* Ancestry.com

[aragorn]

Am wondering if I should subscribe to Ancestry.com .Is any one out there a subscriber and do you think its worth the money? (Money is a bit tight just now so want to make sure!)[rolleyes]

ID:292

[Jane]

I subscribe to the UK version, so have access to the 1891 Census index and images, if can be very useful, but only for Census information. I have not found anything else worth the money.

Don't forget they sometmes offer a 3 week free trial to see if you like it, and of course you could probably do all your know ancestors 1891 lookups in the 3 weeks. The Death indexes are quite useful as they come almost up to date, but I would say have a good look at the sources they have and then decide.

The GRO data other than the recent death indexes are from FreeBMD so if thats what you want I would start on FreeBMD first.

[philjo]

If you are in the London area, you can currently access the Ancestry site from the computers in the basement of the library at the society of Genealogists for free.

Obviously you must be a SOG member or pay the day search fees to aenter the library.

I did a number of 1891 census searches there - printouts are 20 p per page. The same applies to English Origins as well

Jeremy

[GreySquirrel]

Ancestry is useful but frustrating -- it's a lot of money and the indexing has not been subject to rigorous quality auditing -- i.e. it's poor. Will be much better value by the end of 2005, when (probably) all the C19th censuses will be available online there.

I have to say that Ancestry's version of freeBMD is not only free (you don't have to be a subscriber) but also robust and very good -- unlike freeBMD's own version, which is built on sand and collapses if you blow on it. Both are incomplete.

If you want complete BMD records 1837-date you should use 1837online or go in person to the FRC or a library or other institution which has a microform copy of the indexes.

[vliet]

Please refresh my memory - where's the free bit on Ancestry?
vliet

[GreySquirrel]

Here:

http://www.ancestry.co.uk/search/rectyp ... d/main.htm

It uses freeBMD's data but in a more user-friendly and stable environment.

[archierex]

As Jane well said 'Use the free offer or the free part before paying'
I had some early difficulties with script problems but they seem to have disappeared.
Like the curate's egg[oops]

[akirk]

I would add a different perspective. I have subscribed for several years to Ancestry (UK and USA) and have found it very useful.

The census information is invaluable, I use the BDM information a fair bit and particularly find useful the copies of Oxbridge entries / Burkes / DNB etc. which provide some very good pointers and information.

I even find that the Ancestry World Tree is very good. Gernerally if you can find serveral researchers with information you can  spot the accurate bits and discard the rest, but even where inaccurate it can often provide the clues to find the correct information.

Several times when asked by a distant relative about some obscure part of the family I have been able to reconstruct several generations within one evening.

My only desire would be to have the originals of the 1881 census online - commercially not good for them, but would love to easily check some of the mi-transcriptions in the LDS version.

As for being able to check all my ancestors' 1891 entries in 3 weeks - I am afraid the tree is too big, so it will take a little longer.

Basically - compare the cost against the cost of a trip to the nearest record office (prob. £20 in petrol for me), and it seems good value as one tool amongst many.

regards

Alasdair Kirk

[harry]

[grin]I have just used Ancestry.com on the pay per view (£6 + vat = £7.20). for upto 20 views within a 7 day time frame. I was routed there from the National Archives site. It has the 1871, 1881 and 1891 census returns to view for England and Wales plus other flies.
Saved me a trip to the local Records office.

[TimT]

I have looked at the description of what is in ancestry.co.uk for the UK and what is in ancestry.com under 'UK and Ireland Records' and cannot work out if they cover identical ground. Does anyone know?

Ancestry.com is currently about £55 (no VAT to pay - right??) while ancestry.co.uk is £70.

Re previous contributions in the thread: Yes, yes I know it is expensive, but it takes me a day and more than £35 to make a visit to the FRC!!

On another topic re ancestry.com:
Has anyone found the newspaper section in ancestry.com of use. It does not say what in the UK is covered. I guess one would just have to suck it and see using the free trial.

