Genealogy Chat

Hi i haven't long been doing my tree and got a few names and bits off of ancestry and 1837 online, obviously i am going to order the certificates to confirm i have the right people but where do i stop do i just get the parents certificates i.e my G,G ,G greatparents (birth, marraige and death) or do people eventually get siblings children etc.. I am just wondering cos i was asked the question and didnt have a clue. And also how far back have people gone when i've read some people have gone back to 1600-1700's i couldn't imagine me beable to find out things that far back. Thanks jess.

It's usually best to get the main certificates first - parents, grandparents, great grandparents and so on, but sometimes you need to get siblings etc. when you get stuck on a line as they can sometimes give clues to help. Don't ignore witnesses on marriage certificates and informants on death certificates as these are often relatives of some sort. These days with Ancestry, 1837 etc. it it fairly easy to get back to the beginning of civil registration without even leaving your computer, but to get back as far as some people have, then you have to start visiting record offices and family history centres and doing some legwork round cemeteries and such. I would imagine you could feasibly carry on until the point when there are no more paper records but I doubt I will ever get that far. Kath. x

thanks for that Kath jess x

Jessica I'm currently working on several lines. Have got my direct line Certificates, now going for siblings etc. At the end of the day it's up to the individual as to what they want to do. Regarding going back to 1600s etc. You can glean a lot of information from the IGI and through looking at Parish Records, Bishops Transcripts, etc. Joy

Jess I get direct line certificates anyway even if I found details via census as you actually confirm parents names etc. I only buy siblings if I think it may confirm extra detail ( suck as two sisters who marry 2 brothers and Ineed to confirm this. As to how far back pre 1837, your into parish register wills etc. Incidentally back to c1600 on some lines. On other completely stuck c 1800. Good Luck and Happy Hunting Sue

thanks joy, I just thought at the end it would be nice to have the full set of everyone but very expensive just didnt know if there was a certain way to do a family tree. jessica x

thanks sue x

I stick to the people who if they hadnt lived I wouldnt have existed - i.e. my direct line. Its really interesting finding out about the rest but finances wont allow. Ive got back to 1550 on one of my dads lines only. I am incredibly fortunate that I have unusual and very localised names to work with. Having said that I am stuck at 1820 for 2 years with the Dixons (they bred like rabbits all over London and Im blowed if I can follow them)

you are lucky going back that far, ive only got 1826 with my g g grandad being born and thats not 100%confirmed until i get the birth certificate, i'll be well pleased if i get that far. jess x

Well Jess, you wont get a birth cert for 1826 Im afraid. They didnt start registration til 1837 and then it was hit and miss affair for a fair while. If you have got back to the child of this man then his birth cert will give you dad and mums name and you can track back from there. Do you use the familysearch IGI? If you live near where the family come from you can go to your local archives/office and look them up through the registers. Theres lots of other resources to help you and never underestimate the power of google searches! And there are also some brilliant people on here more than willing to give you help.