Genealogy Chat

I have just bought some credits as I thought it might help me with my family tree but how wrong could I be! I have found that without dates to help with the search it has become a catch 22 syndrome as it means spending a lot of credits on one view if you don't know the date. Wouldn't it have been easier to clump the name you want together instead of giving you a load of months and different years to choose just to find it isn't want you want? I am now at a lost as I do not know where to go in my search and I now have 38 credits to use in just over 6 days and without dates they are useless and wish I knew this before I had bought them!!

hi, you can also have a monthly subscription to ancestry, I think i pay £9.50 approx a month - you don't feel so guilty then as paying out in a yearly lump sum vicky

You mean you bought credits on here? Nope they are wildly expensive. Most of us have an ancestry sub which costs about £55 for all the census 1841-1901, all the bmd index and lots and lots more for the whole year 24/7. For bmd, try free bmd first. The 1881 census is free on both familysearch.org and ancestry. The complete bmd index is free on ancestry And theres always kind souls on here to help. Personally Id rather get an ancestry sub yourself as you can then spend hours and hours whenever you want just trawling.

Hi Marguerite, What information do you have to start off with? What are you looking for? If you post a question on this part of the site, or on the 'records office' part there are many members who will look things up for you for free. They can also give you good advice on how to use your credits. good luck, Krissie.

I've got a subscription to Ancestry.co.uk and findmypast.com - if you want any look ups just ask. Kim

You don't say which records your credits relate to......perhaps if you told us, we could offer more constructive advice. I must say, though, that you can't hope to trace your ancestry without having some idea of the period of time in which people were around. Start with the certainties........your birth, then the marriage and births of your parents, and the marriages of your grandparents. Work back one generation at a time, checking and cross-checking each step, to ensure that you don't follow any false leads........or as few as possible, anyway......... And GR does not hold any actual records...........all their credits do is link you to the sites which do have them, so you have to search the records as they are, which is in chronological and alphabetical order. Reg

Thanks for all the replies and I will take note of what has been said! Reg all I am trying to find out is my fathers ex and when one doesn't have dates and knowone to ask it does get a bit frustrating. All I am trying to find is the Birth or Marriage date, nothing complicated but thought it would be more easier than it is. Like my husband said 'they want you to spend your money' and I have decided after 50 credits and it is no more, special when I haven't gone forward and all I am looking at is my parents generation!! Thanks again for all the replies.

It sounds as if you will need to trawl through the GRO indexes to find the person you are looking for. If its your father's ex then the marriage is the thing to find. You will have a rough idea of the date (within 10 years?) You can search through the GRO index on Ancestry for free (although I think you have to register first) You can also search through the indexes at you local main library. They usually have them on microfiche. Then you will need to buy the certificate to find out what it says. Pay no more than £7 from the GRO. Good luck Anne

For births, marriages and deaths, in England/Wales, there is no need to spend any money..........they are all FREE on Ancestry. Following address is for marriages.......just copy & paste to you browser (delete brackets) and register with the site. http://content.ancestry(.)co.uk/iexec/?htx=List&dbid=8965&offerid=0%3a7858%3a0 Once registered, you can also search births and deaths..........free!!! Reg

Keep for later

I think Reg might have already asked the question, but where are you spending your credits?

The credits I bought are on this site Genes Reunited and I use them for searching the BMD and also the cenus lists. Thought this was the way it was done but now know better!