Family Tree.
 

I have been helping my niece research her family background......and though I thought it would be boring I am now addicted.
Has anyone out there done this? If so have you any practical hints or tips?

Thanks in anticipation.

Re: Family Tree.
 

I`m doing my family tree at the mo and went after all four branches at once, paternal and maternal grandparents, not the best way of going about it! A few of the golden rules are;

Get oral histories from living relatives, it will back up the evidence you collect or you may need ot quash it. Auntie Jean may not be your auntie just your mothers best friend!

Start with a quick family tree written down to show relationships, it could soon get complicated.

Get some lever arch files and plastic wallets for documents and keep them in order.

Use the local history societies, they are always pleased to help.

Genes Reunited is always a good place to start, someone may have already started research on your family. I have about 12 contacts with various members of the Allonby clan from all over the world.

It can be expensive, sending for birth, marriage and death certificates are £7 each and subscription to sites like Ancestry can be quite dear. Most libraries offer free access to Ancestry which is a very useful site.

Use the library. Accy has parish records and census returns together with transcriptions of various cemetaries and back editions of the Accrington Observer

You need a lot of patience!!!

Good Luck

Re: Family Tree.
 

Thanks for the tips Uncle Mick. I am doing both my parents, and helping with research on my Husbands parents. I have already amassed quite a bit of information from living relatives......but there are a few gaps. I plan to use whatever the local library can offer and then take it from there. I wish i has asked my grandparents more about their lives.
Mick has also very kindly offered to lend me some resources too.
I am getting square eyes from online researching.....and a square BTM too.

Re: Family Tree.
 

I have planned to write some kind of narrative about what i know about my relatives who were alive during my lifetime. I don't know how long it will take, it took me a year to transcribe a four week trip to Oz with my Mum.......so don't hold your breath. :)

Re: Family Tree.
 

hope you suceed margaret, one thing you will need is= More Patience than me, i had a do n gave up.;) :)

Re: Family Tree.
 

Patience is a definite requirement, but you also have to have some pretty damn good detective skills too......and be able to think 'outside the box'.
I have already found out some pretty mind blowing things.....not that I have found anyone famous or anything like that......bit I found out that my Grandma married someone old enough to be her father. That my mum and dad only knew each other for 3 weeks before they got married....and it wasn't a shotgun affair either....and the marriage lasted for something like 42 years until my dad died.
It is also quite exhilarating when you find a 'missing link'....and manage to put names to faces on old pictures. Yes, I think you could say I'm hooked.

Re: Family Tree.
 

One of my brothers started to research our ancestors over 20 years ago. If I tell you he's still doing it, avidly, you'll know how involved you can become and how much there is to research.

He has been to St Catherines House many times, visited Registrars' offices all over the North of England and used dozens of internet sites. Having traced both our parents' ancestors back to the early 17th century he has, since, diverted into various branches and is constantly turning up "new" distant relations, many of whom he's in touch with.

There are a few sites on the net that I've looked at though my efforts are nothing compared to his. The 1901 Census is useful and there's a site called Free BMD (births, marriages and deaths) which has records back to 1837. The Mormons' site is also very helpful and gives details from various censuses if you find the right person.

Good luck with your research but remember - it can be very absorbing. The stories you unearth are sometimes amazing and sometimes very sad.

Re: Family Tree.
 

I have used the Lancashire BMD, and Ancestry too, but so far only the free stuff. I didn't want to get into a subscription thing and then run out of enthusiasm....though I think that i am going to HAVE to purchase something that will let me view the 1901 census.
My mother never knew that her own dad had at least six other siblings....or that he was born in Horncastle in Lincolnshire. She was fascinated when i told her. And now she is considering taking a trip to her fathers birthplace for her 80th birthday.
I have so far only gone back to the 1860's.
My niece in Australia is doing her British side of the family, her Oz side and her hubby's Irish root as well.
West Ender, you are right about it being absorbing.....compulsive too.

Re: Family Tree.
 

I wish i could start my family tree, but dont know where to start from because i havent a clue about my ancestors, only up to me granny on both sides thats about it, it looks really interesting and would love to know who im related to, in the old days, could be a mass murderer!!!Attachment 9132

Re: Family Tree.
 

Well, Panther that is all that I started with too...so I guess you could start from there...but be warned it is very addictive.

