Join me on my family history journey as I share all I learn along the way, including: - How to use family tree websites - How to find your ancestors - Reviews of DNA testing companies - Genealogy mistakes to avoid - And much more!
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County based Family History groups are brilliant as i belong to one in West Wales. Don't forget as well a basic google search. I had an ancestor in the Valleys who had come from Cardiganshire, a county I'm not familiar with. I put the birth place into Google "Parc Canol" I think it was and ended up finding exactly where that and the other places the family had lived in. It also lead me into a history of Lead Ore mining in Aberystwyth and how the decline resulted in miners moving down to the coal fields. Bingo! One search for where a place was located told me why this person had been where they were and the daughter ending up marrying my great grandfather.
I do use FMP but I actively dislike how my trees are displayed by them. Ancestry is so much clearer and easier to update especially when you find a record for a new to your tree ancestor. It is so easy to get lost when you use your back button. However for maritime records it is so much better. Sadly I need FMP plus my main trees on Ancestry.
PS Just a quick update - the 'W H Batten photo' alert actually just turned up its first result this week - I recorded the video 3 months ago - you can see the photo here (while it is active!) and no, not an affiliate link! www.ebay.co.uk/itm/387289342412?_nkw=w+h+batten&itmmeta=01J5D5ZTSK3DHP090MGSDDE9RE&hash=item5a2c3e61cc:g:z-4AAOSwtLVmuhmv&itmprp=enc%3AAQAJAAAA4HoV3kP08IDx%2BKZ9MfhVJKkO3dBwJE69D3z5bkLFim7Qu0%2FiKYze7GvRsWFd%2BJxeU7uUnrF0S%2B8TEtFIU7aBcnjO2%2BSNMYJuCBYNk9nBfJklrdClM9stlEbraYfkV4rFb4GVvD4Z9yPixKQdIesNtRddR2TwDGI18HDu8doAWULPhyveH1aRsMiSMsvDojD7nHCKbfE1O5pGl4fnyEU68B%2BRZoPm8nsKNqlyLwOT0OmaL1g%2F4PX7alNnTharjVecFMFpKNz52O5z%2BVUGydpg2QHVOBZeCje%2F3SgxpOB9kxn4%7Ctkp%3ABk9SR_Ks_6WrZA
I must admit seeing the rubbish some have recorded for my family members is so frustrating as I am careful to verify all my details so to put it on Family Search and people mess it up would drive me mad. i do make my info public unless the people are living as I want accurate information copied. Maybe I should venture there for clues I'm missing as I do search family Trees online to pickup information I don't know and that I verify for myself.
Yes, it is frustrating - it makes me wonder how much incorrect information is out there and shared. I always try to verify with records first, but it is so tempting on Ancestry and sites like that, too, that are constantly suggesting these things. Best of luck with it!
I love the National Archives website. If you sign up for an account you can download documents for free. It's particularly good if you have ancestors who served in the armed forces, but also great for wills, deeds, and other records that can add depth to your tree.
Thank you for this. I have only looked into some war records there but I will have to get back and look at more of these - I had the thought to do a video on it recently and your comment has nudged me. Thanks for the tip!
hey! I don't think there were any children out of wedlock - can you direct me to which video?! That happened in the family but not with Agnes that I know of. The religious element was strong and I am in touch with a fellow descendant (a 3rd cousin once removed) whose ancestor was all but cast out for a similar thing.
thanks for pointing that out, I find recording things sometimes blurs things in my mind as I'm so focused on delivering it and doing the research at the same time, I lose a bit of the recall. Will have another look👍🏻👍🏻
What's interesting is when you find a Francis Francis for an ancestor. I haven't found the middle name for this person, but they are from the early 1800s so they might not have it.
was that in Wales? A baptismal record? I have a William Willams (no middle name) but a few Morgan Morgans etc most with (quite distinctive) middle names. Tricky one!
If you use those as passwords etc then yes, it could lead in to possible social engineering, but I suppose that's a choice. Which particular aspects concern you the most about it, out of interest?
