Anybody used Ancestry.com?

[Koolau]

If your parents were born before 1940 you can likley trace them with census records assuming you know where they lived in 1940 or earlier (census years only). familysearch.org has the 1940 census online. It does help if you also know the name of any siblings of your parents. Then you look at the census records and see if you can match the family. My parents did this for a while and I have confirmed what they found and gotten some other facts.

Thanks for the info. A few years back, my sister was able to find our dad in census records but it was just a photo (or maybe photocopy) of the actual census book. Kind of interesting, but that was all there was. As it turned out, dad was living with at least one of his sisters at the time. Kind of interesting. Someplace, I have some old documents of his which might show addresses. I'm thinking that would help in IDing him. Thanks again!

I'll check further.

 

[Just_Steve]

I did try the LDS system in Laie. It had never heard of either side of my family. Go figure. I'm afraid to try the DNA tests now - they might prove I'm not even human since no record can be found of my family. YMMV

I thought I was the only one who just appeared out of thin air.
LDS site produced nothing.

 

[tfudtuckerpucker]

I know, but unless you subscribe online and give them information you may not want to, your resources are limited. About 10 years ago you could go into a LDS family history center and put in a name and get their ancestry ,"pedigree" chart without being a subscriber. You can't do that anymore unless you either subscribe to their website or are a member. I don't want to do either one of those. But you still can't use ancestry.com unless you pay or go to a family history center. Well, I am not sure if you are a non paying subscriber to family search.org if you can access ancestry.com for free or not. My guess would be no. You can't even get an ancestor's pedigree file without logging in, and that is at a family history center. It did not used to be like that.

I volunteer time to support the computers and internet at several lds family history centers in central Texas. I don't know that much about the familysearch web site, but here's what I found.

Non-members can set up a free account at familysearch.org. Some historical record collections won't be accessible- only members can view the original records.

Family History Center access:
Anyone can go into a family history center, but most (around here, anyway) have very limited hours, and consist of a room set aside in a churchhouse, with multiple pc's and internet access. They are staffed by volunteers, who can help answer genealogy questions, and help using the software. In some (most?) centers, there are microfilm readers and microfilm collections. While in a family history center, all visitors have access to
Ancestry.com
Heritagequest.com
Fold3.com (formerly Footnote.com)
World Vital Records
Findmypast.com
Ancestral Quest
Get My Ancestors
and probably a few more.

Open hours and locations are posted here

Hope that helps.

 

[braumeister]

Another valuable resource:
I was trying to find some old church records from a small town in Germany. Not likely they will ever be online. But I found that LDS researchers had actually been to the town and microfilmed the records. I looked it up online and found the reel number for the microfilm, which is stored in Salt Lake City.

Then I was able to go to a nearby FHC and request a copy of the microfilm. A couple of weeks later I was notified that it was in, and I could go there to view it on their microfilm readers. What a great service!

 

[Fedup]

I might want to look this up when I have time. Posting here so I can go back and search.
It would be interesting to find out. My husband has either 1/16 or 1/32 German blood. I'm curious to where he is from actually.

 

[AllDone]

I thought it was stupid when my husband signed up for it, but actually it was kind of fun.

My great-grandmother told me a story once about when she was fifteen and took a train to the east coast with her mom so that her mother could do the research to join the DAR. I sat on my living room sofa and found ten more Revolutionary War veteran ancestors using my little tablet. Every generation had twice as many ancestors and not a one of 'em did anything distinguished beyond the one who was hung at Salem for witchcraft.

 

[Koolau]

I thought I was the only one who just appeared out of thin air.
LDS site produced nothing.

Heh, heh, dad used to tease us kids that we were found under a rock! A close friend's parents were a bit worse. They stated that he was found under a fresh "cow dab." Amazing any of us boomers grew up at all. Seriously, I long for a time like I grew up in. Things were not just slower, but easier for a kid to understand (just my opinion, of course.)

I look back now and think what I wasted in time, NOT getting to know my family's history. There were enough bad things in my family's history (my namesake was murdered at age about 14) that I never pressed.

I recall dad putting me on his lap when I was about age 10 and he took me through his family album. Mostly they were tin types. I don't recall anything except that he made this effort to let me know where I came from. Following my parents deaths, I found that album and was disheartened that almost none of the picture were identified or dated. There was one picture that made me cry. It's a picture of my dad - probably about age 21 which showed him with both hands. He lost most of one hand in a train accident shortly following that picture. To find work during the depression (dad was effectively head of household as the eldest following my grandfather's untimely death) dad "rode the rails" to get from job to job. I obviously never knew him with both hands. He never let that deter him. He never asked for help and I was always proud of him for his attitudes about life.

Youth is wasted on the young - probably no truer words ever spoken. But I digress. YMMV

 

[athena53]

Just so you know at least one purpose of the Mormon database...
http://religion.blogs.cnn.com/2012/02/16/explainer-how-and-why-do-mormons-baptize-the-dead/

 

[MichaelB]

Let's keep this an enjoyable and helpful thread on ancestry.

