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Free or very cheap records - name your fav

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  • Free or very cheap records - name your fav

    When I started out many moons ago, the records were just getting to be on the internet and there were CDs about that various people/groups had produced. Some of the records I used to used have been 'bought' by the big boys and are no longer free or a bargain.

    There is a wealth of info here https://www.familytreeforum.com/articles/home-page

    But I reckon I am missing out on some really great resources, so how about everyone names up to 3 of their favourites in a post and see if anyone says the phrase 'who knew'.

    these can be records, indexes, maps, directories etc etc.

    I think my first 3 will be
    The trade directories that are on Leicester uni still free even though Ancestry has them on their site


    Got to be wills, at £1.50 they have to be a bargain, you can search on their site - or use the index from a sub site - just makes sure you find on their site and include a folio number that may or maybe not there


    My last top pic is the fact that you can find the MMN on the GRO site (or also FMP) for free, no need to order the BC. Not all are there - but many many are there, you need to create an account - but no payment required for the searching:

    Carolyn
    Family Tree site

    Researching: Luggs, Freeman - Cornwall; Dayman, Hobbs, Heard - Devon; Wilson, Miles - Northants; Brett, Everett, Clark, Allum - Herts/Essex
    Also interested in Proctor, Woodruff

  • #2
    Trying to think of 3 but definitely The Wills. Even if you don't but them it gives you date of death.

    WWW.freereg.org. The have a lot of parish records on that aren't on Ancestry or FMP.

    Before all the census were on line I used the Trade Directories a lot as they were a wealth of info. Not so much now.

    Also worth looking at is individual groups. The next little town to us have had their MI put on line by U3A. They have made a lovely job of it.

    Lin

    Searching Lowe, Everitt, Hurt and Dunns in Nottingham

    Comment


    • #3
      FTF Getting Started Guide Section 8 and its links to the other pages on the site (hopefully they've not broken since I last sorted them!!)



      Genuki

      Family search

      Cyndi's list




      Caroline
      Caroline's Family History Pages
      Meddle not in the affairs of Dragons, for you are crunchy and good with ketchup.

      Comment


      • #4
        FreeBMD. Quick and reliable and still needed to search more effectively on the GRO site

        GRO index. For finding MMN before 1912, full birth names after 1912, age at death before 1866 and deaths after 2000.

        FamilySearch. Sometimes annoying but still very useful.

        Anne

        Comment


        • #5
          Irishgenealogy.ie

          GRO index with mother's maiden name

          Family Search

          Vera






          Comment


          • #6
            You can't beat the price of FamilySearch, nor the vastness of their records and their wiki. That said, it pays to be skeptical of the old IGI, and even the current FamilyTree. Oh, what they've done to one of my ancestral lines!

            FTF itself continues to be an amazing resource - just reading what other people are doing, the reference section, and the members that have assisted - I've learned a lot and gained a lot.

            FindAGrave has been a great resource, both spontaneous (i.e., the record was already there), the photos taken by volunteers - but also the willingness for volunteers to help. I've received obits, photos of other graves around my relatives, plat records, and research suggestions from volunteers.

            Public libraries - they've often already indexed BMD information for their local newspapers and books. Often willing to do free or low-cost lookups. Public libraries may also provide free access to websites that charge for access.
            Last edited by PhotoFamily; 28-11-21, 17:58.

            Comment


            • #7
              I'll try a few of the perhaps lesser known ones:

              Chartist Ancestors (esp the Databank): https://www.chartistancestors.co.uk/contents/
              Gravestone Photographic Resource: https://www.gravestonephotos.com/index.php
              ScotlandsPlaces: https://scotlandsplaces.gov.uk/records (perhaps people don't realise, but you can also search by name & then narrow it down by place)

              And I can't resist a fourth: Friends Ambulance Unit (WW1): https://fau.quaker.org.uk/


              Comment


              • #8
                For parts of Sussex & Kent, The Weald which had been due to disappear due to the illness of its founder but is now maintained by the Sussex Family History Group.

                For my Lancashire roots the Lancs Online Parish Clerk

                Comment


                • #9
                  Scotlandspeople- relatively cheap access to scottish bmd's, parish records and wills.

                  geneanet- really good free access to family trees, better for european genealogy but uk stuff is there too.

                  victoria, australia state registry- they have redesigned bmd indexes to give more info.

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    *OPC's [Online Parish Clerks] have been very useful and more than helpful in my searches.

                    *FreeBMD
                    *FreeREG
                    *FreeCEN >>>> all one and the same but totally FREE

                    * Familysearch... is still a great resource if you can work out how to use their new interface, I am struggling with it and can't seem to find anything that I used to be able to.

                    *If you have Sheffield family history then 'Sheffield indexers' are fabulous! they have many many resources and lots of transcribed info on their website. They also have a Forum which has many knowledgeable members.


                    Julie
                    They're coming to take me away haha hee hee..........

                    .......I find dead people

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      Trove - for free Australian newspapers. https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/

                      New Zealand papers past - for free NZ newspapers https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers

                      NZ BMDs - free https://www.bdmhistoricalrecords.dia.govt.nz

                      NZ cemeteries - free

                      NZ records - https://www.archway.archives.govt.nz

                      http://www.theislandwiki.org - free Jersey records.