Re: Family Tree.
 

Who knows what we would find if we go back..maybe we are decended from mad axemen or raving banshies.. i think i will leave well alone....:conny: :evil: :s_evil: :signwier:

Re: Family Tree.
 

It,s a good thing to do but its take,s your time up but i think there is no end to it. good luck with it

Re: Family Tree.
 

Granny, you could be right, but whatever you find does make for interesting reading......and it doesn't take anything away from me as a person.
We can only guess at the life pressures of our ancestors....and if some of them prove to have been less than 'savoury'.....it isn't really our fault.

I wish history had been taught in my school via this method....it would have made it more realistic and personal....and I'm sure I would have been a lot more interested.

You only need to do as much (or as little) as you want in the research of your background.
I'm not under any illusions as to having anyone famous, or infamous in my family past.

I also plan to write some kind of narrative about what my own background has been.....not for publication, just for the folk who come after me. So they will know a bit about me and my immediate family links. I am going to call it 'The Memoirs of an Ordinary Person'

Re: Family Tree.
 

My paternal grandparents were both Irish, which is a difficult root to go down, but the Haslingden court reports provided plenty of useful information when they were brought up before the judge!!.

Not related to Thomas and Bridget Pilkington of Clayton are you?

Re: Family Tree.
 

Well, I haven't come across them yet......We have Joseph (m) Mary Dewhurst......but I am still finding relatives that we never knew existed.

Re: Family Tree.
 

lol....exactly granny, BUT i think it would make me more determined to find out to see if madness is really in my genes....Attachment 9143

Re: Family Tree.
 

well, i ve just spent a couple of hours trawling through the registers to find the name of one of my relatives.......I know what her married name was, but not when she was married......I know the name of her hubby....but heck, I can't find either of them.....I'm going squinty eyed looking so I thought I'd have a break....... and come here to look if there has been much interest.
I will be really elated if I can find this couple!

Re: Family Tree.
 

If the surname is not too common you can sometimes find out a lot by just typing the name into Google. I once googled my full maiden name and found a lady with the same name as me had been a passenger on a ship bound for New York in 1882. I then found her living in Los Angeles in 1890. I don't know the relationship but, with an uncommon surname as mine was, she must have been a distant relation.

For the person you're looking for, if you go into FreeBMD (countrywide, not local) and type in the husband's name with a date range within say 30 years either side of when you think it may have been you might get a hit on his marriage. If you know the town or county where they were married that will also help to narrow it down.

Re: Family Tree.
 

Thanks for that West Ender......I wish......it is a common name....and there are hundreds to look through. I have found a couple that COULD just be the right ones....the dates are about right......but unfortunately at that time the spouses maiden name is not recorded....and THAT is the name I am looking for. I think I am going to have to resort to Census data.

Re: Family Tree.
 

There was a programe on the tele a few months back,where soap stars etc ,looked up their family tree.Jane Horrocks found out that she was desended from the Horrocks family that owned the big cotton factories in lancs years ago...:)

Re: Family Tree.
 

You could try searching for them both seperately and see if you find a matching quarter and try increasing the search area. I`ve got some Clayton relatives who were registered in Haslingden.

Re: Family Tree.
 

Yes Uncle Mick.....I have done that and have found 3 possibles for the male, but about 7 that are possibles for the female of the partnership......I guess i'm going to have to make a trip to the local library armed with my reference numbers and look them all up. It is very interesting.

Re: Family Tree.
 

All these tips are useful...so keep 'em coming.
Who knows it may even get more people addicted to this recreation.

I saw a couple of those programs....and i can recall thinking that the folk who chased up and down looking for their ancestors must be mad.....now, it appears.....I'm one of those mad folk. :)

Re: Family Tree.
 

If they were married at a local church then the library may have the parish registers, which may show the witnesses, possibly brothers or sisters.

Re: Family Tree.
 

it would be a lot easier if you could get the old electrol free online, but you always have to pay:rolleyes: :(

Re: Family Tree.
 

I am going to have to try and see what the library can come up with i think.

Re: Family Tree.
 

One of the best sites is Find my past.com,you have to pay but you can get a fiver and go from there, if any one wants anything looking up let me know I am a member of Find my past and Ancestry.co.uk and so can look for free,I have been doing my family tree and many others for over 20 years

Re: Family Tree.
 

