a website tracing different branches of our family name which I was able to contribute to. I enjoyed doing it, going to see places, taking photos etc. Getting back to around 1800 shouldn't prove too difficult but, unless your family had a few quid (which mine didn't) then it's hard because lots of poor people were born and died without any legal record.
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Researching your heritage
- Thread starter sir baconface
- Start date
Dave S
Well-Known Member
Yeah travelling round to places where you found your ancestors had lived and taking pics was interesting and educational I found. I too found ancestors scattered around Cheshire in little villages etc once I'd discovered where they'd lived before arriving in Manchester. Also managed to locate my mother's school records in the log book of an old school she'd attended as a child. She was never out of the school punishment book. :-)
sir baconface
Well-Known Member
I've now discovered a whole family on my dad's side who lived in the workhouse for some time. Father, mother and a string of kids. Still piecing stuff together but it's really fascinating.
Dave S
Well-Known Member
Interesting. Sounds like you're getting the bug :-). No doubt you'll discover some weird and wonderful things about your family, like most people doI've now discovered a whole family on my dad's side who lived in the workhouse for some time. Father, mother and a string of kids. Still piecing stuff together but it's really fascinating.
better dead than red
Well-Known Member
Interesting. Sounds like you're getting the bug :-). No doubt you'll discover some weird and wonderful things about your family, like most people do
Dad had a female widowed ancestor that was hanged for being a witch in colonial New England.
Dave S
Well-Known Member
How long ago was that peoffrey? Thankfully I didn't find anything like that. Then again when you're researching ancestors from long ago you obviously don't know all the stories regarding what went on in their lives.A member of my family was murdered. He kept bad company and was claimed one evening
foetus
Well-Known Member
I know my heritage. I'm Australian but my grandparents were born in England, Scotland and Denmark. Somehow I still get blamed for invading the Aboriginal lands.
Len Rum
Well-Known Member
Ancestry and Find my Past are the best.I'd like to research my lineage and recently registered with my heritage.com. Received a "free offer" from them which basically plays you for a fat boy and is totally worthless.
Has anyone done this online and can they recommend a good site? I don't mind paying as long as it's entirely transparent.
I use Ancestry.
It helps if you have a lot of knowledge about your ancestors.
The trick is in knowing if you have made a 'solid' connection between generations without having to buy a birth or marriage certificate from the GRO to give final proof.
On Ancestry other members post their family trees,which can be useful, but in many cases they are incorrect and have chosen the wrong family line. This is particularly prevalent when there are common surnames concentrated in one locality.