Got questions? Get answers!

This week I've rounded up a number of ways you can seek answers to your genealogical queries and potentially break down brick walls in your research.  All are totally free to use, including the ones that require you to register with them.

Recently the Who Do You Think You Are? magazine upgraded its website, losing its traditional message forum that had been so well-used over the years.  There are two alternatives now, though: their Facebook page, where you can post your questions, or the Who When Where Genealogy Forum, which has been set up by former users of the old WDYTYA? message boards.

Record provider FindMyPast also has its own Facebook page where you can ask experts' advice or watch how-to videos.  Meanwhile Ancestry's Message Boards cover a wide range of topics such as emigration, folklore, and even volunteer projects.  It's the kind of rabbit hole you could easily get lost in but well worth investigating.

You can join any number of FamilySearch Groups, with the option to sign up for emails alerting you to questions and answers that have been posted.  And Rootschat is a popular British genealogy forum offering answers and advice; use it to get help with hard-to-read handwriting, or identifying the background in an old photograph.

If you want live help, Ancestry Hour happens on Twitter every Tuesday at 7pm UK time.  Genealogists from around the world converge to discuss their recent successes (or lack thereof!) and ask for ideas and inspiration.  If you can't join in live, just use the hashtag #AncestryHour and click on the "Latest" tab to find the most recent tweets.  It's a fast-moving chat with a good sense of humour, so dive in and ask a question, and you may get some great suggestions for solving your knotty tree problem.  A few weeks ago I posted a photo of two of my uncles in their WW2 uniforms, asking if anyone could identify their regimental insignia - and within minutes I had the answer, from a military history specialist.

These are just a few suggestions - you'll find extensive lists of forums and help communities in the Cyndi's List: Queries & Message Boards section.

When asking for help online, it's vital to make your query stand out and be easily understood.  You'll find tips on posting the perfect enquiry at my previous blog post Help! Where Do I Look Now?

Free online tree storage

If during the last few weeks or months you’ve found time to investigate your family’s roots – or add to what you already know about them – you may be thinking, “Now what do I do with all this?”  Alternatively, if you’ve recorded your findings on paper, why not consider backing up your research somewhere it will always be available, no matter where you go or what happens to your paperwork?

There are plenty of free options for storing your family tree online.  Many allow you to either build your tree one name at a time, or to import it from another software package.

A recent discovery of mine is Rootsfinder.  Owned by genealogy site FindMyPast, it’s attractive and intuitive, but rather sadly hampered by its slow-loading pages once you’ve added your tree.  Mine doesn’t contain tens of thousands of names, but Rootsfinder really took its time to search it and find hints, for example.  Once it did, these were in the form of useful links to external sites like American Ancestors, FamilySearch and, of course, FindMyPast.

RootsWeb (now owned by Ancestry.com) operates the WorldConnect Project which lets you upload a GEDCOM file and then edit or add to your tree, as well as share it if you choose.  It’s a plain, uncomplicated place to store your tree and has been around for a long time.

Family Echo is another basic platform allowing you to input your tree by hand or import your data files.

Genes Reunited (also owned by FindMyPast) offered me a free e-book download to get started when I opened an account with them. The book has lots of great tips and ideas for growing your tree, but naturally, most of them involve moving up to a paid level of access.  This includes being able to communicate with potential relatives, so if you’d rather not be tortured by hints you can’t access without paying, maybe this isn’t the package for you.

Other large genealogy subscription companies also offer free accounts that include tree storage 'in the cloud' – of course they hope that you will spend some money by purchasing a subscription with them, but you don’t have to in order to make use of their basic service.  They include

• Ancestry 

• MyHeritage 

All of these trees give you the option to make your tree either private or public, but there are some websites whose tree hosting works on the principles of co-operation and collaboration.

One of these is WikiTree where 'you control who can access and edit each individual profile page'.  This service is unique in that it encourages you to credit others’ research and cite your sources.  It provides a lot of useful tools to help you evaluate your tree when you sign up to the site's 'Honor Code'.

