Subscriptions

[olliepolly]

I currently have a world subscription to FindMyPast, i also have a 75% off offer for a month with Genes Reunited is it worth having the 2 on the go at once? do Genes Reunited have different records to FindMyPast does anyone know
thanks

[christanel]

Hi
If you go to the home page on Genes Reunited and scroll down to the very bottom you will see - on the left - a column with the heading Site Links. Click on the second item down -site map - and on the next page in the left hand box with the heading Search it shows what records Genes Reunited has.

I think you will find they are all on Findmypast.

Have you checked out ancestry.com? However this would be a lot more expensive I should imagine. Which site you use really depends on where your research is concentrated.
Another way of doing it is to keep your eyes and ears open to the free weekends/days offered by the genealogy sites.
Or try them out for free for 14 days. Just remember to cancel your sub a few days beforehand so you don't get charged for a full 12 months.

All sites tell you what records they hold before you even join or commit. You just have to find them. :smile5:

Christina

[olliepolly]

brilliant thanks for your info

[Pam Downes]

I have a feeling that Genes Reunited is owned by FMP, so therefore the records on GR will be on FMP.

Don't forget also that a local library may give free access to either Ancestry or FMP.

Pam

[olliepolly]

i clearly dont need to subscribe to both thanks again for your input ;-)

[Sandyhall]

Ancestry - I used to have a sub for a couple of years but then did not renew it but I can still access some of the records for instance 1881 Census was free when it came out and I can still access and save to any trees I am researching. Some Birth, Marriages & Deaths ( depending on how Ancestry is feeling what ever day it is LOL) I can see when you click review. So that's worth a try.
As Ancestry shows all the hits a name gets there is lots you can find out ie children's names from census parents names from marriage records, baptism records etc

[arthurk]

Don't forget also that a local library may give free access to either Ancestry or FMP.


Good point. Olliepolly, I see you're in Cheshire, and there is free access to both Ancestry and FindMyPast in the libraries. See http://www.cheshireeast.gov.uk/libraries/eresources/eresources.aspx - no doubt there's a corresponding page for Cheshire West and Chester, but as the library service is run jointly by the two authorities it should say exactly the same.

Arthur

[thewideeyedowl]

Hi OlliePolly

I don't think you need two subscriptions, and there is lots of good advice above.

Remember that Genes Reunited is the little brother of FMP, and they are both owned by BrightSolid (or were when I last checked). The main difference seems to be that GR is, to a certain extent, more of a genealogy-based social network - lots of emphasis on family trees and finding folk via them. So, if that's what you want...

But there are a lot of records 'out there' that can be accessed for free, or for only a small fee. So check out and use: FreeBMD, FreeReg, and FreeCEN. The catch for the last two is that they do not cover all counties/parishes or whatever. If you already know where some of your families were, then check out FreeREG and FreeCEN to see if they might be productive for your own researches. FreeCEN gives transcriptions of the censuses that it has done and it is easy to check out county coverage. The project co-ordinator is a member of BritGen and posts regular updates.

Check out Family Search and register for a free account - you don't have to be a Mormon, I assure you. It is then very easy to save info to your account and to move it into folders you create there - a facility I do wish was available on FMP and Ancestry. (Or perhaps I have missed it? In which case 'sorry'.)

Again, if you know the county locations of your families, check out the family history societies in the area. Some are better than others, some offer some data online, all will publish a journal. The more forward-looking societies will offer e-membership at a discount, i.e. you get all publications to your computer and not on to your doormat. You can ask society members for help, and in my own experience it will be freely given. For instance, I am a long-distance member of the East Yorkshire FHS and have had an excellent response to an article about EZARDs in the old East Riding; and I also belong to the IWFHS - a wealth of data on their website and lots of answers given to questions. I reckon that all of that is worth a small subscription, particularly as I live many many miles from those areas.

Learn how to use Discovery, the online catalogue of The National Archives; it will also return results for holdings in other archives.

Lost Cousins: subscribe to the excellent Newsletter, which often carries announcements about discounts and freebies. Get a free account with Lost Cousins, because it can lead to contacts.

Can't think of anything more at the moment and really must swoop off.

Owl

PS Ask questions on BritGen - surely the place for mining for answers!

[Peter Goodey]

I can still access some of the records for instance 1881 Census was free when it came out and I can still access and save to any trees I am researching.

The 1881 census transcription (but not necessarily the images) should be free on all sites. That's because the transcription was carried out many years ago not by Ancestry or Findmypast but by various family history societies in conjunction with the Mormons and remaining free of charge was part of the deal.

[JackieC]

My tip is not to discount google searches. I've found info by typing an ancestor's name (in speech marks) and the town/village, and to see what comes up. For one set of gx3 grandparents I found that a distant relative had already made her research available online - and it included photos! You might also get a hit where BMD info from sources such as parish registers and marriage indexes (indices?) has been transcribed and the content made available on the internet.