Has anyone tried to trace their family trees?
If so how far back did you manage to trace, how easy was it to find the information and what tips do you have to offer on how best to search.... thanks in advance

I'm tracing mine.  I started here http://www.genesreunited.co.uk/

This is a good site because if you put your tree on here and names match other members' names the site will match you up and you then have the option of contacting that person or not.  The contact is through the site's system so the other members never actually have access to your personal email.  There is a forum where some very experienced members hang out and they are more than happy to answer queries.

The only drawback with this site is that you have to have some success already to get anywhere.  This is because until you get to the 1800s you are unlikely to find people searching the same lines.  Most people, including myself will not allow free access to any family names withinthe past 100 yrs in order to safeguard the privacy of living family members.

I do have access to another site http://www.ancestry.com/ which costs about £60-70 per year's subscription.  This gives access to all the Birth Marriage Death records going back to when they first became officially collected about 1837 and also the 10 year census records going back to 1841.  These are fabulous because you can see the original handwriting etc. 

The site I use is great but not perfect and there have been some transcription errors that lead to finding families tricky sometimes.  Also people used to lie, change their names, ages etc. and sometimes they disappear hmm? Australia all very fascinating stuff and the more you get into the more you find there is quite a lot you can do online i.e. there are sites that allow access to transported criminals sent to Australia.

If you get back as far as the 1841 census it is very likely you are completely addicted.  This is when you can start checking out the Mormon church site http://www.familysearch.org/Eng/Search/frameset_search.asp?PAGE=igi/search_IGI.asp&clear_form=true  They have transcribed quite a lot of parish records, some going back to the 1600s and probably earlier. These are not comprehensive though and there are mistakes that need to be checked out and that is the stage where you start looking to go to the parish records yourself.  That's the point I'm at now and have already been to the London Metropolitan Archives to search for one of my London lines but I have to tell you this is labourious, frustrating, disappointing and thrilling but more than anything it is extremely time consuming.  From what I know now if I want to trace further back for my other family lines I will have to go to Surrey, Sussex, Bristol, Somerset, Yorkshire, Ireland and Russia - well perhaps not Russia :D

When I started I thought it would be a short term (few months) pursuit but I now realise this is a lifelong hobby.

I now have more than 70 grandparents' names and yet I still haven't even managed to get started on one of my great grandfathers' family yet.  With the help of other people on GenesR I have managed to get back to the early 1700's on one line but that's the earliest.  To be honest I am now getting more interested in the social history that the families were living in at the times and places they lived as this explains their movements/migrations.  There is a site that shows descriptions of London City streets by Charles Booth.  Very enlightening, giving a chilling insight to the conditions some people were living in during the turn of the century.

Most important before you start is get as much information from family members as you can.  They know a lot more than they think.  Write everything down especially names, places of birth, residence, children that died, quirky stories.  These all help to build the jigsaw at the start of your search.  My Gt Aunt didn't think she could help but when I asked if she had an uncle called Walter she said No! my uncles were called Bobby, Sammy, Tommy etc.  Great information that got me started on that line.

Also don't forget to google.  I found a website designed by a second cousin who I didn't know existed and on one page there was a photo of my great, great grandparents. She's been a huge help as she's already been researching for years.

All good advice - but a word of warning - you must at some time check the  original sources yourself and keep a record of it.  Anything copied can have mistakes in it.  I have one part of my family going back to 1700s but I haven't checked all original sources. One researcher told me that there were 2 people of the same name in the same area so our family could have descended from either.  Many other researchers ignored this and anxious to trace back as far as possible accepted the one line only. 
When you first begin you find yourself getting bogged down with trying to remember everything.  I keep a page for every family member and now have 6 files in all for my husband and myself.   Try to take advantage of free trials with Ancestry.co.uk but get as much to look up as possible before you do - to take advantage of it.   I used census records all online now - http://www.genuki.org.uk/contents/  and http://www.rootsweb.com/  also very good if someone hasn't already mentioned.  I also went to parish registers - went to local Morman family history centre and ordered the films to look at - they only charge for ordering they are very good.  Also look for local family history groups who not only have transcriptions of parish registers etc but lots of eager helpers.
Beware though - this research is seriously addictive.  Good luck and enjoy.

Yes, it's addictive, but not necessarily accurate!

My father isn't the man on my birth certificate, neither are the mother and father of my grandmother (she was adopted)

If that's true of my family tree, and I dare say we're fairly representative sample, can you ever believe any records??

Jo

No, you can't guarantee that the records reflect the truth 100%.  I think our ancestors were far more adept at hiding their secrets in those days than we are these days.  It's important to acknowledge that the records only tell us what our ancestors wanted the officials to know at the time.  There were good reasons for hiding illegitimate children or taking on a man's surname when you're not married.  I doubt that the illegitmate children ever knew they were just that as when did you ever need to produce a birth certificate in those days?

I recently found that a widow who came to London from Hull with 2 young boys wasn't a widow at all.  I can speculate as much as I like but unfortunately I will never know what the story behind this is or whether the boys knew that their father was really alive.

Other people's trees are not to be trusted as JoFlatcoat says. I recently pointed out a mistake to someone and they clearly didn't like it because it means that one set of gt gt grandparents weren't married.  He subsequently cut all my side of his tree out of his even though we actually share the gt gt grandmother.  Can't see the point in pursuing a hobby like this if you are going to be upset with what you find.

I found that my mother's grandfather was born a year before her gt grandfather married her gt grandmother.  There were no other children from that marriage so it is pretty sure thing that we don't know who the real father was.  However I traced the gt grandmother's side instead.  We have piles of family photos and it has been fun working out who is who.  We have looked at where family members lived, how they lived, what they did - it is a great way to study history.  In the end non of us really know who we are but if you like research and history it is an interesting hobby.

Funny you should mention google, as I found by doign my surname a person with that name in the USA.

Turns out he comes from my Grandfatehrs side of the family.

It appears that there was a death of a husband and the wife took her kids to America to live with her brother around the turn of the 20th century.

1. Start with <a class='url' href='http://www.genuki.org.uk/gs/Newbie.html'>http://www.genuki.org.uk/gs/Newbie.html</a>
2. Get a good book about it
3. Ask ALL your older relatives what they know and write it down (QUICKLY - before they die)
4. Start saving up
5. Be prepared for happiness, sadness and some new relatives to correspond with :)
6. Join an internet mailing list for the county(ies) where your family lived.
7. Beware people who give you family trees - check out their information thoroughly as it may not be accurate.
8. It is NOT possible to 'do' your family tree entirely by using the internet. Visits to County Records Offices and other places will be necessary to get correct information - a lot of information on the internet is not accurate !!!

I started about 12 years ago. Have got back to the 1500s in my husband's, father's side and only 1840ish with my mother's. Some families stay in the same area for centuries, other's move around a lot. I've had quite a few skeletons in cupboards and also some very interesting, historical discoveries.

Be prepared to become addicted. If I can help PM me :)

Daisy

>>>>Have got back to the 1500s in my husband's, father's side and only 1840ish with my mother's<<<<

Wow how fantastic that must be !!!
Many thanks for all the advice guys