Can I get some help with my family tree?

Question

Im researching my family tree & have hit a bit of a block...I've found both my great-grandparents but have a problem with going back to my great-great-grandparents...

My great-grandfather had a very common name & I've found 100's of men with the same name, about the same age from the same area...how can I determine which 1 he is?

Also, on the 1881 census, my great-grandmother was recorded as a child, the head of the house being her mother as her father was in the Navy - there's no mention of her father's name or her mothers maiden name - how can I find her mothers maiden name & her fathers name?

I've tried looking for their marriage certificate as I think it will help but have no idea what year they married, all I know is my grandads (their son) date of birth.

Any help/advice would be greatly appreciated - I've tried things like ancestry.com & genesreunited but there's nothing of genesreunited & ancestry.com is too expensive.

Answer 1

its expensive..but thats the only way....

Answer 2

The best way in cases like these is to order certificates to work backwards- it is expensive but i always feel pleased that i am holding a certificate that was proof of a grandpa's birth or marriage-. If i were you i would start with grandads birth certificate- it will give his mothers maiden name and you can trace a marriage from that.
You can search Navy records on line at the National Archives website and you should keep searching the census because even if at sea he should be recorded somewhere. It means digging a bit deeper i know, but its worth it. Have you registered with Genes reunited- you never someone might come forth with information in time to come. More and more people are doing their trees so more and more contacts are coming to Genes.

Answer 3

Your great grandmother's parents names will be on her birth certificate. You can search the BMD indices free online, but you will have to pay to order a certificate which will give you the details you want.
I think you might find it easier to stick to tracing one line at a time, or else it will become very hard to manage all the info you gather.
When you say you have found 100's of men with your great grandfather's name, where have you found them? You need to look at where your grandfather was born and the year of his birth and try and look at the Census for that period (assuming he was born before 1901). If he was born after 1901, you can only use his birth cert to take a view on how old his father may have been - and of course the father's occupation will give you a clue to enable you to narrow him down on the Census.
Family History research is an expensive hobby - there is loads of info out there, but it costs money to put it on the net or have people fish out records for you and send them to you. Most people make it a lifetime's work and budget accordingly!

Answer 4

If you can find out what county they lived in, (on the census) you should go to the US Genweb web site. It will usually tell you what kind of information exists for that specific county and how to order it.

Birth certificates may be hard to find for the 1800's. Many states did not keep them. If you have the county from the census record, you could find out if that county has birth records for the year of her birth. They may be held by the genealogy society or historical society.

Death certificates also have maiden name, parents names and parents place of birth if you can not get a birth certificate. Their next of kin at the time of their death may have known this information.
An expensive third choice is finding their Social Security numbers in the Social Security death index, if they lived that long, and ordering their Social security application, which also has parents names.

Answer 5

The Church of Jesus Christ of the Latter Day Saints (commonly know as the Mormons) has the most extensive geneological records compiled in the United States; maybe even the world. The "heart" of these geneological records is stored at Salt Lake City, Utah; but, there are libraries in other cities that can give you access to these records. I know there is a facility in St. Louis, Missouri and one in Tulsa, Oklahoma. You do not have to "belong" to the Latter Day Saints (Mormons) to access these records. You may be charged a fee; but, since you have "hit a block", any fee may be worth your effort.

Whatever information you find on your ancestors, write it down. Give copies to everyone in your family. Your children, their children, and their children will want to know their ancestry some day.

If you know your grandfather's place of birth, father's name and mother's maiden name, you can write to that state and request a birth certificate.

Researching your ancestor's is exciting; and in many instances, very enlightening. I have discovered that some of my ancestors were horse thieves, train robbers, district judges, and territorial marshals. Some sold their "wares" at the World's Fair held in St. Louis, Missouri in the early 1900's!

Answer 6

ancestry.com can be expensive, but I just found that my local library (Naperville, IL) subscribes, so I get to use it for free.

Also, if you have a Latter Day Saints research center near you you can find some information.

Also, if you look up a Federal Archives office you can go there and look up census information.

Try looking for your family in the 1900 census if they were still around. (1890 probably won't exist).

Answer 7

Look up the Guild of One Name Studies and see if your surname is there . If it is the person who has the name registered must respond to a query from you. You must give him ALL the history you have gained so far, but he/she will tell you what they will want.

Answer 8

Hello Lisa, if you'd like to email me I will be more than happy to help you, I have access to www.ancestry/.com/.co.uk world collection. If you email me I will email yo straight away with my findings, I recently did a search for a Smith family surname and got them back to 1733, they were well chuffed. [e-mail]

Answer 9

You could join a group on this site;

'familysearchuk'

The folks there are very helpful

PETER

Answer 10

Try to swinging from it...lol