I haven't a clue what I'm doing

[winstonevertongroovy]

Hi, 1st of all let me apologise for this cry for help as I'm sure the answers I want are somewhere in front of me but after hours of searching online I'm going dizzy. I've just bought Family Tree Maker 2012 & got 6 months free subscription to the Ancestry website so I thought 'great this is where I type in a name and everything I need to know pops up on screen'......wrong,(as I'm sure you all know ). So I have my grandad & nin's,(grandma's), d.o.b.'s, date & place of marriage & children's details but how/where do I find out their parents information, (I want to go back as far as possible), I've looked at census records & loads of other stuff with names on that may or may not be right, how will I know........any tips would be much appreciated, I want to do this all by myself but just need a gentle prod in the right direction until I'm familiar with the procedures.
Thanks
Lee

[Gray]

Hi winstonevertongroovy,

Welcome to the wonderful world of Anc.com

It may take some time for you to get 'to terms' with the site.. not as easy as people think!

One thing I would say if your given the option for 'old search' situated top right hand corner of 'search page' I would go for that.. the new search is 'Awful' for me anyway

I am sure there will be loads of tips given.. especially with mis-transcriptions..

will answer any queries that I think I can help with..

Best of luck!

Gray

Gray

[Hilary]

Some ideas to get you going

1. Draw yourself a basic family tree for each part of the family ie one for each grandparent. That gives you four surnames.

2. Decide which one you want to research to start with and look at that one to begin with don't try and do everybody at once it doesn't work!!

3. Was the grandparent of the name you have decided on born by 1911? If you do an dknow where he was born and a parent's name you could look for him in the 1911 census. If you don't you will need to get the grandparent's birth certificate to find it out. Then you can start going backwards.

4. Each step you take backwards needs to be proved. You may be lucky and come up with what you think is the right family but without prove you can't be sure.

5. Family History is not a quick process, it isn't all on the internet and takes patience and time to sort your family out.

6. Go to your library and borrow a book on family history and read through it to get some idea of the information that is available not just on the internet but in libraries, record offices etc.

7. My family history has been ongoing for 13 years - it's not yet finished. I have an elusive grandmother!!!!!!

8. Be warned Family History is addictive!!!


PS I agree the Old Search on Ancestry is easier

[MaryA]

Firstly draw yourself up a little tree and add in the dates of birth and marriage. Do you have their marriage certificate? If so you will have the fathers names and occupations and a general idea of where they lived. Witnesses names might also be useful, especially if family members.

From there you need to move back to the nearest census, searching for say the groom and inputting his approximate date of birth, never be too accurate on this as they often lie, but I often enter "Liverpool, Lancashire, England", (at the top of the search box there is an "advanced search" link) then you will be able to see a check box for "exact", if you are fairly sure that they would be living in Liverpool. Try using wildcards in the names, say using the first three letters of the surname followed by a *. Check down the list it gives you to see if there is one with the father's name.

Another search to do is, if you hover your mouse over the "Search" along the top, there is a list at the bottom of which says "Card Catalogue", pull up this page and in the "keyword" box put in Liverpool. This will give you a list of the databases for Liverpool which are held, including baptism registers. Choose either Baptisms, or Catholic Baptisms and search for the name, approximate date again and see if you can find one of them with a correct father. If you were fairly sure you have the right baptism, then take out the first name and date, but enter the mother's name and er see if you can find other children to the same parents.

If you manage to find entries for these it might give you a family group to search for in the censuses.

Please do give us a few details who you are looking for and if we can help find them we might be able to give you a few more ideas.

[winstonevertongroovy]

Hi guys thanks for the help. I already have about 150 members in my family tree, (mainly on my mother's side as somebody researched her family years ago & gave her a paper copy), then there's myself,(obviously), & my family plus my dad's including his sisters/brothers, mother & father with any d.o.b. etc. that I've managed to find. A few of the members on here have been brilliant & found some great info for me including my Nin's,(grandmothers), family but I'm having trouble with my Grandfather & his ancestors mainly because as the threads title says, 'I haven't a clue what I'm doing'. Grandfathers name was Peter Murray born 28th June 1883,(I believe), in Liverpool and died September 1969 again in Liverpool, he married Mary Jane Howarth on 15th May 1910 and I'm pretty sure his father was also called Peter but that's all I know so I'm getting a lot of search results back but they mean nothing to me. Maybe I should get my Grandads birth certificate then to start me off. Sorry once again guys I REALLY want to find answers on my own, (I'm sure you have all experienced the elation of doing this), but as I said I just need a few tips so hopefully I can go forth now with the advice you have given.
Thanks
Lee

