Genealogy

[Mrblobby]

I have started looking up my family tree , and I have found the site Family Search has some offices over here in Cyprus .

Has anyone been to any of them , and are they any good for us Brits ?

“FHC Portal This centre has access to the Family History Center Portal page which gives free access in the centre to premium family history software and websites that generally charge for subscriptions. “

https://www.familysearch.org/locations/#

[smudger]

No evidence to prove this Mr blobby, but I'm very dubious about all of these genealogy sites. Think their prime motive is making money. Whether the results they supply provide the historical info would be interesting to know!!

[mike strand2]

I'm pretty sure the Family History Centre is a part of the Mormon Church (Church of Latter Day Saints). I'm not of that (or any) religion, but did use their facility in the UK extensively. There is no charge.

Ancestry.com is one of the best 'paid-for' websites when you've got your basics on paper and want to go far far back.

Was able to trace many branches (& twigs) of my family back to 1649.

[Devil]

Be careful, you can be very misled by the commercial so-called DNA tests. My daughter asked my wife and me to do tests and took swabs. On a forum, I posted the following, in reply to someone with a complaint (there were many)

I agree, this a rubbishy waste of money. My ancestry on my mother's side is well known, forming a large part of an East Anglian village, probably with some inter-cousin breeding. There are large family resemblances (stocky build, fair hair/skin). On my father's side, the known ancestry goes back 4 generations (including my own) in a largely rural English county, with some 19th c industry. I resemble my late father. I have little doubt that there were no shenanigans on either side, at least over the last 3 generations as there are marked inherited family resemblances (e.g. cleft chin, premature baldness etc.)

Guess what? DNA says English 0%

Perhaps this is a little unfair because I didn't mention my Scottish ancestry through marriages. They did say ' vous êtes 13.5% Breton, Irlandais, Écossais et Gallois', where I estimate it would be nearer 20% in reality, through marriages (English, at least 40%).

These commercial DNA tests are purely indicative and approximate, because they do NOT analyse your DNA, they look at only a few markers and draw conclusions (often erroneous) from minimal analysis.

[Mrblobby]

No way would I consider DNA testing , I only want to look at hard facts , birth , deaths and marriage certificates .

[Firefly]

I use Ancestry, I have found out so much about my family, including finding the facts about stories told in my family about our
ancestors. Quite eye opening and fascinating. Good for six months over the winter, when outdoor activity is limited. I have used the site run by The Mormons, but you have to be careful not to just accept at face value some of their information.

Jackie

[Devil]

No way would I consider DNA testing , I only want to look at hard facts , birth , deaths and marriage certificates .

Sometimes DNA testing may occasionally reveal hard facts that you do not know about (and may not wish to, either!)

[PhotoLady]

Speaking of DNA test results and geneology - you may wish to read this news article which appeared today in the "Most Read" stories on the BBC News website:

Jordan Adlard Rogers inherits Penrose Estate after DNA test
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-cornwall-48348331

[PhotoLady]

On another note, my husband has been doing his family tree now for several years which he started out on whilst we were still in Cyprus. He uses Ancestry UK website but doesn't renew every year.

If you have a facebook account you can often retrieve a code from the Ancestry fb page which isn't linked to Ancestry UK website - so the code gets shared between users and he got a very good discount this year.

In the past he's shared the cost with another friend of ours and passes his login details to our friend who has then been able to create another family tree within the same account, so the cost is halved and each can work on their data on a separate basis without interfering with the other persons' info.

So if you have a close and trusted friend - there is at least a way of keeping up but spreading the cost a little....

For anyone in UK, it's free to use Ancestry on the pcs in your local library.

[Firefly]

Lloyd

Very true, unfortunately because of this I have hit a brick wall in some cases, not enough proof.

[lionelcyprus]

I would say that the Mormon site - like familysearch.org is very useful. If you use it wisely, it is free. You can go quite a long way on it if your ancestors were Church of England, and in the right Parish. Some records go back to the mid 1500s.
But there is no substitute to seeing the original documents. I got a readers' ticket to Lincoln Castle, and found a pencil notation against one of my predecessors, in the 1700s, which read "This was a good man". That would not appear on the Mormon records.
I should mention that the Lincolnshire records have since been moved out of the castle.
As HIC mentions, there are many more resources now online, like the census records. These can also be very useful.

[PhotoLady]

I have used the site run by The Mormons, but you have to be careful not to just accept at face value some of their information.Jackie

That applies to Ancestry too. Many people who create family trees on Ancestry are very careless in their haste to create a tree. I like several verified sources before I accept any snippet of information and add it to my tree. There is no point whatesover in accepting a false ancestor into your tree, because from point onwards you are completely wasting your time. Barking up the wrong tree, as it were

Yes, my other half is a bit of a stickler for checking - he won't add any of the hints until he's fully convinced it's correct. Otherwise it makes a right mess of things.

[kdwoodie]

When using Family Search be sure to look at Collections.
If you are going to use Ancestry do not order certificates from them they have a huge mark up.
If you are researching UK genealogy https://www.gro.gov.uk/gro/content/cert ... efault.asp is the site to order certificates, you have to register but it's free to do so, also a good site for checking mothers maiden names from 1837 to 1918.
Another good site is https://www.freebmd.org.uk/
A really helpful site is https://www.rootschat.com
Hope it helps and good luck with your research.

[Maggie B]

No way would I consider DNA testing , I only want to look at hard facts , birth , deaths and marriage certificates .

Sometimes DNA testing may occasionally reveal hard facts that you do not know about (and may not wish to, either!)

I have to ask Brian. What do you consider yourself as? . . . . . . . Just for a bit of fun?
Maggie B

[WHL]

my wife did the DNA test, years ago, and has been introduced to second/third cousins etc from across the World, USA /Australia etc, she has been in touch with them through facebook, and met up with some of them.

[Devil]

I have to ask Brian. What do you consider yourself as? . . . . . . . Just for a bit of fun?
Maggie B

Just for fun, I feel more Scottish than English. Up to my National Service, I lived in E'bro, including all my schooling up to degree level. Both parents were English but with Scottish bits and pieces mixed in by marriages. They lived in Helensburgh (as did my maternal grandparents), until he was temporarily seconded to Bristol before returning to Scotland. My maternal grandparents, my parents and my only brother all died in Scotland. So call me an Anglo-Scot!

BTW, the stupid DNA test that my daughter made me take showed me 0% English (see above)!