Topic: Family Tree Searches

[John C]

Looks like Ancestry has been updating their DNA test percentages. Cue loads of complaints

They notified everyone a while ago that they were trying make it more accurate which is welcome to me, I think the result is fewer hints from weaker cM's. Why are people complaining?


Is anyone else fed up just getting ancestors from USA?

[Tsar Kastik]

^

That'll be all the convicts that were transported there, John. They had a 100 years head start on Oz.

[John C]

 


I'm aware of a couple of ancestors that emigrated but fucking hell they've done some copulating


It's frustrating as I'm searching for my great grandfather who was supposed to be from Brighton, I haven't got a single DNA link on the map from that area out of the thousands of matches.

[reddebs]

I'm aware of a couple of ancestors that emigrated but fucking hell they've done some copulating


It's frustrating as I'm searching for my great grandfather who was supposed to be from Brighton, I haven't got a single DNA link on the map from that area out of the thousands of matches.

I had a great Aunt and Uncle (one of whom was a twin) who emigrated to Australia in the late 1800s and when my mum and dad visited in 1979 one of the cousins organised a family get together.

There were over 400 of them and over 40 sets of twins [emoji54]

[rafathegaffa83]

They notified everyone a while ago that they were trying make it more accurate which is welcome to me, I think the result is fewer hints from weaker cM's. Why are people complaining?

Some were complaining that the sub 8cm results were necessary because it helped them track down individuals from a specific village or helped individuals whose ancestors may have been slaves. However  there was also a load of false matches. I actually had a pair of 7cm matches that were common ancestors, so those types do exist, but I feel you either need a unique name or someone developing a very good, accurate tree.

The latest thing they've done is change the DNA estimate percentages and broke others down (Scotland, Ireland, Wales and England are all split now, although the latter still retains part of NW Europe).

Yes, there are some flaws with it (and some places have missed out), but the caterwauling seems to be over the fact certain ethnicities fluctuated because the revised maps do not fit modern borders. So Scotland has increased because not only does it include parts of eastern N. Ireland (which it always has done), but it's moved into northern parts of counties on the border like Cumbria

Is anyone else fed up just getting ancestors from USA?

Yes, but I think it's just the luck of the draw. People in the UK and Ireland don't seem as interested in doing it, perhaps because of the assumption that they've always been from the UK.

[WEST HAM PAUL]

Looks like Ancestry has been updating their DNA test percentages. Cue loads of complaints

Ive now got 2% Wales   

 

[John C]

Some were complaining that the sub 8cm results were necessary because it helped them track down individuals from a specific village or helped individuals whose ancestors may have been slaves. However  there was also a load of false matches. I actually had a pair of 7cm matches that were common ancestors, so those types do exist, but I feel you either need a unique name or someone developing a very good, accurate tree.

The latest thing they've done is change the DNA estimate percentages and broke others down (Scotland, Ireland, Wales and England are all split now, although the latter still retains part of NW Europe).

Yes, there are some flaws with it (and some places have missed out), but the caterwauling seems to be over the fact certain ethnicities fluctuated because the revised maps do not fit modern borders. So Scotland has increased because not only does it include parts of eastern N. Ireland (which it always has done), but it's moved into northern parts of counties on the border like Cumbria

Yes, but I think it's just the luck of the draw. People in the UK and Ireland don't seem as interested in doing it, perhaps because of the assumption that they've always been from the UK.

Yeah, you're correct with all that Rafa.
I enquired about hiring a DNA expert and it could cost up to £4k (depending on the hours spent). I've got a link to a family with 31cM, I'd love to know the accuracy or the probability of them being a family member. It would blow the fuck out of our family history theory.

[Priory Road]

Looks like Ancestry has been updating their DNA test percentages. Cue loads of complaints

They've now split the blanket category of 'Ireland and Scotland' into separate groups.

[rafathegaffa83]

They've now split the blanket category of 'Ireland and Scotland' into separate groups.

Which is a good thing, even if Scotland still includes N. Ireland and now parts of the likes of Cumbria

I've got a link to a family with 31cM, I'd love to know the accuracy or the probability of them being a family member. It would blow the fuck out of our family history theory.

I've got loads like that. I've spent hours grouping mine. I've got one group that has 367 people in it. About 95% of them I have no clue how they connect (I assume its Ireland) and the other 5% I'm missing an important piece to actually confirm it.

Since Ancestry added longest segment length I've also got three people with 51cm as the longest length that are in my top 5 longest segment length. Their ancestors all go back hundreds of years to rural Maine (all residing a few hundred miles from the coast). No clue how they fit.

[John C]

Is anyone looking forward to the 1921 Census release on Thursday (which is exclusively on Find My Past).

I haven't been able to find anything verifiable about my GF before he got married in 1920, so I'm hoping for a bit of information about his date and place of birth that could assist a 7-year search for his ancestors.

[Millie]

Is anyone looking forward to the 1921 Census release on Thursday (which is exclusively on Find My Past).

