Is there any point in paying to join a genealogy site when I have never found any research on my ancestors.?

Question

The only results have been from gov. sites, and limited census results from Ancestry etc. What could purchased software offer? Only organising results? I have been searching for months, and NEVER found anyone researching my family. I have joined Ancestry, but again, only gov records and even theyr'e somtimes inconsistant eg one sibling shown on her sisters census entry, but no entry of her own for the same year.

Answer 1

I personally do genealogy research for my mother's and father's families, and have relatives that I am working with. My only frustrations at this point is that I feel I share more info with them than they do with me. If you have nobody in your family helping you, then I can help you with your research and provide hints to help you get where you are going.
Ancestry.com has online help and a feature which will allow you to place the people you are stuck on in a search for an ancestry.com representative to help you. They will call you and ask if you have any other info. They will search and provide results from the search to you.
The free site familysearch.org has International Genealogical Index information, which is fairly accurate data. The only problem is that website requires first and last names in most searches. Rootsweb.com also has information which is free and helpful. Type the address ftp.rootsweb.com/pub/usgenweb in your browser, click 'Go', then you can browse to states, counties, and information folders for each county. I have found information there, as well. www.rootsweb.com has an online cemetery which may help you find an approximate area where your family may have lived a while back.
I have been doing family research for 20 years now, since I was 15. I'm not Mormon by faith, but wanted to know where I came from (probably sounds crazy). I've gotten a long way in researching, and learn new things about the way my families interacted with and married into other families around them. Online sources are handy for viewing the information faster, and it gets easier the more info you get. It took years at the library to find the information I was able to find in weeks online.
Most people use Family Tree Maker, which is fairly inexpensive to buy, and does a fairly well job of storing the information. I have a 17.2 MB family tree file with 17,812 people from the families in it. I am satisfied with the performance of the product, it does what it is supposed to do, organize and store my information digitally. I also have all of my source information digitally saved. When I started, I had 64 manilla folders with handwritten and photocopied papers in each folder, and it got ridiculous the way it consumed time and space. The software came in VERY HANDY for me.
Again, if you would like help, email [e-mail], and I'll see if I can't help get you where you need to be going on your research. Good luck!

Answer 2

Since this site is international, I am not just assuming you need American sources.

There are some people due to the spelling of the sirname can not be found in censuses. Have you tried all possible spellings? Also is there any possibility to check an address directory or telephone book?


Is it possible your immediate family is the last of that thread? Try writing what you do know down. See how much information you can collect just from what you have been told. Then ask relatives about more information, and if you have them show them pictures.

Do not pay a genealogy site if you feel you are not getting your money's worth. Instead, look for a society. A society of the specific ethnic group, or specific location where you know your relatives lived may be able to help you more than an internet site.

You may be dealing with a name or area where there is not much information put on the computer. You may have to travel to the location and check more local records if they are available.

Or your family may not want to look into their history for a variety of reasons. Genealogy does bring back the skeleton the closets.

Do not take everything you find as accurate, not all documents are. If you can find more than one document with the same information this is more accurate.

Sometimes sisters may have visited relatives for long periods of time or went to boarding schools. They would not show up in the same entry because of that.

All the answers are correct. It is up to you to decide whether to take the next step.

Answer 3

I use only the free sites listed below. If I use Ancestry or HeritageQuest, I go to my local library that has a genealogy research department which has a subscription to both. These are free sites as long as I have my library card. HeritageQuest I can access from home with my car. At the library, I have access to books and microfilm of newspapers, birth, death, and all sorts records. I go to the health department for birth and death data sheets which are free. I go to the recorders office to get copies of marriage licenses which here it only costs $1. There are some I am working on ordering out of state which varies in cost, but this gives me proof of parents.
I find rootsweb very helpful. This web site is where I found a few distant cousins and we share the same great grandfather.
Usgenweb is a state and county search.
Lds is the Latter Day Saints site which has loads of information not only for the States but also other countries.
I hope this helps.
I almost forgot rootsweb and ancestry combined a few months back. Be sure to search in the rootsweb area. Also, check out the message boards because other researchers post info they have found. Such as obits, records from family bibles, marriages, and other great info.

