So. Signed up for the 14 day trial on Ancestry for a quick look before making a decision about the DNA thing and I have to say I'm blown away with it. The ease at which you can go back generation's is just ridiculous.
Within about two hours I'd got back 4 or 5 generations and two members linked in to trees that other people had done. One tree with 1800 members, the other with nearly 900. A few clicks and I was back to the 1700s on my mums side. All the documents are OCRd so spellings are a bit odd at times but you can view every document. Proper impressive.
It wasn't something I'd ever thought I'd be interested in and probably drop it as fast as I picked it up at some point but it's certainly going to entertain me and the family for quite awhile now. It's so easy it's great fun.
So far found out we've two majors and a Colonel in the family. The colonel went to gaol for a year for a typically 1800s worded offence like Furious unshackling of something belonging to a coal company. The register is hard to read but I look in to it further.
We've got various past relatives with 8, 10 and even 12 kids in one case.
Best of all my mums mum was married had a son at 19 and divorced a year later. My mum knew nothing about this and now has a half brother she knew nothing about so she's interested now.
If you've got a bit of time I'd seriously recommend you have a look at it, particularly if you have older parents or grandparents still around. It's like a Friends Reunited for old people. I've spent hours with my parents while they recount the tales and memories of their past. Things like the old census is filled in house order so my dad could see his neighbours from 1930s at 6 years old and he could see all the kids were on it he used to play with. He's in his late 80s and not very well but it was delightful to see perk up and chatter for hours over what he'd found. My mums also gonna look in to the brother.
We will be spending many more hours all pondering over this and listening to more memories out. Terrific stuff.
Just put a date in your diary to cancel the trial though as they will charge you 69 quid for half year membership otherwise.
Within about two hours I'd got back 4 or 5 generations and two members linked in to trees that other people had done. One tree with 1800 members, the other with nearly 900. A few clicks and I was back to the 1700s on my mums side. All the documents are OCRd so spellings are a bit odd at times but you can view every document. Proper impressive.
It wasn't something I'd ever thought I'd be interested in and probably drop it as fast as I picked it up at some point but it's certainly going to entertain me and the family for quite awhile now. It's so easy it's great fun.
So far found out we've two majors and a Colonel in the family. The colonel went to gaol for a year for a typically 1800s worded offence like Furious unshackling of something belonging to a coal company. The register is hard to read but I look in to it further.
We've got various past relatives with 8, 10 and even 12 kids in one case.
Best of all my mums mum was married had a son at 19 and divorced a year later. My mum knew nothing about this and now has a half brother she knew nothing about so she's interested now.
If you've got a bit of time I'd seriously recommend you have a look at it, particularly if you have older parents or grandparents still around. It's like a Friends Reunited for old people. I've spent hours with my parents while they recount the tales and memories of their past. Things like the old census is filled in house order so my dad could see his neighbours from 1930s at 6 years old and he could see all the kids were on it he used to play with. He's in his late 80s and not very well but it was delightful to see perk up and chatter for hours over what he'd found. My mums also gonna look in to the brother.
We will be spending many more hours all pondering over this and listening to more memories out. Terrific stuff.
Just put a date in your diary to cancel the trial though as they will charge you 69 quid for half year membership otherwise.
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