Hey Dai! That is cool to hear 😊 I suppose the popularity of non-conformism in Wales combined with industrial boom towns were probably the 2 biggest factors? All my Devon ancestors were Methodists. Glad to see your channel is going well! As you can see, I finally managed to get back on the horse. Enjoying it.
@@familycurious3813 Yes, welcome back! And thanks :). I'm not sure what religion my Devon family was. But I do know they were very very poor and went over to Swansea for work. A pretty common story I'd say
Hey all - I'm now offering genealogy research and software services - see what's on offer here today - it's my Google Doc to keep things simple! docs.google.com/document/d/1oNtOL4Dw0GOpucWmzVdA2HwqdBCTDf6JjKOHHnVf3IE/edit?usp=sharing
Hey all - I'm now offering genealogy research and software services - see what's on offer here today - it's my Google Doc to keep things simple! docs.google.com/document/d/1oNtOL4Dw0GOpucWmzVdA2HwqdBCTDf6JjKOHHnVf3IE/edit?usp=sharing
Hey all - I'm now offering genealogy research and software services - see what's on offer here today - it's my Google Doc to keep things simple! docs.google.com/document/d/1oNtOL4Dw0GOpucWmzVdA2HwqdBCTDf6JjKOHHnVf3IE/edit?usp=sharing
Hey all - I'm now offering genealogy research and software services - see what's on offer here today - it's my Google Doc to keep things simple! docs.google.com/document/d/1oNtOL4Dw0GOpucWmzVdA2HwqdBCTDf6JjKOHHnVf3IE/edit?usp=sharing
I like FMP a lot but for some reason it thinks I'm accessing it from a library and so I cannot get the features I'm paying for. It's gone downhill in the last year and the prices have gone up, might not renew next year if the hassle continues
Hi, just found your channel. I was an Ancestry user for years and joined FMP specifically to get royal household employment records. Hated it with a passion at first as I found it cumbersome to navigate. But an Ancestry friend pointed out that the transcriptions were better than Ancestry. As I used it more I realized she was right, as they often include mother's maiden names on birth records. I have also been able to find several records which didn't come up on Ancestry. So it has grown on me.
It's quite difficult for me to find a genealogy record research website as I am from Bharat and therefore have NO records in the websites usually mentioned.
@@familycurious3813 I understand 😄. I did end up getting an ancestry subscription but that didn't give any results. I've come to the conclusion since then that my family's record were probably destroyed during partition or earlier. Good day :)
My great grandfather was born in Wales. He arrived in the USA early 1800's. Surname was Phillips. He was a child and teaveled with 2 adults and youths all with the same surname. He is my brick wall.
I love FMP and have subscribed for many years. All my family are from Britain. One tip I always do is take a minute to report errors. The transcriptions are very good but sometimes, they need a tweak. The changes they will consider are defined so you can’t provide a suggestion for something that is Not actually recorded. They do give a report back promptly whether they have accepted your correction. This helps everyone so please take time to do it.
Yes, indeed, the pull of industry and jobs was massive. I read that Merthyr Tydfil had a population of close to 500,000 at its industrial peak, which is about the same size as Cardiff today - blew my mind.
Hi there. Click to reveal my email on the about page on my RU-vid channel's page here ru-vid.com/show-UCpjbqFT6DarD8bIzYiefgOgabout - under 'Details' heading click to get my email in the "For business enquiries:" and let me know your specifics and I'll update you from there. All the best, Steve.
This seems like a very good way to preserve memories of loved ones that are held by those who have never taken the time to write down their accounts. The point of a family history book, in contrast, is presumably to preserve more than just the memories of those who are still alive, but also information from artifacts (photos, newspaper clippings, census records, church records) that require an interpretive framework to make sense of them. I see the writing of a family history book as a way to collect and condense the information I have collected that currently fills a room of my house into an electronic form that hopefully will be shared among those who value it, and a hedge against the possibility that whoever inherits my physical possessions will simply pitch the stuff because they have neither the time nor the patience to find someone else who is willing to store these items in their homes.
I appreciate your content, especially since you're the first Welshman I've run across on RU-vid. I'm an American but lived in Pontypridd from 2004 to 2009, leaving my heart and a LOT of wonderful friends in Wales!
