Geneology searches...

[northern michigan]

what's the best way to go about this? Prefer low cost or no cost. Haven't had much success as of yet. Every bite I get on the web wants money first. I need to search for immigrants from Finland and Poland. Yeh, I'm a polish finlander!

Obviously from the family names thread a lot of you already know of your family history. How'd you do it?

 

[Mary Ellen]

Have you tried going to your local Family History Center? They all (should) have internet access - including full access to Ancestry.com. Microfilms can also be viewed there and cost $3.25 to rent for about 5 weeks. You can check out their catalog online.

Also try your local library. Through my library's web site I'm able to access Heritage Quest at no charge. Great for census.

Be sure to check out Cyndi's List too.

Good luck -

 

[SnowAngel]

To start first get all information, names, birthdays, etc from you family, especially the older folks. They know a lot and have stories to tell. Get a good computer program to type it into. I use Family Tree Maker. I also have files to keep all my information in.

Do a web search on genealogy or family history. You can find more info.
Lessons on Genealogy - http://genealogy.about.com/library/lessons/blintro.htm


Good Free sites
http://usgenweb.com/
http://www.cyndislist.com/
http://www.familysearch.org/
http://www.1stopfreeshop.com/genealogy.htm
http://www.geocities.com/freegenealogy/freegenealogy.html

I also like ancestry.com. It's a pay site though it does have some free info.

If you need further help or assistance please pm.

I just love genealogy.

 

[Mary Ellen]

I'll second SnowAngel on talking to family and getting good software. I have several programs including Family Tree Maker and The Master Genealogist, but I mainly use Roots Magic and highly recommend it. You can try a free trial version on their web site.

I'll also add http://www.rootsweb.com/ to her great list.

 

[piratesmate]

Check for the family boards on Rootsweb.com & Genforum.com They have boards for surnames & some locations. You can try posting your questions. If someone else is researching your names, you'll get a response. You can also search indiv forums for a particular name to see what's already been posted.

If you use FamilySearch.org ( the LDS site) be aware that there are both member submitted entires & parish entries. Some of the member stuff in my family line has serious flaws.

I don't know what time period you are looking for immigrants, but EllisIsland.org has been helpful to me for those who arrived around the turn of the century.

I also use Ancestry - expensive when income is limited, but well worth it.

 

[northern michigan]

I don't have any older relatives. All that's left is my mom and one of her brothers. I do know approximate year my grandfather came to USA from Finland.

On my dad's side I have no contact with his siblings - adoption - and he has passed on. I don't even know which generation came from Poland or was first born in US. I only have first/last names thru great-grandparents and birthdays.

 

[northern michigan]

I did try EllisIsland, but couldn't get a match. Most likely he changed his first name in some form. The first name he went by is not finnish.

I also tried some of those family forums thinking any match I'd find would probably be related since the names I'm searching are unusual, but they're so unusual there were no matches at all.

How much time do you all devote to this endeavor on a daily or weekly basis?

 

[piratesmate]

Originally posted by northern michigan
I did try EllisIsland, but couldn't get a match. Most likely he changed his first name in some form. The first name he went by is not finnish.

I also tried some of those family forums thinking any match I'd find would probably be related since the names I'm searching are unusual, but they're so unusual there were no matches at all.

How much time do you all devote to this endeavor on a daily or weekly basis?

Keep trying with Ellis Island using different spellings, skip the first name, etc. I also found that a name I couldn't get a match for last year, came up right away this year. Last I checked, they were still adding records.

I started posting on the family forums 3 yrs ago & in the past year a couple other people suddenly popped up who share a great-great-grandmother. Sometimes, it just takes a while.

As for how much time I spend on this? I don't really want to admit it! Way, way too much!

Once DD goes to school, I spend a couple hours on the Internet seeing what I can find. That may go one for a week or two until I get tired of it. Then I might not do much for a month or so until I get an email from someone researching similar lines & they get me started again. (When I was working, I only spend a couple hours on the weekends.)

As for going to the county seat or historical societies, I only do that 2 - 6 times a year. When I do that, I spend the whole day - or at least until about the time DD gets home from school.