Don't know whether you noticed Margaret, but a little bit in the Observer is reporting an Internet genealogy course at the library on Pickup Street. C-L-M next Thursday 10 a.m. 'til noon. They state 'the event will include details and top tips of how people can trace their family trees by using search engines'

Advise you to get names down as quickly as possible .. contact the library 236463.

Re: Family Tree.
 

try genes reunited they now do a free check on births mariiges and deaths online from i think 1890s to the present day,i found info of my kids birth on there

Re: Family Tree.
 

My sister started doing our family tree - but seeing as theyre all in ireland she went over there for a couple of weeks going through the parish registers. She got back to the 1860's on the maternal side but then ran into a problem - they werent recorded as such eg it was sarah married arthur and that was it!!! lol
My cousin did the paternal side - he ended up at a reunion in America!!! lol

Re: Family Tree.
 

I started researching a couple of weeks ago and I am using Legacy for recording my findings.

There's free version available at

http://www.legacyfamilytree.com/


and you might want to consider dowloading Geneology Finder at

http://www.town-local.net/genfinder/

Also take a look at the Great Harwood Geneology site at

http://www.arrodgen.org/ for tips, resources and useful links.

There's also a Yahoo Group at

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/arrodgen/

Re: Family Tree.
 

Katex...i had seen that session at Clayton Library, but unfortunately can't attend as i have to take Ma for some tests...maybe they will run it again if the demand is high enough.....I hope so.

Thanks Flashman for the tips.....I will try some of those sites.
I haven't been able to do much over the last week, but will get going again soon.

Flashman are you finding it addictive too?

Re: Family Tree.
 

Yup it is really interesting and I'm amazed at how complex it can be. For instance

1) The User Manual for the Legacy software is 400 pages which is bigger than most applications like Word etc.

2) There's limitations for online research. I'm in Canada and trying to track my family's history in Great Harwood is tricky cos there's not too many Censuses on line.

3) You have to make some assumptions cos

- There's no divorce records online so spouses may change from census to census.

- Some of the handwiting can be undecipherable with spelling mistakes for the written records and you may have to tinker with the brightness and contrast with your image viewer.

Re: Family Tree.
 

Flashman, you could try the Lancashire Births, Marriages and Deaths site....this may help you find who you are looking for...and it is free.....Try
www.lancashirebmd.org.uk
Also you can access some of the birth, marriage and death records via Ancestry.com......they have a free 14 day trial on at present....don't know what kind of access this gives....you may be able to access some census records.
Hope these tips help you out a little bit......if I find anything else i will pm you with it.

Re: Family Tree.
 

Oh, I should have said that the Lancashire BMD site is transcibed by voluteers and so it can be a bit patchy in it's coverage (datewise)...but it is definitely worth a look. You might be lucky.

Re: Family Tree.
 

my step brother has done our family tree and hes gone back to the 1800s
i have a box upstairs with about 10 folders in it, and its really interesting to read, although i will never do or carry it on its great because one of my children/grandchildren may wish to so they can pick up from where my step bro left ..

Re: Family Tree.
 

looking for infor on dinah chippendale 1901 was at 99 market street aged 10 and i think her mother was dinah as well aged 50 then on 1911 she was widowed and lived 118 chorley road blackrod any more info on he above would be grateful

Re: Family Tree.
 

One way to decypher writing on screen is to use a piece of tissue paper, and go over the word you want
with a pencil, this will eliminate the loops from above, & below, then you will see the word, without fiddling with contrast etc.
Retlaw.

Re: Family Tree.
 

My mum has been doing her dad's side of the family, he was brought up on Rockmount and was called Croston - she has found out all sorts of things from different family members like her one remaining aunt and various cousins. She has been sent some wonderful photos, documents and letters which are real eye-openers. I personally have kept the 24 letters my grand-dad wrote to me when i moved out to Italy at first -they cover the period between Sept 1988-May 1993 (he was a prolific writer!). They now read as a family saga -it was the time when I, My sister and our cousin all had our children so the letters describe day to day life of all my family, who was up to what and where, the price of things, comments about local and national elections and just the details of everyday living on Exchange Street, where my Grandparents lived for over 45 years, and Cranbourne Drive, where I was brought up and my mum and dad still lived. it's surprising what people put away and forget about so do try asking family members for letters etc. you may be surprised what they can come up with...

