Hi all,
I’ve been researching my family history using Ancestry.com and Findmypast and I’ve had success finding names, dates, and main events like births, marriages, and deaths.
However, I’d love to build a fuller picture of who my ancestors were, details like where they worked, what schools they attended, their hobbies, community involvement.
Are there specific records or resources (on Ancestry, Findmypast, or elsewhere) that can help uncover these details?
What strategies do you use to find these less common records, especially for ancestors with common names or in areas with sparse documentation?
Any tips would also be appreciated!
Thanks
Scott
Welcome Scott,
How about a month's subscription to
https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk
Family stories can be a useful pointer, even if they seem improbable. Sports clubs, hobbies. I was given my gf's prize bulldog medals, so I was able to find his records. I knew he had two families and had gone bankrupt. Keep an open mind. I discovered he had founded some factories and had taken out patents. I knew nothing about gf's first family except that it existed.
There are many mistakes in other people's family trees. Try to check them, get certificates. Watch the hints you get from Ancestry, they may not be accurate.
Photographs are interesting. I post some of the ones I can identify and look at galleries.
Consider DNA - Ancestry has the biggest data set. There's a risk that you might find out something you would rather not know. So choosing to do the test should be considered carefully.
Link DNA to your tree. But be aware that Ancestry's Thrulines is built up from your tree. Try to build a wide and deep tree, this will take a time. Don't rush. Distrust anyone who claims to trace their ancestors to the medieval period.
Older members of your family can be a useful starting point. If they will sit down with you and show you photos.
There's lots of stuff we will never know. If you have the photos then pencil names on the back.
Oh and sometimes the ancestors lied on the census! And about who was the father. Sometimes distant cousins will reply to you and sometimes you can share DNA with a person who won't reply even if you have written to them tactfully. If you are lucky you can find distant relatives who are skilled in family research.
The 1921 census repays careful study. Occupations, where did people work? In general work from what you know in the present into the past.
If an ancestor served in either world war or in the services, you can find their records, but might need help in deciphering the abbreviations. Regiments often have on-line records too. I was able to send a copy of a grave in South Africa photographed by my gm's brother of his friend who was killed in a training accident. He had kept this from the Boer war and I was delighted to find a home for it after all these years.
Good luck!