 

[SnowAngel]

Just keep trying. It's not always easy but then that is the thrill of the hunt. It feels good when you finally find that clue.
It took my a few years to find any info on my great grandfather and then only by surfing through census records in the area he lived in.

I do it on and off. There are times I spend hours on it and times I don't do anything on it for months.

 

[northern michigan]

Are there any forums like the dis that are easy to communicate thru that specifically deal with geneology?

 

[Mary Ellen]

How much time do you all devote to this endeavor on a daily or weekly basis?

As much time as you wish/have.

I can (and have) spent entire days, if not weeks just working on our family histories. Actually, a friend and I recently returned from spending a week in Salt Lake City at the LDS library doing research - and we're not Mormon.

Others just work on their genealogy here and there as time allows. What ever works for you.

1930 is the most recent census that is public. If you haven't done so, I'd look for your parents/grandparents there. Then just start working your way back. Birth/Death/Marriage certificates are also great sources of info. Sometimes Funeral Home records have more info than what is on the death certificate.

My local library also has access to Ancestry.com at the library (not available through them via remote access like Heritage Quest). Possibly your library has it too. I subscribe, but trying it out at the library or FHC is a possibilty. You can also get a 14 day free trial through rootsweb.com.

If you enjoy mysteries, genealogy is wonderful hobby. It can also provide needed medical history.

 

[Crankyshank]

This is very helpful

I do have a question. Once you decide to search out family information, how do you decide which part of your family to do?
Both maternal and paternal sides are going to be daunting for me because of the lack of information I possess and name change issues

 

[Mary Ellen]

Are there any forums like the dis that are easy to communicate thru that specifically deal with geneology?

At RootsWeb.com (and other places) you'll find forums for surnames and locations. They aren't nearly as active as DIS (but what else is? ) and are great helps. It may take a while (months or more) to have the 'right' person read your posting, but it can happen.

They also have mailing lists. You subscribe (free- just sign up) for lists for surnames and/or locations (I believe there is also a 'beginner' list). You'll sign up in 'List' or 'Digest' mode.

In 'List' you'll get each message as it is posted. For 'Digest' you'll receive a message with a number a postings attached. 'List' is better for less active mailing lists (i.e. my BENN surname list - probably only a dozen or so messages a year), while I prefer 'Digest' for busy lists (i.e. my Lancashire, England list - possibly a couple of dozen messages a day). Often times the message forums are tied into the mail lists - any message left on the forum will also be sent to all subscribers on the mail list.

Don't worry, it will probably be a long (but fun) process. I just love watching a TV show where someone says 'I just just went on-line and found my whole family - right there'. It doesn't happen.

Please remember sources are important. The Internet is WONDERFUL for genealogy, but bad/sloppy genealogy spreads just as quickly as careful research.

 

[piratesmate]

Which family to start with? This is a tough one & I think everyone has their own answer.

I started with the family I remembered, which was my mother's side. It turned out that there was already quite a bit out there on that one. By the time I finally found something on my father's side, I missed out on a couple of unknown relatives that were local who might have helped.

I've never focused on a single person or line. As soon as I hit a brick wall on one person, I move on to another. Very erratic, but I tend to be compulsive in other areas of my life - so I guess this is some sort of balance for me.

I understand the lack of info problem. My paternal grandfather died when I was 5 & his wife rarely spoke of him, so I had few personal stories to work with. HIS father had died before my father was born. No one talked about him. My mother & older sister was convinced it was because he was an evil man.

I suggest you start with the people who are still living, who can answer questions for you. Although having them tell you stories may be better. I get much more info from elderly family when they tell stories & look at pictures. Example - my FIL has repeatedly told me he knew nothing about his grandparents - no dates, nothing! - until I found a picture of his wedding & there was his grandmother!

Good luck!

 

[Mary Ellen]

Once you decide to search out family information, how do you decide which part of your family to do?

Just pick one. You'll be doing the other side later anyway. After I'd been doing this a few years, a close friend asked "aren't you DONE yet???" Keep in mind that for each ancestor you find, you now have two more (their parents) to get information about.

Also, don't forget siblings. Some tend to just research their direct line - not paying any attention to their ancestors' siblings. You may find that missing parent living with your ancestor's sibling in a census. They'd never be found if you hadn't looked for that sibling.