Answer 4

If your ancestors were in the USA by 1850, the census will help you. The WWI Draft cards will help and the SSDI will help. The census isn't perfect. If the people's birth years doesn't change more than 2 - 3 years every census, and they change the spelling by just one vowel and one consonant, I consider it a perfect match.

However, if your ancestors came over from someplace that wasn't England after 1920, buying an Ancestry subscription would be a waste of money.

If you only have 10 - 20 individuals, a genealogy program isn't going to be much help. It would be like using "Word" to write a shopping list. The genealogy programs I know of - FTM, PAF and Roots Magic - just keep everyone straight, make recording sources easier, and catch some typos. They start to shine when you get over 100 individuals and are invaluable when you get over 1,000.

Answer 5

I know it can be very frustrating when it seems there is no one else out there researching your family. Even if there is, the facts they have found need to be verified to make sure that there are no mistakes.

The first step is to determine what you already know or can find out from other family members. Names, dates, locations. These are important to determine where to start looking. They are also important to evaluate any information you find.

www.familysearch.org is one place to look. This is the online version of what you can find from the LDS Family History centers. You can also search to find one that is local to you. You can determine what local information is available for your ancestors' locations, from deed books, wills, vital records, newspapers, etc. Microfilm can be rented for about $3 per roll for 2 weeks. There may also be family trees available or individual facts online. Treat those as clues because it should be verified.

www.rootsweb.com along with www.usgenweb.org are also free sites. They may also contain family genealogies, individual vital records, cemetery transcriptions, newspaper clippings, obituraries, census records, tax records, local histories, etc. Many of the genweb sites have archives on rootsweb. These are also forums where researchers can get together to compare notes and ask questions.

www.ellisisland.org is a good place to search for immigrants between 1892 and the 1920's.

I have had great success with the pay sites such as ancestry.com. I have researched distant cousins that my family didn't know about. That said, there are inconsistencies between and within states. Certain time periods are well covered for a region and seem to be complete black holes in another region.

I would recommend visiting a family history center as suggested above. You will have free access to Ancestry.com and a volunteer who will be happy to assist you with your research. You local library may also have a subscription to Ancestry.com or another genealogy site that you can access for free.

There are ways to get around having a subscription to pay sites and almost every site free or paid is hit or miss in what information is available.

Eventually you will find something. Be creative. How do people misspell your last name? Chances are it may be misspelled in some of the records as well, especially the census. Everything you do find is a clue to how and where to find more information.

Good luck.

Answer 6

yes there is
in most cases, you just need some training on how to search.

But recognize the fact that some people search their entire lives and only get most of their family (from doing genealogy) down on paper. Doing ancestry research is a "hobby" and hsould be fun, not frustrating.

If you can't find someone researching your family surname then maybe the name had been changed or altered.

If you have difficulty searching, give me the name and let me use your subscription and I'll see what I can come up with for you. My subscription has lapsed.

Answer 7

I have had a hard time researching my family genealogy also- I have found that the best way to get hard to find records and information about family is by visiting a " Family History Center"- run by the Latter- Day Saint church. You don't have to be a member of their church to receive help with anything and there's no preaching at all...they were VERY helpful and friendly people- I highly recommend this to you, if you have a center in your area. I found them by looking up their church in the yellow pages. Hope this helps and good luck!

Answer 8

Try posting the surnames here and see if anyone can help you. Also, try all the free sites before you go and spend any $$. I have done all my research on line and in the library for free.

Answer 9

It can be incredibly frustrating when you are trying to find people and you keep hitting brickwalls. There is a really useful introduction to starting your research here: http://www.amateur-genealogist.com/new_to_genealogy.htm which should help you get yourself organised.

One of the things I also find really helpful is to join online groups where you can ask questions and get advice from people who have more experience.

Take care

Paul

Answer 10

Personally, I think all those places are a scam. I've been trying to find my birth father for awhile now, and every place you go to on the internet, they want a fee. I can hire a private detective if I want to PAY somebody for help.