Re: Family Tree.
 

Got a couple of Croston's in my files.
Albert served in the R.A.M.C. &
William who served in the R.G.A.
49 Whalley Rd, Altham.
Retlaw.

Re: Family Tree.
 

Hello Cherryl, not sure how much info you have so hopefully this is of use.
Dinah Griffiths born 1850 in Manchester married John Whitehead 1870 in Manchester. They had 3 children, Mary A. born 1873, James born 1875 and Margaret born 1878. John Whitehead possibly died 1887 in Adlington. Dinah Whitehead then married Thomas Chippendale {born 1851 Kendal** in 1890 in Chorley. They had four children, Margaret Elizabeth born 1883, James born 1885, Jane born 1886 and Dinah born 1891. Margaret Elizabeth married Thomas Charnock in 1906 at St Pauls Adlington, James married Ellen Devine 1906 in Chorley, Jane married Henry Wilkinson 1910 St Pauls Adlington, Dinah married William Makinson 1915 St David Haigh, Wigan/Leigh. All of this is from a quick check and will have to be proven, hope it is of some use, Bryan.

Re: Family Tree.
 

Thanks -will pass this on to my mum (she is Callaoanne on Accyweb, formerly Aromaanne!), maybe she'll contact you.... I know my great-grandfather had a brother called William so it could be a link -don't think mum has ever mentioned an Albert -but the families were very big in those days!

Re: Family Tree.
 

my cousin has done our family tree got back to 1690, found some cousins still alive & had 3 e-mails today from 2nd cousin in canada oooooooooo they seem to be coming out of the woodwork. it is hard work but very rewarding too.........lots of patience is really needed.

Re: Family Tree.
 

Your right Mez, interesting and rewarding. I just found some direct relatives from my gt.gt.gt grandad who live a couple of hundred miles south of us in Washington State. A meeting is on the cards. Quite brilliant I think.

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I an a relative of Dinah chippendale her daughter which she had out of Wed lock in 1911 was my grandmother then she married twice after giving my grandmother away I think she had four more children.

Re: Family Tree.
 

Is this the chippendales family tree including Dinah, thankyou

Re: Family Tree.chippendale
 

Anyone related to Dinah chippendale

Re: Family Tree.
 

cherryl-richer. Has not been on Accy webb since August 2011. Dont think she/He will see this.

Re: Family Tree.
 

May be worth trying to send a pm. if the settings are ok, he/she will get an e-mail telling her? its worth trying, yeh never know.;)

Re: Family Tree.
 

I went into Ossy library to ask about researching my family, although I'm not originally from round here.
The assistant advised me to join the library and get a PIN then I could spend as long as I wanted using the Ancestry site cost free.
I found what I wanted to know and never used it since.

Re: Family Tree.
 

Ancestry site and Findmypast are free to use at all Lancashire County Council libraries. Time spent on a computer there is usually restricted to a couple of hours. They have local newspapers on film too which can be useful. I have always found the library staff very helpful.

Re: Family Tree.
 

Use it or lose it. It is vital that we keep our libraries open. I have checked - there are no members of the Lancashire Family History Society researching Chippendales. The society has its own library/research rom, open every Thursday afternoon and monthly on Saturday and it is in The Straits, Ossie. Visitors are made welcome. and given help and advice by experts

Re: Family Tree.
 

Never noticed that on the straits Bob, whereabouts?:confused:

Re: Family Tree. chippendale
 

Does anyone have any relatives from William chippendale born 1909 living at 4 Overton street and died 1973. In hope

Re: Family Tree.
 

Its ok have walked up yon just now n clocked it. amazing whats around if yeh look.:D

Re: Family Tree.
 

Cushman I am active and any information would be gratefully received

Re: Family Tree.
 

I have been researching my family history for about 10 years. I often think that its something like a cross between being good at jigsaws and being a private investigator.
Here's my advise for what its worth;
Get a family tree started with yourself (I use Ancestry) and always work backwards. Start with the 1911 census and work back to 1841. Check birth, marriages and deaths - it gives you the year quarter for the event. Always question if you have the right person as there will be others with the same name. Try Lancashire OnLine Parish Clerk Project - for Lancashire ancestors - its free.

I have been able to find lots of first, second and third cousins all over the World through my research.

It is adictive but very enjoyable. Good luck!