Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I'm in my mid-20's and decided to do a Google Search on my parents (both are deceased). I don't have any real family anymore, and my parents passed away before I was able to find out my real heritage.
During the search I am able to find out that someone else from my family-line has already reconstructed (with the help of others it seems) most of my family tree dating back to the mid 1600's.
I couldn't believe that I'm of Scottish decent (I'm black haired with olive skin) and that my fathers side of the family fought in the Civil war for the Confederates.
This is just amazing!
I couldn't find any information on my mothers side of the family, so I'm not even sure where to start...
Be careful about information from other family trees - unless they cite accurate and reliable sources or records for each individual, it's always possible that the information is wrong. Even if several people have the same tree - it's usually a result of one just copying the other without actually checking the facts.
A good starting point for your mother's side is ancestry.com, if you haven't already been using it.
I have done quite a bit of family history research and you will continually find new things about your ancestry if you continue the search. I searched my husbands family and mine for three years and I still occasionally get the bug and search some more and still find new info. It is best to get your own documented proof, marriage liscenses, birth certificates, census etc. You will find that some online material is true but some is just not. I don't care for Ancestry.com because they always advertise something making me think it is free information and then end up at a pay site. Grrr, makes me angry.
Be careful about information from other family trees - unless they cite accurate and reliable sources or records for each individual, it's always possible that the information is wrong. Even if several people have the same tree - it's usually a result of one just copying the other without actually checking the facts.
A good starting point for your mother's side is ancestry.com, if you haven't already been using it.
I would point out that Ancestry often has items like censuses where they are the 3rd copy: 1st is local, 2nd is copied for the state, 3rd is copied for the Federal Govt. Then the transcriber writes the name as they see it. That is 3 chances for error. I have searched for my family and often needed other family members as spelling is wrong ( how do you mess up Mary or John? > I have seen Mery and Jon). You need to cite everything. The reason things are so messed up is that people do not cite items by actual records.
I gave one family the records of one line of my husband's family and it went around Ancestry with errors like mad (very well known family). I have the records (family bible). It is a pain trying to correct people and worse when they refuse to correct it once they acknowledge they messed it up.
I would point out that Ancestry often has items like censuses where they are the 3rd copy: 1st is local, 2nd is copied for the state, 3rd is copied for the Federal Govt. Then the transcriber writes the name as they see it. That is 3 chances for error. I have searched for my family and often needed other family members as spelling is wrong ( how do you mess up Mary or John? > I have seen Mery and Jon). You need to cite everything. The reason things are so messed up is that people do not cite items by actual records.
::nodding::
A transcriber substituted "Anna" for "Armit" in one of my records. Understandable, since Armit isn't exactly a common first name-- but the result was that Fanny and Anna married and had four children together. Not something likely in a small coal mining town a hundred-plus years ago.
one of my distants....reallll distants....married Elizabeth Atchurch......I have always suspected the he married Elizabeth at Church....
Yes, sometimes it gets amusing. One of my ancestors was Choctaw Indian and I don't know what his Indian name was but some time in the 1800 his name was listed as "Ashhopper" and later when he was trying to get Enrolled, his name was changed to "Ash Hopper" and now there is a surname line of "Hopper" in the Family Tree.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