I haven't been able to find anything verifiable about my GF before he got married in 1920, so I'm hoping for a bit of information about his date and place of birth that could assist a 7-year search for his ancestors.

Im in a similar position with both of my grandfathers.  Hoping this sheds some light.

[Sangria]

Is anyone looking forward to the 1921 Census release on Thursday (which is exclusively on Find My Past).

I haven't been able to find anything verifiable about my GF before he got married in 1920, so I'm hoping for a bit of information about his date and place of birth that could assist a 7-year search for his ancestors.

Your girlfriend got married in 1920?

[rafathegaffa83]

Is anyone looking forward to the 1921 Census release on Thursday (which is exclusively on Find My Past).

Yep. Although I'm disappointed they are charging £3.50 for every original record image, rather than rolling it into one additional cost like they did with the 1939 Register for the first year or so. I'll probably have to be a bit more selective in the records I pull until it gets expanded.

Your girlfriend got married in 1920?

[owens_2k]

Not sure if any interest to anyone or if its been mentioned before but I've had Family Tree books done by Phillip Noble (@NHeirs) and they are excellent.

[rafathegaffa83]

For anyone downloading the actual scanned copies, unlike in the previous censuses, the address for place of residence is on a separate sheet. I can't remember what Find My Past classes it as but it is in their extra information section which you've already paid for if you buy the original copy. So you may need to download more than one document if you want the address

[rafathegaffa83]

Sounds like the first 24 hrs have been a shitshow:

- Subscribers angry that the costs are extra
- Subscribers and non-subscribers fuming over the costs
- Loads of reports of basic transcription errors
- Confusion over how to locate addresses resulting in people buying additional documents when they don't need to
- Loads of complaints about people being unable to make purchases and told to use a different card or call their bank/credit card company to resolve the issue, only for the former to bring up the same error message if they use a different card and the latter to say there are no holds/blocks and the problem is likely a merchant error caused by a system that should have taken into account multiple individual purchases

[Riquende]

So I've had an Ancestry subscription running for ages in anticipation of this, and it's only available on another site? That requires specific payments per record?

There's a 14 day free trial, I assume that doesn't cover the cost of actually getting any info?

[rafathegaffa83]

So I've had an Ancestry subscription running for ages in anticipation of this, and it's only available on another site? That requires specific payments per record?

There's a 14 day free trial, I assume that doesn't cover the cost of actually getting any info?

Find My Past has the exclusive rights to the 2021 Census for three years. Any subscription (trial or paid) with them does not cover any of the 2021 Census materials. Similarly to Scotland's People, Find My Past are charging £2.50 per transcript and £3.50 per original record. Apparently there are three places that offer free access (National Archives at Kew, Manchester Central Library; National Library of Wales in Aberystwyth)

Based on the info contained in the 2021 Census, I'm just hoping to get records for about 8 direct ancestors and then just wait it out. I retrieved five of them before it told me my payment info wouldn't work.

[rafathegaffa83]

The occupation codes for anyone struggling to decipher the handwriting and looking for more clarity
https://www.findmypast.co.uk/articles/world-records/1921-census---occupation-codes

[John C]

Find My Past has the exclusive rights to the 2021 Census for three years. Any subscription (trial or paid) with them does not cover any of the 2021 Census materials. Similarly to Scotland's People, Find My Past are charging £2.50 per transcript and £3.50 per original record.

It's a fucking scam and I wonder if it was a known part of the exclusivity deal. Nobody wants something for nothing but if you pay a sub £2.50 per doc is fucking outrageous. I've been quite happy paying NA £7.50 for the odd copy cert but to have to pay extra just to look at where someone lived is mental.

An absolute rip-off.

Good job I only needed one piece of information from 1921 (so far).

[Riquende]

An absolute rip-off.

Good job I only needed one piece of information from 1921 (so far).

Yeah. I created an account, didn't subscribe and just paid £2.50 for a single record that confirmed a great-grandparent survived WW1 and thus tied up the possibly conflicting death in 1937.

The identity of a man called 'Fred' that my dad knew as his grandfather is consigned now to probably forever be a mystery, as that entire generation is long dead. I still believe it may have been his step-uncle (who at 22 was still living at home with father Harry and his much younger wife), but it's not like Fred was a rare name for people born in Yorkshire in the 1880s/90s so could be any random bloke.

[rob1966]

It's a fucking scam and I wonder if it was a known part of the exclusivity deal. Nobody wants something for nothing but if you pay a sub £2.50 per doc is fucking outrageous. I've been quite happy paying NA £7.50 for the odd copy cert but to have to pay extra just to look at where someone lived is mental.

An absolute rip-off.

Good job I only needed one piece of information from 1921 (so far).

Absolute joke isn't it. Times like this I miss an ex of mine, her Ma used to work for the ONS and used to dig out all the old stuff for me and print it for free.

