Genealogy Chat

I've tried searching for things with details that i do know (so I can suss out how to look for the more difficult ones)and it's not finding anything. How do you do a search and actually get the results you need?

Are you searching the census or BMDs?

BDM - the census stuff only goes to 1901 doesn't it?

You are possibly trying to fill every box in the search criteria. Give me an example of someone you are trying to find and i;'ll see if i can help you spot them( i wont tell you, just see if i can find what you are looking for , and give you some pointers to find it yourself) Jess x

Yeah the census goes from 1851-1901 . Different people use different ways to search BMDs- in the 'what years did they live' boxes try just putting the years you are searching ie 1890-1900 for a birth,and make sure you choose the right country!

if you want BMD if you go to homepage where you do searches scroll down and you will see england and wales BMD index beta click on that for 1837-1983 Jeanette

for a 'beginner' the easiest way is to use the Beta BMD for Birth death and marriages. take a year at a time , and look at each qtr , ticking off each one as you go. to bang in a 10 year span and get 40+ qtrs back is too mind boggling!

I'm working with my mum and dad's wedding first. George Soffe & Anne Marley got married in Doncaster, October between 1971 & 1975 If i can find that I can search for my grand parents and back from there.

so start with say 1975, with his name. This will bring up 4 rows of names, one for each QTR look at each Qtr...by clicking on the blue circle thnggy at the end, which will bring up a typed list. it looks like this..... are you there? David J Snowball June F Sole 1975 Jan-Feb-Mar O< CLICK ON THIS AND ROLL THE MOUSE John T Soar Knarik Solemani 1975 Apr-May-Jun O Kyrylo Sobkiw Sandra P Solly 1975 Jul-Aug-Sep O Robert A Sloman Asnash C Sood 1975 Jul-Aug-Sep O James W L Snowdon Ramilaben M Solanki 1975 Oct-Nov-Dec O **jUST LOOKED , THERE ARE 4 soffes in the first QTR.nOT YOURS? GO BACK AND LOOK AT THE NEXT ONE BY AGIAN CLICKING ON THE CIRCLE THINGGY

1975 dec qt Doncaster district George S Soffe married Marley vol 3 page 0416 Margaret

Fantastic! I've just tried to trace my Paternal Great Grandmother and my dad is useless! He didn't know her maiden name which someone found for me last night and now he has given me a choice of 2 names for her either Helen or Melle. I'm trying to search her death as I know it was circa 2001 but not know which name to look for is not easy!

Yes, having crossed ref'd that one (by entering Marley in the surname box 1975 and Dec Qtr,) we can see her name WAS Anne **was it the little magnifing glass thinggy at the end that you didnt realise to click - loads of people dont know to do that!

Nellie could be Helen, or Ellen, or Elinor, or Eleanor. Just try not to get phazed by it: my dad was rotten on names too.

Laura if you are trying to find a death around 2001 it wont be on Ancestry as its only up to 1983 Margaret

Ok so I really can't work ancestry at all! I've started looking at my Maternal side and have as much info from my nan as I can get. However I can't find any details about my maternal grandmother. I know she was born in 1894, possibly in lyme regis. Her name was Louisa Stanley Weeks. Her dad was Charles Stanley Weeks, her mum maiden name was Perry but we don't know her first name. she had 4 brothers, Albert, George, Charlie, and Francis all stanley weeks. I've tried searching on ancestry and they don't appear to exist. What am I doing wrong?

Laura - you maybe unsure of what you are doing - but its brilliant that you are trying - i'll take my hat off to you there! ok, in 1901 census, really broaden your 'search' criteria I'd enter LOUISA in the christian name DORSET in the county box and her birth year +/- 2 in the age box. You'll get loads of suggestions to scroll thru. see if there is one in there that is likely Jess **Is STANLEY-WEEKS the surname or Stanley a middle name bit? Just going to hang onto this one a moment as a 'possibly' from 1901 Charles Stanley abt 1856 Bagber, Dorset, England Head Sturminster Newton Dorset Cicely Stanley abt 1889 Bagber, Dorset, England Daughter Sturminster Newton Dorset Francis Stanley abt 1892 Bagber, Dorset, England Daughter Sturminster Newton Dorset Laura Stanley abt 1895 Bagber, Dorset, England Daughter Sturminster Newton Dorset Lydia Stanley abt 1886 Bagber, Dorset, England Daughter Sturminster Newton Dorset Thirza Stanley abt 1857 Bagber, Dorset, England Wife Sturminster Newton Dorset - - - - - - - -- - - - - Putting this in so you can see my thought pattern as my reason to discount these I found this marriage HOPKINS, Thirza 1881 June Marriages Sturminster Dorset STANLEY, Charles 1881 June Marriages Sturminster Dorset so as you know Yours maiden name was PERRY its the wrong family, so we can eliminate them