Tim

[johnphillips]

I took out a sub. last May at US$99.99, with the current state of the US$ that's about £55.00 or £1.00 perweek - half a pint or 1/5th the cost of a cinema ticket or paperback.
For this modest expenditure you get access to the 1871, 1881, 1891 and 1901 census plus various other bits and pieces. I recently had a case where the same indivudual used 3 different 1st names over these four events necessitating much to & fro-ing. I don't think I would have had the patience to do this by any other method.Try the free trial

[Guest]

I took out a subscription last week and spent the whole of the next day researching on it.  I was amazed at the amount of information I found - approximately 50 families altogether from the 1871, 1881, 1891 and 1901 censuses.  I paid for a years subscription and reckon it is the best investment I have made in the 15 years I have been researching.  It would have taken me probably 10 trips to London at approximately 30 GBP a trip to get that much information.

I have absolutely no hesitation about recommending it.  Wonderful tool.

[johnphillips]

Just in case it's not filtered through yet the company are now since 26th April offering the the 1861 census as well. Don't know where this will leave 1837online.....

[Guest]

They have census 1861-1901 indexed, also BMD indexes. I find it useful

[David_Lewis]

Have to agree about Ancestry.co.uk now being a very worthwile site to use. I took up a yearly subsciption back in November last year..Expensive at some £70+ but because your not paying on a pay per view basis it means that you can explore more of the data that is on there.

I like thae fact that it will except wild cards in the searches so for example Ive found Shouler's under Showler and Shovler just by searching for Sho*

The Family Tree section is a bit hit and miss. Its all data that has been added by orther people so you have to rely on them having got their research right in the first place. Having said that I use the information on the trees as a basis for my own research and have found most of the trees Ive found fairly accurate.

I'd certainly recommend a short subsciption to anyone for starters.

[archierex]

I have, recently, started using ancestry.com uk again but found that I was being lead around 'the mulbery bush' and wasting time.
At the end I tried finding a BMD entry, of which I had all the information to hand, only to be told that the person did not exist.
I gave up!
[cool]

[nsw]

The Ancestry site only has access to the same data as the FreeBMD website which is a long way off being complete. It does explain this in the description for what is available.

I find Ancestry is worth the money for the census records alone for 1861-1901. I believe this is far better value than the census CDs which cost up to £50 a county and not always with a surname index.

[miffy]

I have recently subscribed to Ancestry.co.uk and agree that its worth it just for the census info. whilst browsing the 1901 I found a potential relative working and living at our local post office!!! I would also agree that BMD is rather frustrating at times. I have also enjoyed looking at some of the more obscure sources whilst they may have no direct info for me they help set the scene.

[Tombaston]

They will have the 1851 census on line soon.

[ireneblackburn]

Ancestry currently has Uk census 1861-1901 inclusive. 1851 is due very soon.
There are the usual transcription errors, but with full membership you can see the images (and save them to your hard drive and use GEDCOM to link them to your census info in Family Historian). It also includes Pallot's marriage index, various bits and pieces of parish records (esp Staffs) as well as a neat index of Free BMD entries.

[David_Lewis]

Ancestry.co.uk now has the 1851 Census on line as well so you now have access to 6 of the 7 census.

Having used ancestry for nearly a year now I'm still discovering new ways of searching the data.

I had particular problems locating a family that had been listed as Welsh's in 1871 and Welch's in 1861. a search on both names revealed nothing in 1851.

However I knew that the family lived in Maesteg and the mothers name was Mary and she was born about 1817.

Just by searching on Mary Residence Maesteg and a birthdate of 1817 +/1 5 years I found a Mary Walsh with the same family members ocuppations and mathching ages as those listed in 1861 and 71.

Similary I was trying to find a Jasper Taylor and searching on the name revealed nothing, so this time I entered Birthplace, year of birth, and location of birth and found him listed as Sapher Taylor.

I started my research about 10 years ago when very little imformation was available on line and searches in the archives in central london took ages looking at out of focus microfilm.

Ancestry has increased the speed immeasurably and I can do all the searching from the comfort of my home.

[loobylou]

Try your local library for free access. Our library has just subscribed and many other county libary services have also. You may be able to travel to a library out of your region and use their PCs as a visitor - that's allowed here in Gloucestershire.

Loobylou