What is the best way to find your ancestory for the least amount of money?

Question

My family goes back to Ireland and i want to plan a trip there but i dont know much about my family.

Answer 1

You will first need to get as much information about your parents, grandparents, etc. as you can from talking to them, because you can typically only search for dead people on the Internet. Once you have some information farther back in your family, here are a few resources for you to use:

http://www.familysearch.org - Probably the best free online resource.

http://www.ancestry.com is one of the best but has a hefty subscription fee.

Also, you can check the surname message boards for his surname at:

http://genforum.genealogy.com

For links to helpful sites, you will want to take a look at:

http://www.cyndislist.com

And finally for a lot of different resources:

http://www.rootsweb.com

Good luck,
Dave
--
http://www.familypulse.org

Answer 2

Too cool. I DO know of persons who have done some really indepth work, found relatives in the "old" country before going and had a blast.
On the other hand, I don't know of many hobbies that don't cost SOME money. The trick is using it wisely. That means finding as much as possible over here, before you go, and there are far more resources than people imagine. Example.. church records which may not be online, but they ARE on microfilm at a nearby LDS library, and can be rented for a small handling fee. Network with any relatives that you can find online, and see what they have already dug up.
There are email lists strictly for persons working Irish (or German, or ?? ) lineage, where you can get some of the unknown tips.
Don't forget here! Throw out some names, dates, places, and let us give it a shot.

Answer 3

It may be helpful to know when your Irish family migrated and to where. Right now I can tell you it's your trip that will be the expense. Were they Irish, or Scots, Huguenots, or other protestants from the Reformation?

You will want to learn all you can before you go of course about the family/ies you'll be researching. You may want to pick up the Lonely Planet guide to Ireland too. I got mine for when I get to prowl County Tyrone looking for a place that literally sounds right.

Honestly, for the money when one considers results, and convenience where managing your time is an issue, if you're US, you can't beat ancestry.com. You can still hop around to the freebies when you want another view of things. I've always got a dozen or 20 windows open.

Answer 4

The first place to start is with your immediate family. Gather all the vital data (birth, death, place of birth and death, marriages, births) and work backwards from there. You can look in old family Bibles, cemeteries, local historical societies (have lots of local genealogical information). Next you'd either go to the public library or look on websites like Ancestor.com or genealogy.com or rootsweb.com and look up the names that you have already Census records will show you where that person lived at a given census and with whom they lived. Once you have that information, you can widen your search. Then places like the LDS records will be helpful. Once you find your ancestoral link to Ireland, you can look online for genealogy sites that carry Irish immigrant information. Sometimes you will be able to locate a ship's register for when that person entered the country. Most common entry points were Philadelphia and New York. It takes time and patience, but it's a fun ride. Good luck.

Answer 5

The easiest way is to pick the right grandparents. Ideally all four of them will have had a life-long interest in Genealogy and will have devoted many hours to looking up dead relatives. They will give you a CD with 60 years worth of well-documented research in an easy-to use format. A 300- page paper document is almost as good.

Seriously, dear, your question is like "How can I learn to play the piano in an afternoon?" or "How can I knock out a history term paper in 10 - 20 minutes?"

There are free sites. They are incomplete. Irish genealogy is notoriously difficult for a number of reasons. It isn't as bad as African-American, but it is harder than if they were New Englanders.

The resolved Q are full of links, tips and people who are more polite than I am. You can find things, for free. Don't expect it to be quick or easy, however.

Answer 6

You have been given some pretty good advice except those people at the Mormon Data Center are extremely helpful and will not try to convert you, at least not my experience.

I have never had them come ringing my doorbell because I availed myself of their services.

Death certificates and applications for social security numbers give names and place of birth of both parents, including mother's maiden name.

If you are Catholic, then the Chancery office should have records of baptisms, First Communion, Confirmation, Marriage and Death. Catholic records are a good source of information. If you are confirmed in a parish other than the one you were baptised in, a little card is sent back to the parish of baptism where it is noted in the baptismal record. The same is true of marriages. Parents' names, including mother's maiden name, are on those records.

Getting as much information from your family is very important, particularly your senior members. Tape them if they will let you. What might seem to be insignificant ramblings or little stories can turn out to be very significant.

Answer 7

I have been researching for about a decade, and I can tell you that the answers already posted are all accurate, but I would add that you need to get yourself prepared with the basic stuff...gathering info, organizing (buy notebooks and print gen trees, etc), learning about free and pay sites...best place to start is your local library...they usually offer free introductory seminars in genealogy...and carry lots of free books to search (local and global)...as well as having some very good genealogy researchers on hand to get you started and guide you.

Answer 8

My family goes back to France the last name is Choiseull Praslin

Answer 9

The LDS database is very Helpful and Free and far as I know they will not try to convert you :) also Roots web.com is free Genealogy.com is free use there message boards is very helpful also the Us Gen Web program is free and gives you all states to the best of my Knowledge as long as your in the United States. I'm not to sure about Canada and its resources. Or the United Kingdom for that matter.
http://www.rootsweb.com/
http://www.familysearch.org/
http://www.genealogy.com/index_r.html
http://www.usgenweb.com/

I hope this helps you and say hello to Ireland for me when you go.Best of luck to ya.

Answer 10

Try the LDS site familysearch.org, Its free and easy (The LDS church may run it, but there isn't ANY pressure to convert to Mormonism, not even subtle hints so its safe!), also try asking some of your older relatives, they may surprise you with what they know. Happy Hunting!