While having more information is better, you really don't need much. A few months ago (since my research wasn't going well) I started playing around with another friend's ancestry. She knew NOTHING beyond her grandparents names. Her DH had a certain 'superiority' about HIS family history. She'd always felt that her family had 'crawled out from under a rock'. I now have all the documentation she needs to join the DAR. She wasn't looking to join, but is thrilled to know about her family history - and, being a very social person, she is looking forward to the lunches.

 

[G&J's Mom]

This was an addicting past time for me until I had children 5 years ago. I still dabble and seek info. In fact a couple of weeks ago, I found out what happened to my great-grandfather (moms dads dad). He had been a missing link. I found him through cemetery records that were not available online when I first started a few years ago. It was so exciting to find this info.

I was working on my moms side of the family which was kind of a mystery to her, because she never really knew her father and grandma never really talked about her past.

I started with Birth, Death and Marriage Certifcates. I used vitalchek.com to obtain some certificates. These have alot of valuable info. Birthplaces, dates, maiden names, etc. You can go back quite a few years on these alone. The state GenWebs were also very valuable in some of the states I was working on. Was able to obtain copies of Census records in some cases at no cost. I also ordered some CD's from LDS with census info, etc. I did use Ancestry.com briefly, but I found other sites more helpful and theirs more expensive. I understand LDS Libraries are a great source of info but did not make it there, well not yet anyhow.

I traced her family back to 1834 on these records alone and at very minimal cost.

Good luck! I hope you have as much fun with it as I did!

Denise

 

[Rokkitsci]

Rootsweb.com is by far the best free site. GenForum is also good, but you are relying on others to answer questions.

I have found Rootsweb to be a very good place to start (I started with GenForum - and became more effective when I discovered Rootsweb. = I use them all now.)

Ancestry is well worth the money for their Census search capability. I pay about 100 dollars a year and I have access to all the census information the US has ever collected - from 1790 to 1930 - most of it is in a searchable format. They also have other data bases that are searchable.

I can now duplicate in several hours what I used to spend weeks doing in libraries. Scanning copines of microfilm is tedious at best.

As far as where to start - that is arbitrary - start with the family line that YOU most want to find out about. Divert to others when you hit a dead-end and then come back to it later. Don't give up.

If you are new to the process - then remember to use the Soundex and fuzzy search options. Since your ancestors were Polish, there is no telling HOW their names were actually spelled in any particular record. Try as many sound-alike spellings as you can think of.

Good Luck

 

[SnowAngel]

I understand the name changes..

Remember back them, most spellings were sounded/spelled as they were and dates kept changing.. even as recently as my grandfather.

My grandfather said he was born in 1923 and even his social security application said the same. He died when I was a baby in the 70s. I tried to order his birth certificate and they couldn't find it. WELL.. to find when I was looking for his family in the 1920 census he was listed as 6 months old and in 1930 he was 11.
His father my great-grandfather has been my worst pain.. He had a name change when he was young, went fron Sadler to Stephens. It was rumored but never known till I found him in a census as a Sadler at 12 living with his grandfather a Stephens a few miles from where he lived later. Plus he seemed to age 12-18 years every ten years. My great grandmother seemed to get younger, only aging 5 years in ten years
Those Mississipi people Troublemakers

Also for one line Stevens. I've seen Stephens/Stevens/Steven/Stephenson/Stevenson. All were the same family. Be open and willing to check all options.

 

[piratesmate]

Snow Angel is right about spellings! You wouldn't believe some of the odd things I've seen! Remember when using the various indexes, that they are often dependent on how easy it is to read someone's handwriting. You wouldn't believe how awful some of it is in the census records!

My favorite example is my grandmother's birth record. We were always told she was born in 1898. (Grandpop was born in late 1898.) In some records she gave her b/date as 1899. When she finally applied for social security she broke down & told us she'd actually been born in 1897. I couldn't find her birth record at the county seat, until I went back & looked in 1896 & was listed in the R's. Her last name started with a B!

Get creative!

 

[HollyJoy]

You've already been given tons of great information to get you on your way. Just wanted to wish you lots of luck. Don't give up too quickly if you hit brick walls. They're everywhere. Keep tons of records, too. You jus tnever know!!