Nice to see you’re back at it. Great topic. These one-world tree services have great promise but the curation of merges is key and Family Search open curation is dangerous so I appreciate your coverage of this topic. Great work!!
Hey Steve, interesting comments. I think you're onto something. Books are awesome but they world is changing and people are wanting more. I'd rather have a video interview with my great grandparents. Are you still making videos. I hope you continue.
Hi Todd. Thanks for this. I have had to pause the video making for now for personal reasons but hope to get back to it in the near future! Any topics you'd like me to cover, just ask! All the best, Steve.
@@familycurious3813 I'm sad to learn you've been stalled a bit. I'd love to hear more about engaging others in family history. What is you're main focus for your channel?
I think this is a great idea and definitely better to do this, than nothing, as, writing a book can be very daunting, time consuming and all to easy to put off until maybe it’s too late! I think a nice way to start, especially with older folk, is with some old photos. Get them to tell you who the people are and what memories they have and then during the editing, you can editing the video to include the photos they’re talking about ☺️
Great tip about the photos, Lorraine - that is actually something I had been doing but didn't mention here. Let us know how you get on with this or the book writing approach!
What a treat tipp! I can imagine well how nice that can be. And perhaps relatives who are not familiar with using the intenet can gather together with someone who is and so you get them both in front of the same camera. Do you take notes as to what was spoken about in which sesson, as a kind of index?
Hey there. I actually have been taking many notes so far but have mainly been using what was said as a springboard to further research. I've also been sharing links to the recordings with family and they've then mentioned related points, too, so it's been great.
I take them with a pinch of salt, yes, but much of what is said can't be proved or disproved so I don't get too hung up on that aspect (with facts that have records to check against, of course I then do check)
Check out FindMyPast here for *free* : geni.us/findmypast Also check out Ancestry DNA for excellent DNA-based genealogy research: geni.us/ancestrydnafcgc Or feel free to google either 👍 PS The audio on this video was fine but, after editing with RU-vid's own internal editor, it seems to be completely out of synch - I hope it self corrects but apologies in advance if not!
Thank you! I thought I’d lost my mind when I accessed my FS acct after so many years. It was completely decimated and undone and full of non family members. Thx to your video I now have an explanation as to what happened.
I'm really enjoying your channel Steve. I appreciate the 'sharing-as-I-am-learning' approach and your voice is so calming. I have had paid subscriptions to Ancestry, FMP, and MyHeritage for 2 years and agree with your appraisal of FMP. FMP certainly has provided me with old parish records that are not available elsewhere. When using Ancestry and MyHeritage I feel that I am part of a living community and that there are other people online doing research at the same time. Being able to see other user profiles and their trees makes all the difference and I enjoy the ease of interacting with other users. On FMP however I feel that I am in solitary confinement, that I am the only person logged on and that no-one else is there. FMP is incredibly useful but I don't enjoy using it.
Glad to hear you've enjoyed the content so far, Andrew. That's funny you say that about FMP - I have thought the exact same. No photos, no real interaction with other people (the few who've responded directed me to their Ancestry tree for more!). It's a shame as FMP is fundamentally quite good but does indeed fall down in the areas you mentioned. I'll do some more videos on Ancestry tips as I signed up in the autumn and plan to get more into it. Any other thoughts or suggestions, just ask!
I only use Family Search to check records. I had a nice tree and someone went in and messed it all up. I was so mad. Anyway, this is a good tip for new folks using that website.
That is so annoying. Have you tried Wikitree? It's a little more robust - you can see some of my thoughts on it, as compared to Family Search, here: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-HHmPOsBF35o.html - hope it helps.
Fortunately, I had concerns about the free for all on FS and focused on Ancestry after only making a few entries. Just as well that I did because a couple of weeks ago someone added my grandfather then, when they realised he was already there, merged the two records, keeping all of their info and losing all of mine, including his photo. I can't be bothered to undo it. I just use FS for its records and record the citation in my Ancestry tree.
My mother purchased a house here in Philadelphia, PA (USA) from a family with the surname "Christmas". It was an African American family (he had a very light complexion). Sorry but I don't remember the first name of the owner.