The information you add to FamilySearch’s Family Tree forms what it describes as ‘a social network that connects people with their ancestors’, and other users can edit or add to a record you’ve created. It also provides storage space for you to upload photographs and sound files.  These can only be changed by you, but they can be accessed by anyone with a FamilySearch account.  All its genealogical records, however, are free to search and view.

My tip, if you’re uncertain which provider you should choose, would be to try out a couple.  Give them a test drive by adding the details of just a few relatives, and then see if you like how it looks and works.  Most of these sites will allow you to delete a tree if you no longer wish to use the account.

Have Fun Forging Family Bonds

You may have young people around you just now who are feeling a bit … bored. Perhaps you’d like to see the younger members of your family get “into” their own history?  There are plenty of resources online to help, and here are just a few examples from some websites that have lots more to offer.

National Library of Scotland  Treasure islands, crafts, storytelling, seabirds - particularly good for those with Scottish heritage, but fun for everybody.

FamilySearch Activities  How much do you resemble other family members – even those who lived long ago? Use the Compare-a-Face app on this website. Learn how to make an "All About Me" box, or get some inspiration with different ideas on keeping a journal.

UK National Archives  Educational resources for young people of all ages – the Time Travel Club is just one example of a wide range of activities, covering just about every era of history you can think of.

☙ Check out my previous posts for more

ideas to boost interest in family history,

for all ages ☙

Free in June

☙ Are you running out of things to do at home? 

Looking for new ways to build your family tree?

Then check out just a few of the free events coming up 

online to inspire you and help you gain new skills ☙

Every day in June, MyHeritage is giving 
free access to a different set of their

records.  These range from newspapers to passenger lists, censuses to electoral rolls, and countries as far apart as Brazil, Hungary, Australia and Israel, as well as the UK, US and Canada.  Check out their schedule and see what interests you.  

For those with Scottish ancestry, Highland Archives’ Learn With Lorna Thursday Facebook live talks highlight different aspects of their archives’ collections. This week it’s 'Crime and Punishment', and some of the upcoming topics are 'Fake News and Reliable Sources' and 'Transport'. 

If you’re into maps – or even if you’re not – sign up for this webinar on June 25th, run by the National Library of Scotland (renowned for their fabulous digital map collections).  They don't just cover Scotland, either, but the whole of the British Isles, and include Ordnance Survey, Admiralty, and town maps throughout the centuries.  Find out how to use these great resources to trace your ancestors' footsteps. 

Are you scratching your head and wondering where you can get help with your research?  You might consider booking a free online consultation with staff at the Family History Library in Salt Lake City.  Find out if this would suit your needs and how to go about scheduling an appointment, or if the suggested alternatives might be more helpful and immediate.

☙ Watch out for my regular posts about online events for genealogists ☙

Free Genealogy Websites

To help you while the bricks-and-mortar sources of family history are closed, I'm reposting this list of free-to-use websites that was my first blog post.  Still good, still useful, and great to use at home.

Sites marked with a * will require registration at no charge to allow you access to their free resources.  Having subscribed to all of these at one point or another, I can assure you that unwanted emails won’t be a problem.  It’s the subscription sites that spam you!

Searchable Sites

FreeUKGenealogy  

FamilyRelatives.com *
British overseas BMDs and missing persons

Commonwealth War Graves Commission  

National Archives  

FamilySearch *

Old Bailey 

Search indexed court proceedings here for 1674-1913

Listings Sites

Cyndi’s List  

Online Parish Clerks  

Background Sites

GENUKI  

NLSMaps  

Handwriting

TNA Palaeography  

Scottish Handwriting  

Irish Genealogy

Irish Genealogy 

Parish register and BMD certificate images

Irish census 1901 and 1911  

Graveyards

FindaGrave  

BillionGraves  

Parish or county graveyard projects e.g. Ross and Cromarty Roots

(These can often be found listed on Parish Clerks’ websites)