 

[braumeister]

I think that's why the LDS genealogical resources are so good -- it's important to them.

 

[Fedup]

Heh heh, one good reason to get accurate database.

 

[UnrealizedPotential]

I volunteer time to support the computers and internet at several lds family history centers in central Texas. I don't know that much about the familysearch web site, but here's what I found.

Non-members can set up a free account at familysearch.org. Some historical record collections won't be accessible- only members can view the original records.

Family History Center access:
Anyone can go into a family history center, but most (around here, anyway) have very limited hours, and consist of a room set aside in a churchhouse, with multiple pc's and internet access. They are staffed by volunteers, who can help answer genealogy questions, and help using the software. In some (most?) centers, there are microfilm readers and microfilm collections. While in a family history center, all visitors have access to
Ancestry.com
Heritagequest.com
Fold3.com (formerly Footnote.com)
World Vital Records
Findmypast.com
Ancestral Quest
Get My Ancestors
and probably a few more.

Open hours and locations are posted here

Hope that helps.

Well, what I am saying is, is that say I wanted to find all the ancestors on Michael Johnson. A name I made up. He was born in 1899 lets say. You used to be able to go onto a LDS computer and not only look at what the LDS church had for his ancestry way back, but print it out. You can't do that anymore without either being an LDS member or subscribing to the website and I am not even sure you can do it by subscribing to their website. It is not a problem for me, because if I really needed to get something I could get it. The people at the family history center are very nice. As far as using the family history.org site, sooner or later you will need a death certificate or marriage record or some other record, and you won't be able to get it without using ancestry.com or writing to the appropriate place, so that is why I recommended going to the family history center for others, although I do understand the temptation to use what is easily available online. I have been doing genealogy since 1989, so I have seen a lot of changes over the years.

 

[Fedup]

Michael Johnson is a very popular name. I used to work with one.

 

[target2019]

What I have to offer to this discussion of Ancestry.com is that you can enter at least one family history center (near me) and look for any name you desire. If you want to print, it costs a nickel or dime per page. My branch allows me to save the files to memory stick.

The difficult part is narrowing down the results to the correct person.

As for a tree, this is composed from data provided by members. Some of it is incomplete, not sourced, and inaccurate. You end up with more questions and doubt, and it is up to you, the researcher, to find sources that are reliable enough to produce a believable story.

 

[Blue Collar Guy]

My family came here(both sides) during the 1920's.. The brides side came in the 1910's pre WW1. So i know pretty much whats what since our families came to America. I dont even think my own family knew what was going on. My maternal grandmother said most of her brothers died in WW1, and my paternal grandfather said Mussolini forced him to flee his estate hahaha. They were my only living grandparents at the time of my youth. And those stories needed to be translated, cause I didnt have a good grasp of the old country's language.
Does this ancestry tell us what happened in Europe?

 

[gerntz]

Michael Johnson is a very popular name. I used to work with one.

You should see how many Frederick Brandts there were in Germany in 1850. Also Robert Russels in England & Scotland.

 

[ABQ2015]

Ancestry.com is selling new subscriptions for half off today, Sunday, Veteran's Day. The offer is for 6 month subscriptions only and the offer ends tonight at midnight. Savings are $50-100 depending on the package you select.

 

[happy2bretired]

I did 23&Me and then later bought the Ancestry kit. I fiddled around on the website for awhile while waiting for my kit. I still have the kit but I have never sent it in. I sorta lost interest but maybe this thread and a gloomy winter will motivate me.

 

[WWDog]

"Let's keep this an enjoyable and helpful thread on ancestry. "


That is assuming the purpose of these services are only for enjoyment and to help on ancestry.

Think about what can be done with a simple SSN. Then extrapolate that to DNA in the near future for health purposes. I will keep my DNA just to be on the safe side.

 

[WestUniversity]

I’ve used it for years now. Already had a head start with documentation that’s been handed down through the family over the years. I have the family tree completed on this side of the pond. Or at least as complete as I want it. Now I’m working on the European side. The farther back I go the more scarce the records are and because of inconsistent spellings of surnames the harder it is to nail down the next step back. Also did the DNA test and it confirmed what I already knew...

 

[target2019]

Ancestry.com is selling new subscriptions for half off today, Sunday, Veteran's Day. The offer is for 6 month subscriptions only and the offer ends tonight at midnight. Savings are $50-100 depending on the package you select.

Subscription cost without discount is about $150 per half year for global searching with Ancestry. It's expensive. I take it this does not help existing customers.
I've noticed a significant drop-off in proposed matches. About 2-3 years ago there was a lot of excitement about researching, but it has tailed off. I think the total cost, not just initial test, causes people to drop their enthusiasm level.
I have made about 6 connections to 2nd and 3rd cousins. Nothing earth-shattering. This takes up a lot of time, and when you add in the continuing costs, difficult to maintain an interest level.
It's also disappointing to find close relatives who have very different pictures as to tree and supporting facts.
Definitely worthwhile to take a closer look. As discounts for Ancestry and FTDNA come out around the holidays, there is a definite up-tick in activity.

