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Researching my ancestors

Sporadic Sparkly

This is a flying visit. I've not been active on the forum recently, as I have been busy working on my family tree, courtesy of a genealogy website. I am on a mission to try to trace my ancestors back as far as I can. What I find interesting is that thanks to Census reports, I can see where my ancestors were living, and also what their occupations were. I've been in need of a distraction and have found that this is something I can really focus on. Grinning

Admittedly, the further back I trace, the less sure I am that the information I'm adding to my family tree is accurate. The website I'm using offers hints, but the confusion sets in when (for example) it gives more than one option for an ancestor's spouse. Therefore, I'm having to do a considerable amount of cross-referencing.

  • in reply to NAS80516

    Oh the criminals...love thoes, some of my most interesting finds concern the misdoings of my ancestors.

  • Don't get me started on the family history  lol. Once I stick my nose into mine, I don't surface for days.

    Cross reference away. Yes, the information can get more scant the further back you go and DNA will only help so many generations back. Still you never know when you'll stumble upon that will of a rich childless uncle or aunt, who waffles on forever telling you who gets what but also exactly who is who. I've had that happen a time or two when I'd given up hope.

    I think I know the website, and some of it's hints are wrong. Well, it is only a computer algorithm making an educated guess. Certainly, I wouldn't take a hint from anyone else's tree to check their work. So many of them have not done the cross checking and gone awry. 

  • Hi Sparkly, I'm glad, you've changed current topic of interest to something less stressfull

    I've always speculated that I have some ancestors among those who migrated out of Mongolia originally, 

    How does that process work? Do they do any gene testing?

  • Hi Sparkly, it's just really cheered me up to see you reappear for a bit. I was just wondering yesterday about how you and Kate and some others were doing and it felt a bit melancholy. But that sounds like a really positive and interesting project, and now I know that you're doing OK (very overly-reductive statement I know!) and that's nice. Hope all goes well with the rest of your research :-)

  • That is really awesome

    How far back have you gone in your family tree

    I always wanted

    To do that with mine but haven't yet

    I love history in general but history regarding family

    Is just so cool. Be interested to know if any of mine were on Titanic and stuff like that Slight smile

  • I am doing a course in local history so spend a lot of time researching people on Ancestry etc. I find it really interesting, but then regularly get really annoyed as there comes a point at which you can't be certain you are looking at the right person, or there is a big question you can't answer as the records aren't there, or aren't transcribed accurately, or possibly in some cases (I'm researching criminals) the individual lied about their name or age.