With my surname its dead easy to find stuff on it, there were only two families in Liverpool with the surname, so I know when I look at the Kirkdale records I am looking at my immediate family, I can see my Grandad, Great Uncle and Great Grandad and Great Nan. The others lived in the West Derby area and I know they are all from the same family tree. Its confusing though as the men were named either William or Henry, which goes back to the original William and Henry my ex's Ma traced for me from 1841. Loads of women though that I don't know who they are.

[John C]

Yeah. I created an account, didn't subscribe and just paid £2.50 for a single record

Ah, that's interesting, I won't renew my months subscription if we can just buy a doc to view basis. Ta mate.

Absolute joke isn't it.

Indeed Rob mate, good luck with the search.
Consider a DNA test also. It's not resolved my search but it's interesting.

[rafathegaffa83]

Does anyone know if there is a Gore's/Kelly's directory circa 1921 for Liverpool that is online that is actually searchable?

I noticed on one of the census forms two of my ancestors working for a company that appears to be called either Sitcus & Clickmann or Sircus & Clickmann (?) on Camden Street. I'm trying to figure out what the company did.

[Tsar Kastik]

Does anyone know if there is a Gore's/Kelly's directory circa 1921 for Liverpool that is online that is actually searchable?

I noticed on one of the census forms two of my ancestors working for a company that appears to be called either Sitcus & Clickmann or Sircus & Clickmann (?) on Camden Street. I'm trying to figure out what the company did.

Ancestry have the 1911 and 1938 but nothing in between.
Although they do have the 1925 Electoral Register showing the addresses of eligible voters.

[rafathegaffa83]

Ancestry have the 1911 and 1938 but nothing in between.
Although they do have the 1925 Electoral Register showing the addresses of eligible voters.

Thanks. What I'm looking for though is a business directory which was the Yellow Pages/phone book of its day. I know there are some Gore's/Kelly's directories for Liverpool available, but I'm wondering if there is one online from the early 1920s that has been OCR'ed so I don't need to read through every page

[rob1966]

Got sent a pic of my Great Great Great Nan last night. Her Dad was from the US Virgin Islands

[John C]

That's amazing Rob, you must be delighted with that.

[rafathegaffa83]

Amazing stuff. Her Dad likely lived there when the U.S. Virgin Islands was a Danish colony

[rob1966]

That's amazing Rob, you must be delighted with that.

I am mate, its amazing to actually see an ancestor. It's the only photo of anyone older than my Grandads that I have ever seen.

Amazing stuff. Her Dad likely lived there when the U.S. Virgin Islands was a Danish colony

That's one thing I would love to find out, did he marry a local? was her Mum from the islands? and also how she eventually ended up in Liverpool. We did have a lot of sailors in the family then, so I do wonder if one of them met her out there and brought her back with him.

[Tsar Kastik]

Jealous here.

Lovely face the lady has.

[jillcwhomever]

Got sent a pic of my Great Great Great Nan last night. Her Dad was from the US Virgin Islands

Aww that’s amazing.

[BSBW]

Got sent a pic of my Great Great Great Nan last night. Her Dad was from the US Virgin Islands

I've had a quick dabble at trying to repair your pic mate, I hope you don't mind. I've got a better programme at home and will have another go tonight if you want?

[BSBW]

Here you go Rob, if you don't like them just delete them mate.

[liverbloke]

nice work mate - i think rob is taking a break for a couple of weeks

[John C]

Hey John,
how's the search for gf & ggf coming along?

L12 started looking in to this with me back in 2013. It's my mum's father and his ancestors we've been searching for.
A massive issue was that we did suspect there had been a name change at some stage in his life.
We put in so much effort and hit so many brickwalls for years.

In January 2023, L12 contacted me again to see how I was getting on, I'd made zero progress despite hours and hours of searching, purchasing various wedding & birth certificates, creating false/test family trees and looking in to DNA matches.

L12 had another look, possibly from a different angle, and after a week or so presented me with a theory. At first glance it didn't seem plausible but I followed it all up and slowly the evidence, DNA matches and some newspaper articles has given me 100% confidence he absolutely nailed it.
There are still a couple of mysteries about him but my conclusion that we found him is unequivocal.

It's quite astonishing really and I can't thank L12 enough for his dedication, know-how and efforts.

Thank you L12 mate, you're a star.

[rob1966]

Here you go Rob, if you don't like them just delete them mate.

Wonderful - thank you very much

[L12]

 

[John C]

Thanks John , I have to admit your family kept me awake some nights, nothing made sense.

I'm not sure if I emailed you two final, absolutely fascinating newspaper articles?
I'll do it now mate.

Thanks again 

[Tsar Kastik]

The GRO have started digitising their records; so far they have 1837 to 1887 deaths, and 1837 to 1922 births. Priced at £2.50 a go.

You do need to register.

See under 'Standard Service'   https://www.gro.gov.uk/gro/content/certificates/faq.asp?fbclid=IwAR2YKXWEY_7JUPgLmEy9rUJNooTIjw_dI0UQn14cuIZBJYWrLMcxGWRSycg