[winstonevertongroovy]

Hmm I think I may have found my Grandad in the 1901 census, living with his Father Peter, Mother Grace F, & brothers/sisters George, Sarah, Thomas & Susannah. If this is correct it actually shatters a long held belief that my family on my Grandad's side came from Scotland as this states my Great Grandfather was born in Ireland, although Grace F was born in Scotland, intriguing now all I have to do is try & verify if this info is correct.

[Hilary]

You nee d to see his marriage to Mary Howarth in 1910 to find out his father's name and make sure you are going down the right line It took place at St Ambrose Everton according to http://www.lancashirebmd.org.uk and it shows on ancestry. Peter father Peter labourer and the address is 48 Prince Edwin Lane. You need to find this marriage yourself and keep a copy as it havs useful information on it.

Please will you post the 1901 census you think is correct. You need to look for that family in 1911 to see if Peter has left the family home.

[winstonevertongroovy]

Thanks Hilary, yes I've got his marriage details & I will look the 1911 census up now, what do you mean exactly by post the 1901 census?,(sorry ignorance showing again). Interesting facts I think I've unearthed is that on the 1901 census there is listed a George Murray, Sarah Murray, & 2 children named Thomas & Susannah all living with my Grandad & his Mother & Father, Sarah is listed as Peter seniors daughter but is apparently a Sarah Moorcroft who is married to George, Thomas has Sarah listed as her son but no father's name & Susannah,(then age 1), is listed as Peter seniors grandaughter but no mother or fathers name listed, I presume intriguing facts like this are what draws people into researching family trees, it's certainly got my imagination working overtime.

Edit - can't find anything after the 1901 census?

[Bertieone]

Lee,

you need to note the age of Peter on his wedding cert and compare with the Peter on the 1901 census.

[winstonevertongroovy]

Lee,

you need to note the age of Peter on his wedding cert and compare with the Peter on the 1901 census.

Hmm yes, according to the marriage certificate he was 22 when he married but by my reckoning he should have been about 27, the 1901 census details seem right according to my information & he definitely married a Mary Jane Howarth so not sure where I've gone wrong.......oh well more searching to be done.

[Bertieone]

He wouldn't be the first person to lie about his age for his marriage.

[winstonevertongroovy]

ok I've just gone back to the drawing board & started with my dad, his birth entry has his mother's name as Howard instead of Howarth, (it was definitely Howarth though), so did a few searches for Mary Howard but came up with nothing that could match at all, is it always this interesting haha.

[winstonevertongroovy]

He wouldn't be the first person to lie about his age for his marriage.

I did think that Bert

BTW there was no father down on my dad's birth entry just his mother which I find very strange.

[Bertieone]

He wouldn't be the first person to lie about his age for his marriage.

I did think that Bert

BTW there was no father down on my dad's birth entry just his mother which I find very strange.

Don't worry it will be on the actual birth cert.

[Bertieone]

Explanation here

http://www.bmd-certificates.co.uk/artic ... gland.html


BTW, don't order anything off the link.

[winstonevertongroovy]

Explanation here

http://www.bmd-certificates.co.uk/artic ... gland.html


BTW, don't order anything off the link.

nice one.....should I order birth certificates from Liverpool then?

[dickiesam]

Explanation here

http://www.bmd-certificates.co.uk/artic ... gland.html


BTW, don't order anything off the link.

nice one.....should I order birth certificates from Liverpool then?

Hi Lee,
What Bert is saying is don't order certs from an online subscription genealogy site. They will charge considerably more than the District Registry Office [the one which issued the cert] or the GRO [General Registry Office] in Southport where all England and Wales BMD [Birth, Marriage, Death] records back to 1837 are held. The GRO charge £9.25 per cert incl postage.
http://www.gro.gov.uk/gro/content/certi ... efault.asp

[winstonevertongroovy]

Thanks dickiesam, I really should stop looking for tonight but I can't