 

[Joylush]

I have used ancestry.com with great results. At age 56 I found who my birthfather was (I'm adopted). I had already found out who my birthmother was but she was deceased when I found her. So had no info on the paternal end of things. Birth father was also deceased but I found my living 90 year old grandmother who was beyond thrilled. I've used ancestry to build an extensive family tree and learned many interesting things (I have a 3rd great grandfather who died in the civil war, a set further back who were a pair of the original French settlers of Quebec, and I now have a photo of a 4th great grandfather in his civil war uniform, as well as many more interesting findings).

I used Ancestry.com to find my adopted sister's birth family. They knew nothing of her and both parents were deceased. She was placed for adoption in 1964 because her father was married to someone else at the time. Her parents eventually married and she has three full siblings. Looks just like them and they are lovely welcoming people. Found her two half siblings by her father's first marriage and strangely her half sister lives exactly three miles from my sister. I say strangely because my sister was born in Chicago. Her entire birth family was from and still lives in Maryland. My sister lives in Florida now. Her half sister moved there years ago as well and happens to live three miles away.

Then we found that my sister has a cousin who is also related to my husband! Now that was weird. I met him in Florida but he's from Pennsylvania. They are both related to this cousin because my sister is related to the cousin's father and my husband is related to the cousin's mother.

I also found my maternal half brother's birth father for him. He always suspected the man named on his birth certificate was not his father. He was right. Father was deceased and our mother is deceased but I reunited my brother with his three older half siblings on his father's side. They too were thrilled and welcoming. My half brother was raised believing he was an only child and now in his 50s he's found he has three older sisters and an older brother.

If anyone is in search of birth relatives this has turned into a hobby or mine so feel free to reach out and I can provide helpful info to you and help with your search.

 

[ABQ2015]

Unfortunately the one day discount is for new subscriptions only. Note this is an old 2017 thread but I did not see a reason to start a new thread just to advertise a one day sale.

I had a subscription to Ancestry.com about ten years ago and while I enjoyed researching my family tree, it was just too time consuming and another sedentary activity that I did not need with my regular desk job. But I'm retired now and with winter approaching and a discount on the subscription, I thought I would try it again. I also got a friend interested in genealogy and she has continued with it and become very good at manipulating all the databases. She retired about six months ago and with the information that I had already researched, she started a family tree for me with lots of Ancestry.com "leaves or leafs" (supporting documents). I can view the tree but not all the leaves unless I have a subscription.

Another advantage of a subscription is to be able to view other family trees in the Ancestry.com database. I recently had the DNA testing and have a listing of cousins so I am particularly interested in whether cousins have shared old family photos as we do not have many for our family on either side. But I agree with target2019 and WestUniversity that this can get expensive, trees may differ, and inconsistent surname spellings and scare records as you go back are issues.

Joylush, my friend has found several adopted cousins who have reached out to her to help find their biological parents. I doubt I will find any unknown birth relatives but would welcome that.

 

[CaptTom]

My grandmother "did" genealogy back when that involved lots of researching and sleuthing in far-flung dusty libraries and old cemeteries. Although she bored us kids to tears, for her, chasing ancestors was an exciting hunt. As my cousin said (after she, as an adult, also got the genealogy bug) "They can hide but they can't run."

I inherited most of my grandmother's research, and did a bit of my own. In the early days of the internet, I was involved in a web-based volunteer genealogy organization. A precursor company to Ancestry.com purchased some of the software I'd written for it. They also eventually bought up the volunteer organization, and assimilated all the data that thousands of volunteers had entered for free - expecting it to be kept that way. They've essentially purchased every genealogy-related property on the internet to become a virtual monopoly.

So, with that background, maybe you'll understand why I find it offensive that ancestry.com charges such a steep subscription price to access all the data they amassed. I'll never join. Sadly, it means I'll probably never be involved with genealogy again.

 

[Katsmeow]

I use Ancestry. Periodically Ancestry does do sales. You seem to be talking more about the records subscriptions rather than the DNA tests. Right now DNA tests are on sale for $59 which is a good deal. Also there is a holiday discount on gift memberships as well.

DH is big into genealogy. We currently have an World Explorer Membership. We had the All Access for a year and didn't use the additional features enough to make it worthwhile. The basic membership is I think the US Discovery and is adequate for most people.

Like Joylush I am an adoptee. I found my birthfather (deceased) through DNA testing with (at the time) no match closer than a third cousin. (I had found my birthmother years ago through traditional searching). I have helped a number of people with DNA based searches as well. There are a lot of people out there who want to find unknown parents or others. For example, I have helped someone whose mother was adopted and born in the early 1900s.

Anyway -- people seriously interested in genealogy who know their ancestry usually do DNA testing like my DH did. Genetic genealogy is simply a tool that is used to help with the family tree and break through brick walls in many instances. Not using it would be sort of like refusing to look at census records. If you are serious about genealogy, then DNA testing is a huge tool.

CaptTom - There is a lot of info available for free at familysearch.org.