Searching for family?

Question

i know lots of you have probably answered questions like this a hundred times ? however have tried genes reunited and no luck any more ideas please have names and places and some birth dates any help really really appreciated, thanks in advance

Answer 1

if you are looking for ancestry, it simply is not a "25 words or less" hobby. And (contrary to what they want you to think) NO one website will have the answer for everyone.  What works for someone in the US, will not have records from UK, or vice versa.

The main advice that I can give you, is to break the habit of thinking in generals, and understand being EXPLICIT.  There is a huge difference between "I am looking for my family"  and "how do I locate proof of birth for grandma Jane Smith who died 1914 in London?"  (and.. knowing the country is critical.. I only know you are UK because I went to look at your profile).

EVERY single person/ ancestor is going to be a "project" in themselves. What makes it genealogy, is that one piece of the project is that the facts you find, are those that connect that person to their family.  Example.. pull out (or order) birth certificate for your father. Two things happen= one, you are not relying on word of mouth (and that is BASIC). 2ND thing is that it connects dad to his parents, tells you where he was born, and perhaps other clues. His marriage record(s) are another record that links him to a wife (no, that is not always necessary.. your parents are your parents, married or not).

Almost all new researchers believe their history is on the internet, and will someone just tell them which website?  My answer is that records about genealogy ALL existed, long before computers. You don't want a website.. you want a record that proves where your grandfather was born. All of a sudden..you know exactly what you are looking for. NOW.. it opens up. There *could* be a website with that record.. or maybe not. The record still exists, in all probability.

There are thousands of genealogical websites. A library is a place to find your ancestor.. but it does not call itself a "genealogy" website.

If you want to just punch the name in and magically have your ancestry pop up.. the odds are very high that you won't find it. If you are prepared to spend the next few years, putting together your personal history, the odds are high that you WILL find it, and love every minute.

It is ALL ALL ALL in what you expect, and what you are willing to put in.  Breaking the concept down into pieces, is the very first step.  

Answer 2

Please be more specific with your question.  We have no idea who or what you are looking for.  That will determine what sources are used to look.  If you are looking for someone living, that is entirely different than looking for ancestors who lived 150 years ago.  You need to provide us with some names, dates, places, and then a specific question as to your brick wall you are having trouble with.

Answer 3

give us names, places, dates if you can

Answer 4

yep, i answer a question like this at least once a week....just glad to be able to help people in a similar situation that i was in a few years back....right....if the people are still alive and you are related to them the 'salvation army family tracing service' will find them for you...google those exact words and contact them....they found a brother/dad that i hadnt seen in 10/23 years....there is a small cost, but its worth it...i paid £25, you give them what information you have, they have access to all the government records...dss/pension/NI contributions etc....when they find them they contact that missing person, tell them who's looking for them and their contact number, its then up to that missing person whether they want to be 'found' or not.....the salvation army claim to find 10 lost relatives a day.....so the odds of them finding yours are excellent.....good luck with all, hope your ending is as happy as mine X

Answer 5

I had a lot of luck with Ancestry.com when I was searching for my father's side of the family.  I posted the information and the people who responded were very helpful.  I ended up finding my family.  Actually, one of my cousins found my post and told my uncle about it who then contacted me.  Quite a surprise!

Answer 6

There are hundreds of sites available to search, many free.

I know you say you have tried genes reunited with no luck, but try their Message boards/ Tips /searching for etc. If you leave messages you will find people are incredibly helpful.

Also you could try

www.familysearch.org

www.freebmd.org.uk

www.pricegen.com/resources/globalbatch...

www.lostcousins.com

There are loads more, but many specific to area area in which you are searching.

All the best!

Answer 7

go to your local library and ask there or go to the births, deaths and registry office