                      Great resources for anyone with ancestors in these places and all free.

                      Pat
                      Last edited by Elderflower; 29-11-21, 11:55.

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        Suffolk Research. Free

                        The Cosford database is to be found on the Wayback Machine now as it is no longer updated since Ray Long's death. However it's a great resource for places within the Cosford Registration District, a few from Sudbury RD, Stow RD and the village of Ringshall (Bosmere RD).

                        Many of these villages are either not complete or are completely missing from FreeReg as yet.



                        Kat

                        My avatar is my mother 1921 - 2012

                        Comment


                        • #13
                          Liking all the ideas - here are a few more from me:

                          this one is quite fun, and I often forget about it - not quite a resource, but tries to cover all angles on a web search


                          what it's worth today
                          Try our online currency converter and find out how many animals, stones of wool and quarters of wheat you can buy, and how much you could earn.


                          and https://archive.org/ there are many many publications on there - including parish register transcriptions
                          Carolyn
                          Family Tree site

                          Researching: Luggs, Freeman - Cornwall; Dayman, Hobbs, Heard - Devon; Wilson, Miles - Northants; Brett, Everett, Clark, Allum - Herts/Essex
                          Also interested in Proctor, Woodruff

                          Comment


                          • #14
                            Yes, Archive.org is a good one. I downloaded pdf images of transcription books of Bedfordshire parishes. I was so pleased I gave them a good donation. In fact, I think it was you that pointed me there Carolyn!
                            Anne

                            Comment


                            • #15
                              Originally posted by Anne in Carlisle View Post
                              Yes, Archive.org is a good one. I downloaded pdf images of transcription books of Bedfordshire parishes. I was so pleased I gave them a good donation. In fact, I think it was you that pointed me there Carolyn!
                              Anne
                              I am sure there are others that we are all missing out on - everyday is a school day as they say, and things change all the time.
                              Carolyn
                              Family Tree site

                              Researching: Luggs, Freeman - Cornwall; Dayman, Hobbs, Heard - Devon; Wilson, Miles - Northants; Brett, Everett, Clark, Allum - Herts/Essex
                              Also interested in Proctor, Woodruff

                              Comment


                              • #16
                                This is a brilliant thread. I have just scooted through it so far. I must start again and concentrate properly. I can see my genealogy bookmarks file getting a lot bigger.

                                Comment


                                • #17
                                  When I first started out www.cyndislist.com was a huge help.If I was researching in Canada, she broke her lists down to Provinces etc. I learned a lot going through the lists, and still check in once in awhile. She started it in 1996, and still going strong.

                                  The other site I keep an eye on is https://genealogyalacarte.ca. Gail Dever has it in two sections and it issued once a week. The first is letting you know what is going on in the world of genealogy. She noted that registration to RootsTech started yesterday. There is also a blog on the site,reme a la creme - where she posts newspaper stories, new records online etc. I have picked up lots of tips not just for Canada but world wide.
                                  George, Uren, Toy - Cornwall. Barrows, Blair, Bowyer, Freeth, Green, Manie - London

                                  Comment


                                  • #18
                                    Great thread full of plenty of great websites and ideas. I’m going to offer a slightly different approach to this as a lot of the main websites have been covered.

                                    Don't forget to load a copy of your tree onto as many websites as possible to use as “cousin bait”. Most websites you can do this for free without having a subscription. Think outside the box as well, I have found this website really useful and welcoming

                                    A community of genealogists connecting the human family on one FREE and accurate tree using traditional genealogy and DNA testing.



                                    Another brilliant resource and one that gets mentioned less and less these days is joining your local family history society. Ok it’s not free, but normally a nominal fee of say £10 a year and you get so much information great value for money. I belong to at least 5! Also now most societies are bringing an extensive range of talks for the whole year all for the yearly fee amazing value for money.

                                    Also look out for talks on the IHGS website and SoG websites, again
                                    My Family History Blog Site:

                                    https://chiddicksfamilytree.com

                                    Comment


                                    • #19
                                      Originally posted by Paulc View Post

                                      Another brilliant resource and one that gets mentioned less and less these days is joining your local family history society. Ok it’s not free, but normally a nominal fee of say £10 a year and you get so much information great value for money. I belong to at least 5! Also now most societies are bringing an extensive range of talks for the whole year all for the yearly fee amazing value for money.

                                      Also look out for talks on the IHGS website and SoG websites, again
                                      And you get a magazine as part of your sub.

                                      We have a board for the main public events in case people haven't stumbled across it. Our members are most welcome to add to this.
                                      Caroline
                                      Caroline's Family History Pages
                                      Meddle not in the affairs of Dragons, for you are crunchy and good with ketchup.

                                      Comment


                                      • #20
                                        Originally posted by GallowayLass View Post
                                        This is a brilliant thread. I have just scooted through it so far. I must start again and concentrate properly. I can see my genealogy bookmarks file getting a lot bigger.
                                        Most of them will be in our Reference Library so that might make it shorter!! Currently, not as easy to navigate as before for various reasons, but everything is still there.
                                        Caroline
                                        Caroline's Family History Pages
                                        Meddle not in the affairs of Dragons, for you are crunchy and good with ketchup.

                                        Comment

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