Family History

brue
brue Forum Participant Posts: 21,176 ✭✭✭✭✭
1000 Comments
edited February 2016 in Your Hobbies #1

If you're like me and enjoy looking up family history I've just tried out the new 1939 register on Findmypast. This register was set up at the onset of WW2, everyone had to register and then received their identity cards. There are omissions for living people
etc but I have finally been able to find the missing birth date of one of my grandmothers. I had bought some credits previously and these covered the costs.

Any other recommendations out there?Smile

Comments

  • C Williams
    C Williams Forum Participant Posts: 78
    edited February 2016 #2

    If your ancestors are Scottish, then Scotland's People becomes the go to website. To keep the cost down, you can purchase cards in Scottish libraries that provide 60 credits at half the price they cost online. I often use ancestry.co.uk or findmypast.co.uk
    to get the basic index information and then my Scotland's People search is not random and costs fewer credits to identify the sought after certificate. Love this hobby.

  • vivien
    vivien Forum Participant Posts: 449
    100 Comments
    edited February 2016 #3

    I have never paid for any information, it's just loads of googling!   Parish churches sometimes put up records from centuries ago, these can help and usually free!  

  • vivien
    vivien Forum Participant Posts: 449
    100 Comments
    edited February 2016 #4

    If you want hard, yet easy in a way, my family fits that bill!  My mums side came from Circus and aviation, my dads side was market and flight.   Who would have relatives? Lol

  • brue
    brue Forum Participant Posts: 21,176 ✭✭✭✭✭
    1000 Comments
    edited February 2016 #5

    The first part of the 1936 register search is free.Smile I use FreeBMD a lot too.

  • ChrisRogers
    ChrisRogers Forum Participant Posts: 435
    edited February 2016 #6

    Yes Bru, we have done the same over the past 14 years and have enjoyed it, not in the UK but Latvia. We have visited local town registry offices, churches, museums and have found some records and seen graves. It was a big problem due to language difficulties and nothing on line or computerised, so we contacted the Latvian National Archive office in Riga who were very good, they took a year to do a family search and went back to 1740 and it cost us £230.00, to us a good price. My wife’s father was born in Latvia and left in 1945.

    We are going back again in March for our 13th visit, this time we need to find 2 farms or remains and another grave! Yes, it is nice to find family, family friends and visit them, see houses / farms where they were born and lived, enjoy the country and learn about the history; in war, occupation and peace.

  • Remus
    Remus Forum Participant Posts: 132
    edited February 2016 #7

    www.gravestonephotos.com is a completely free site.  You don't even need to register or log in.  

  • JillwithaJay
    JillwithaJay Club Member Posts: 2,484 ✭✭✭✭
    1000 Comments
    edited February 2016 #8

    I saw an advert on the television to suggest that Ancestry.com are offering a free weekend this weekend.

    300 siggy photo 6b161378-22ab-47bd-97dd-22af5e8f67ba_zpsbtkpqljt.jpg